The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-10
Standing Under7 Tree They
Suffered Instant Death.
WRECK OF SCHOOL
"latta University" Two Story Negro
School Building West Of Raleigh
Totally Destroyed. Great DAM
age to Growing Crops by
Hail.

! - severe, Willu, eIeclflcdI ana ram
and hail storm which visited Raleigh
and adjacent country about half-past
five yesterday afternoon cost two
lives and played havoc with trees and
| personal property throughout the city.
The two deaths were those of the
| six and eight-year- boys of Jamca
Temple, near Idlewild, a suburb of
Raleigh.
"Latta University" the large two
story frame building of the negro
school in Oberlin, another suburb,
was blown down and totally de-
stroyed.
The colored State institution for the
Deaf and Dumb was struck by light
ming and the chimney of it's power
house and the large water tank of
the college which holds six thousand
gallons of water We're damaged
The large plate glass window at
Mr.. Robert Simpsons drug store was
blown in and broken.
At the residence of Mr. Chas. J.
Parker, on North Person street, the
lightning followed an electric wire
into his house and wrecked the
chandelier in his dining room.
Trees were blown down in st.
Marys School campus, Mr.. Josephus
Daniels yard, Mr.. A. Is. Stronach's
yard. the Baptist University campus,
in Nash square, the Baptist grove and
at many other points throughout the
city.
On Hargett street. a small tree was
blown down and fell across a horse
and wagon but did no serious damage.
The damage to growing crops in
the section surrounding the city was
1N,af1 Egl1 L Dol
eigh, the stones in the country par
ticularly northwest of the city, were
stated to have been larger than filbert
nuts. Cotton was stripped of its leaves
and corn was blown fiat. Up to the
hour of this writing no reports have
been received from the country of
other damage to property or of per-
sonal injury.
The storm came with startling sud-
denness. Black clouds formed in the
northwest with wonderful rapidity
and, after a warning hush the wind
and rain swept the city like broom.
While the clouds swooped low to the
ground, the water swept in sheets
over the streets, the gusts of the blast.
raised the echoes of deafening sound
and the lightning flashed wildly, fol-
lowed by the intermittent roll of ear
splitting thunder-one crash of which
followed close upon the heels OF a
streak Of electricity that ran like Il
serpent through the neighborhood,
flashing along the trolley and tele-
phone wires, ringing the bells of the
fire alarm and startling all who were
in sight or sound.
1t was this flash which caused the |
death of the two little negro boys |
so far the only casualties reported. |
These boys. the two small sons of
James Temple, a brickmason, who |
lives at 70S n. Haywood street, |
near the Idlewilde suburb, were
standing under a tree to which they |
had run to shelter. A part of the bolt
the actual electricity played all over
the city and section-struck the tree
and the two children fell to the |
ground instantly killed. Last night |
their bodies lay in the house of their |
father and there was no sign of the |
cause of death. Their features were |
in repose; their faces still bore a |
half smile; it was as though they had |
died caught in the act of play.
Reports from the country north |
west of Raleigh indicate great dam !
age to crops; cotton was blown down |
or stripped of it's leaves and blooms |
by the large hail stones which fell |
with terrific force. A gentleman from
the country states that the growing |
things cotton, corn, cantaloupes and |
WatermelonS were completely ruined |
in that section. The hail had almost |
the force of bullets. Cattle, in the
fields, were frantic, running and |
jumping in terror under what was |
bombardment
Just north of Raleigh, in Oberlin |
is the Latta University, a large ne
gro school devoted in great measure
to industrial education, which has |
been built up by the constant eXer-
tons of the founder, whose name it |
bears The main building of this |
school was a large, two-story frame
building. 1t was blown down and to-
tally wrecked. AS it happened, it was
and no injuries resulted
Had the school been in session, there |
would doubtless have been loss of life |
In illustration of the rapidity and |
quantity of the precipitation, it is |
stated that Beaver Dam Creek, which .
is ordinarily a stream of only a few |
feet in width had risen in half an hour |
to a deep and roaring current one |
hundred feet from bank to bank.
Mr.. John T. Pullen, president of
the Raleigh Savings Bank, telephoned |
last night to this office that any con-
tributions which citizens might wish |
to make to the relief of the Temple |