The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-08
 Montgomery Theatre Was Unroofed. PLATE GLASS SIDE OF
 DRUG STORE BLOWN IN The General Damage Was Not
 Heavy.
 - Electric wires Were Broken and Dan- gled over the streets--Fire Called Firemen out in Midst of the storm.

rain and wind storm, none the less herce because 1t was local. did dam age yesterday afternoon Whicn, throughout the city, will amount 70 several thousand dollars. For rev seconds the wind reached q velocity os forty-eight miles an hour. It noWieo and whistled. as if cyclone was on. fhe heavy rain was blown In blindinS sheets. SO that one could not see across Dexter Avenue. buildings were stripped of their tin roofs plate glass windows were blown in. signs were smasned ana trees were blown down.
 The storm came on ith startling suo denness. A summer rain was iookeo for, as the day had been cloudy, close and murky. The rain began with DIE heavy drops that battered aloud as they hit the pavement. The rain be- came a downpour, then apparently without any rhyme or reason, the wind struck up the gate of heavy gale and storm-shy people shuddered and turned pale. It was only for a few seconds but the storm was about as heavy as Montgomery has experienced in many years.
 The most damage done to a single place was that sustained by the old Montgomery Theatre of North Perry Street. The tin roof of this building was rolled up and whipped on. A piece of 1t. some twenty feet long, was blown over the city building past po- lice headquarters. Another piece was whipped over a wire on Perry Street a block away. where 1t huns.
 Stage Was Flooded.
 With 4he tin roof gone. the water poured in on the stage of the theatre gconsiderable quantity Of scenery was hanging on the stage and this was ruined by the water. Water gathered on the stage in the dressing rooms an finch deep. All the damage done was, done to the stage. the scenery and the roof over the stage. The tine fresco- ing of the ola building was not damagd. nor was any Of the furnituxe ir sthel parquet or galleries injured. The ny- ing tin endangered several people on the outside who were taking refuge from the storm in convenient doorways. but nobody wAs hurt.
 A short distance away the roof over the building occupied by the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Store was rfolIed up and blown aside. Fortunately. how ever, when the roof sprung a leak, it waa oyer q spot on which none of the stock was stored Because of this circumstance. but slight damage was done.
 The Exchange Drug Store. on the corner of the Exchange Hotel. suffered one of the heaviest losses of the after nooh in the destruction of a magnih- cent piece of plate glass which formed mart of one entire side of the store. The drug store sides are entirely of plate glass, some of the, largest and heaviest glass in the city being used for this purpose. This great pteec of plate glass was driven in by the fierce wind, as 1t ragged for a few seconds. Part of the stock was drenched with water.
 fne glass in the windows of the First National Bank building also suf- 1ered but the loss was not heavy. Several paney were blown in.
 While ther storm was at its height the heavy wooden sign in front of Nachman and Meertief's store on Dex- ter avenue was twisted from its place and smashed to pieces on the pave rnent. On Dexter avenue there were several glass eases just outside the store doors for exhibition purposes and so suddenly did the storm come up that the glass in shese cases was shattered before the cases could be drawn inside the doors.
 Fire in the storm.
 In tfNa midst of the storm the ire alarm rang. While the rain was at its heaviest the various companies re- sponded to a down town alarm on Madison avenue. When the drenched fremen reached the scene of the alarm they found that the electric wiring had become disarransed by the storm and 6 fuse had blown out in the house at No. 49 Madison avenue. No dam age was done, beyond the wetting of every fireman in Montgomery.
 This run was made with some dan ger. for the electric wires had been broken by the storm in many places and the ends of live wires hung menacingly over the streets. As the fremen rushed to answer the call they had to circle out to avoid these menacesy hanging from above.
 By the same sort of accident Court Square was rendered dangerous and unsafe for several minutes Broken wires hung over several points in the square. Policemen assisted by volun- teers watched the wires and warned every person who looked as though they were going to walk In that neigh borhood The storm was especially destructive on the wiring of the city. Linemen of all the companies had all they could do to repair the breaks. The street car system by these breaks was demoralized for a short while, but within an hour the trouble had been strengthened out and cars were run ming as usual.
 The storm was accompanied by a remarkable electrical display There were frequent lightning flashes ac- companied by deafening claps of thun- der. All Of this contributed to frigh- tening the timid and nervous.
 Struck By Lightning.
 The home of William Elmore on Hull Street, between Grove and South was struck by lightning, but the damage was slight. The bolt struck the chimney and ripped off a number of shingles.
 The rainfall was hardly less re- markable than the wind as an Inch and a quarter of rain fell in a few minutes Dexter Avenue looked like a wide and swift creek Some of tha stores on the north side of the Avenue were partially flooded, but before any great damage was done by flood the clements quieted down.
 The heavy rainfall, however, gave the citys new concrete bridges over the Genetta Ditch on Hull and McDon- ough Streets a severe test. but they Rtood the test excellently. IL had been