Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-06-25
SOUTH AMBOY.
The STORM IN
THE BOROUGH.


1t is probably well for many peo-
pie that a small cyclone preceded tie
storm of hail which struck this vi
ough Saturday afternoon, for mat
gave many who were out of doors
time to run for shelter and so escape
the immense hailstones which fell
shortly afterwards. The first storm
of hail was not alarming, it was but
an ordinary one, but the second
well, it can better be described as a
fall of s%nowballs, for the ground was
apparently covered with snowballs
which seemed to fall from the sky as
is there was a SNOWFALL game being
played above the earth by many peo-
pie who enjoyed seeing them drop
down to the earth. 1t was a pretty
sight too, for those who weren't too
frightened and dared look from their
windows. AS far as the eye could
see we're the perfectly moulded balls,
which certainly resembled snow, but
when picked p later were found to be
solid balls of ice, gaining force as
they fell. Some of course were not
perfectly round, but most of them
were and ome resembled the inter
ior of the bottom of a teacup and
uulIe DIS SIlOOlU. l. Hey DOliutu dlu
rebounded, striking pane after pane
of glass and demolishing windows,
making holes in tin roofs and in some
of the lawns where the force was
greatest, making holes two inches
deep and those were h%ailstOnes two
and a half inches across. On one
lawn they just lay huddled in the
grass and remained there for a long
4tA.~f nF4Ar thnan IN fhn rnnA hnH
melted, so a little girl came out from
the cottage and picked up two pans
full and put them in the refrigerator.
Several parties did the same and they
remained there for hours, being more
solid than the other ice.
The question was, where did they
come from? and the surprise as to
the force with which they were ap-
~parently hurled, made the whole
thing seem uncanny. In the streets,
horses were frightened and women
and children screamed as they ran.
A gentleman was seen to bend over a
lady in a light wagon and with his
coat over his head to protect them
both, he waited for the worst to go
v but he first tied the horse so it
couldn't run away. The Oldest in
habitants say they never say any
thing like it during their lives. II
anyone attempted to close the shut
tiers so as to save the windows they
ran the risk Of having their arms
hurt or of receiving a ball of ice in
their faces. Friends called n an
other up over the phone as 500 as
possible and ascertained how they
had Jared, even between South and
Perth. In some houses women We're
SO frightened that they ran from
room to room, not knowing what to
do ,s.-. the heavy thud of the balls OF
ice r.~ itappear every moment as
if they would come flying at them
through the windows. On Broadway
there was pandermonium for a while,
for the greatest excitement pervall-
ed. On the new bridge just before
the storm ONE with and without
baby carriages, were leisurely walk
ing and the only shelter was the
small house in the center of the
bridge and that was little better than
nothing. iN5 's}t
II vas expected that all the glass
of the one greenhouse South Amboy
possesses would be broken, but there
were only seven panes gone and one
of those had been hurled owe thirty
feet away and laid on the ground UNI
broken. on the opposite side of he
road from Feltus street on up the
avenue great trees We're torn up. One
was thrown against William Max
fields house and near John Jacobs
and McDowells house and seven or
eight chimneys were blown Off. only
small hailstones were e there but
the wind was great. On the Heights
Richard Conover lost a large cherry
tree full of fruit and several other
large trees. Charles Rose lost sever
al fruit trees and a cherry tree in
William D~ayton's yard in Bordentown
avenue was split and blown down,
An immense tree blew down in front
of the house occupied by Charles
Kemps and completely covered the
front Of it. About two-thirds of the
trees in Campbell's orchard were up
rooted. At the creek a very large
old willow tree was blown over but
there was very little hail. but in the
borough proper the hail broke WIN
dows on the northwest side of most
of the houses where the shutters
weren't closed. st. Mary's school
had a number of windows broken and
the rectorv and nnnnery. st. Marys
church had four of the sachistry and
one of the baptismal office windows
broken. The M. p. church and par
sonage. PRESBYTERIAN church, Bor-
ongh hall, Odd Fellows Hall and q
number of the Broadway buildings
had numerous windows shattered,
The bay windows of Mrs. MorrflIs
residence caught it. Some of the
frames of Sections windows at his
- -.l AZ, ~l1,g