Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-09-19
COUNTY IS STORM SWEPT.
Ferocious Gale Does Great
Damage at Berlin, Snow Hill
and Ocean Lighthouses,
Trees and Crops Destroyed
Many Boats Sunk.
Many Boats Sunk.

A storm which swept the Atlantic
coast from Florida to New York, and
which almost attained the velocity of a
hurricane, passed over Worcester coun-
ty between the hours of one o'clock and
four o'clock, a. ~, Wednesday.
The wind blew from the north and
northeast, and was accompanied by a
driving rain. In Snow Hill the storm
was very severe, but outside of uproot.
ing trees, and unroofing one or two
buildings, the damage was slight. Mr..
Charles L Boehm, who was out on the
bay fishing, was caught in the storm
and blown on the beach. A boat be.
longing to Mr.. Thomas Brimer, of Box
OH the shore.
At Stockton two houses which were
in course of construction, were caught
by the fury of the storm, one being lift.
ed from its foundation, but otherwise
being only slightly damaged. At Berlin
the storm was most severe, the rate of
the wind being 81 miles as measured on
the instrument of DR.. Dirickson.
The large brick building of William
J. Collins, carriage manufacturer and
wheelwright, was in the center of ex.
treme violence. The building was utter
ly demolished. After the storm passed
over nothing but pile Of debris remain
ed, in which was mingled broken
carriages, machinery, bricks and NOR
tar, timber and other fragments of what
was large business establishment.
At Ocean City, almost every building
was damaged. The roof was blown
from the big bathing pavllions of Gilbert
B. Chopper and also from the pavilion
of J D. Rayne. The Rayne Hotel suf
fered considerably. The Atlantic
Casinos upper porch was torn away, as
was also part of the roof Of the new
casino building. The Mount Pleasant
sun parlor was demolished. The Colonial
Hotel was partly unroofed and part
of the upper porch railing was blown
into the house, frightening the inmates.
The cottage belonging to DR.. Paul
Jones had the porch roof blown away.
Mr.. F. w. Pilling's cottage, near the
upper end of the boardwalk, had the
foundation damaged.
The Plimhimmon and Atlantic Hotels
Suffered little damage. and these are
about the only ones that escaped. Con.
gress Hall is said to be total wreck.
The boardwalks suffered, as did the
tracks of the Baltimore, Chesapeake
and Atlantic Railway Company.
The Peel cottage, which is occupied
by Mr.. Melville Church and his family,
of Washington, was in perilous
position. any the family were compelled
to leave it. The occupants tied them.
selves together with ropes, and just as
they were about to step into the water,
which was waist deep around their
cottage. the back porch OIL which they
were standing gave way and plunged
them headlong. Four sturdy men
dragged them from the water and they
were taken to the cottage Of DR.. J. E..
Jones. of Washington, where dry
clothing was furnished. DIR. Jones was
one of the rescuing party.
The fishermen were the worst suffer.
ers. Some of them lost their entire
possessions. All were damaged more or
less, some losing an entire set of nets
costing $1,000. Nearly all of them had
their boats smashed.
From all sections Of the county come
reports of the havoc wrought in every
step OF the storms path. Every fruit
tree in the path of the tornado has been
stripped Of it's fruit, the corn fields have
been Frustrated, the public roads OBJ
structed, and trees twisted and torn to
pieces and f1attened, some in one direc-
tiou. others in Numerically the opposite
direction.