The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1906-05-11
SEVERE HAIL STORM.
Some orchads Affected, But the Fruit
Crop Viii Be the Largest Ever.

Some orchads Affected, But the Fruit
Crop viii Be the Largest Ever.
BOSWELL was visited yesterday at
II Don at 5:45 by a hail storm that
Il ed for ten minutes, and there
US a general scramble for shelter
liz those VINO were caught out. In
: iaany portions of the city the ground
Z as covered to a depth of an inch.
here was no wind to speak of, and
lie damage was accordingly lessened
leaves were stripped off the trees,
ID gardens were sadly mangled. AS
-sual there were many comments
last night as TO the storm being the
worst ever. Some large haiIstones
were picked up, but none of them so
large that they had to be let down
from the clouds with ice-hooks. Old
timers say the storm was mild COM
pared with such storms twenty years
ago.. Many skylights on business
houses were cracked, and consider
able damage was done to the Alamo
da Green House by the breaking of
glass. Mr.. Church estimates the loss
at he green house at seven or eight
hundred dollars. Part of the loss was
on plants in the open. The loss on
glass was overed with hail insur-
ance.
The storm passed eastward from
Roswell, where the first crop of al
falfa was damaged, and
some fruit was knocked from the
trees. 1t is the general opinion and
report that the damage was worse
in the city than in the country sur
rounding.
The orchards in the city were bad
ly affected, and none of the orchards
east entirely escaped.
John Stones place near the Ber-
rendo was struck. Many of the peach
trees on L. R. Smiths place were
stripped of fruit. The L. F. D. ranch
was in the path of the hail.
The big Hagerman orchard at
South Spring was struck. A telephone
message from there this morning
stated that it would be impossible to
estimate he damage until a closer
investigation of the whole orchard
was made.
J. A. Graham, secretary of the
Commercial Club, returned today at
eleven O'Clock from a trip northeast
of town, and reports that the dam
age to the fruit crop will o exceed
ten per cent. In his opinion R. F.
Rarnett's place suffered the worst.
Col Parker Eearle's pear orchard
was not damaged to speak of.
w. M. Atkinson was in from the
Milne-Bush ranch this morning and
stated that the damage to fruit on
the ranch was not serious, and that
the storm there was not nearly so
severe as it was in the city.
Secretary Graham will make an
extended trip to the country south
east his afternoon to ascertain the
extent of the damage.
1t is reported that a few lambs
were killed. Old timers say that in
a hail storm here many years ago
fifteen hundred sheep were killed
west of Roswell. There has not been
a hail storm in the Valley before for
nearly three years.
Telephone communication to the
Record state that the hail did not
extend to Dexter or Artesia, land Ha
german reports no damage. There
was heavy rain. but no hail at these
places. Carlsbad also phoned that
there was no hail in h lower valley
Fruit men say that even in the
orchards which suffered there will
be more tnan two-thirds of a crop
and that in most orchards the thin
ming will be beneficial. Many of tn,
largest orchards were not damages
in the least, and it is predicted tina
the Pecos Valley fruit crop this yea
will be the largest in its history