Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-07-07
GREAT HAIL STORM
SWEEPS GLOUCESTER CO.
500 FARMS DEVASTATED.
Approximate Damages ssoo,ooo.

east leaving in its wake trail of dis
truction from one-half to mile wide unpre-
cedented in this section, and in its destruc-
tive results unparalleled in the history OF
the State. Thepath Of the storm is clearly
marked by fields Of ruined grain and truck
and fruit orchards.
From the best information at hand the
storm made its appearance coming from Della
ware, at Centre Square in Logan township
and swept east through the townships Of
Logan, northern section of Woolwich, the
entire length Of East Greenwich, the south
ern section of West Deptford, across Dept
ford to point between Blackwood and
Chew's Landing, in Camden county. The
distance covered is about sixteen miles
across this county.
Our reports Of destruction do not extend
further than S. S. Batten farm near Glenn
enton, in Camden county, which is about
three miles east of the Gloucester county
line.
HARRY NoLTE BRINGS HAIL STONES.
AT twelve o'clock on Saturday last, as
hours after the storm Harry Nolte, who
this year farms his fathers productive farm
at Mantua Grove school house, walked into
our Office and invided the Editor to his
wagon, to see curiosity. We knew about
the hail storm, and from reports on the
street knew it had been serious, but when
Mr. Nolte showed in his wagon a bushel of
hail stones, varing in size from an old
fashioned shell-bark hickory nut, to a
marofat pea, and thirteen hours after they
fell, we began to realize what had occurred.
Previous to this, we had been told that
Charles Blensinger had waded through hail
stones that in depth reached to between his
knee and hip, but even though our infor-
mant was the serious Gideon Peaslee, of
the First National Rank, we only smiled,
and thought Gideon had been buying fire
works
MI. Nelte told us that in gullies on his
farm, hail stones were twenty-five inches
deep, and as for the truth of Charles
Blensinger's story, he saw him wade
through them.
SOME FACTS.
j. D. Cunard, of Almonesson, has
three year old peach orchard, just coming
into bearing. They are not only stripped
of fruit, but are hacked on one side as
though by blunt hatchet, and the entire
orchard ruined.
Christian Wolferth, the owner of three
farms at Wolferth's station, 600 acres in
all, feels that his crop was harvested by
hail. All his hot bed sash are broken.
Pastor yannetta, of CIaTksboro NJ. Z.
Church, picked up five hail stones that
filled two quart measure.
At 4 p. m. on Sunday, 35 hours after the
storm, Howard Carter brought half
bushel Of hail stones from ssWino Parks
farm to Jos. Moore's house, and said he
could haFe filed a cart.
The conductor of the Mantua trolley
brought hail stones into Woodbury. from
Almonesson on the Fourth three days
after the storm.
Joshua Scott, of Salina, visited VIM. K.
Carson's farm, near Woodbury., on Sunday,
the third, and found in little gully hail
stones to a depth of II inches.
When our readers realize that there is
nothing fancy about any Of the above state
ments, they will be prepared to under
stand the damage to growing truck that
must follow contact with hail stones Of
such size and in such quantities.
Corn fields are in various stages of de-
struction. We saw fields that are stripped
of all foliage and then would come field,
right in track of the storm, that will prob
ably recover, to large extent. farmer
explains that the larger the corn, the greater
has been the injury, as the small corn is
less brittle.
Tomatoes fields in the scope of the storm
are simply wiped out, and citron and water
melon fields shared like fate; sweet and
white potatoes viii probably recover, and
yield some return, perhaps half crop.
WHO THE LOSERS ARE.
We have made an effort to get the names
Of the farmers in the storm belt. We shall
divide them by localities, but shall not at
tempt to even approximate the loss by each.
IN DEpTFoRD TOWNSHIP.
AS near as we can ascertain the heaviest
losers in Deptford are G. T. Molony, Jos.
E. Clark, VIM. Il. Howey, Adon W. Muller,
Frank P. Gordon, David NJ. sagairs, Jos.
Long, J. D. Cunard, Al Jaggard, T. ..