The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-26
STORM IS
FOLLOWED BY A
BLIZZARD
About Six Inches of Snow and
SluSh Covers Street
LARGE PROPERTY OSS
Some Telephone Poles Down, Chin
neys Blown Away Electric Light
Company Suffers Loss.

The severe wind and rain storm
which prevailed throughout this sec
ton of the country Thursday, causing
the lives OF at least three persons
and incalculable damage to property
turned into a binding blizzard here
about 10 o'clock last night. The wind
which came from the southeast all
day with cyclonic fury, changed to
the west and caused a fall in temper
ature. At two o'clock today the
streets were covered with fully six
inches of snow and slush, and the end
of the storm was not then in sight
Sleighs run well and many are being
used.
Yesterdays wind-blow in this town
was by far the worst In several years
The storm started early in the morn
ing and had taken the proportions of
a hurricane by noon. II was with diff
dculty that people were able to get
home TO their dinner and many stay.
ed at their places Of employment rath-
er than brave the storm.
The wind reached its highest veloc-
ity between one and , O'Clock. 1t was
between these hours that the great
st damage to poles and trees occur
red. The rain fell in torrents and, as
was impossible to hold an umbrel-
Ia, many who were compelled to be
out, got soaking wet in "A short time
The streets were flooded from curb
10 curb and could not be crossed in
many places
A short while before noon some of
he trimmings on the clock tower OF
he court house building were dis
lodged and for time ii seemed to the
delighted onlOokers that the building
itself would be blown 20 Peru or Man
hester where no doubt its inconven.
ences would be appreciated The
clock IN the tower stopped at 1875.
clearly showing when the wind was
At its worst A large apple tree on
he farm Of Clarence Chandler was
blown down during the morning Sew.
eral of our beautiful shade trees lost
many limbs and in some instances.
We're badly dishgured Il IS a wonder
hat some one was NOT severely in
iured by falling branches
About II o'clock. the blind on the
window Of Or. Lewis office on Main
street broke loose and closed with
reat force breaking three large panes
If glass in the window At the Rice
| homestead on the SALISBURY road fen
ces were blown down and much dam
lge done TO farm buildings by the
high wind
No session of school was held in
the graded school in the afternoon
rhe pupils were dismissed as usual
at noon but only a few returned and
those in such condition that it was
! bought best not to hold any school
for the rest of the day and the pupils
we're sent home. The high school
closed at one O'Clock holding only one
session. The Seventh Ward school
closed at noon. A large elm tree was
blown down in the school yard
The roof was dislodged from &
freight car at the local yard anC
blown against mail car on nearby
siding Several panes of glass were
broken from the windows Of the mai
ear. A pole bearing an electric ligh
was dashed to the ground on the cor
ner of Adams and North streets
breaking the circuit for that section
Of the village
The telephone company suffered
great inconvenience and loss. Fiv,
of their poles on Beech street ar,
down and wires are down and crossed
in every direction, About one-fourtl
Of the lines We're out of commission
today. A large gang of men hav,
been at work, ever since the storm
abated yesterday afternoon to brinl
order out of chaos.
A section of the fence surrounding
the baseball field is down. The sigl
board on the corner of Stafford an,
Gage streets is partly demolished. \
large tree in front OF the residence o
LeGrande Colgrove on Grove street i
laying fiat. Some OF the windows il
II. MacGregor Ritchie's house on I'm
perial avenue We're blown in and con
siderable damage was done to the in
terror furnishings by water
A maple tree fully 20 inches in di
ameter was blown down in front o
the Thayer house ON School street
Some Of the branches struck tn
house knocking down the Gimme
and doing much damage to the piazz
and ell part.
In the country districts great dam
age was done to apple trees and farm
buildings The orchard of Georg
Rugg on the flats suffered much fror
the high wind Many trees wer
blown down and many chimneys wer
, leveled
A wagon load of paper boxes bein
brought from the Valentine mill +
the Cooper Mfg Company was con
pletely blown away near the Coope
bridge The frantic efforts of Georg
/ Phelps, the driver, to save them prov
ed futile.
A section of the ain roof on the sho
of II. c. White & Co.. at North Ber
nington was blown away during tn
. storm, causing part of the buildin
to be flooded.
Some OF the weather wise thinl
that this Is the breaking up of the win
ter. After the Zine storm" is owe
spring may be expected It is stated
AT any rate warmer weather is pre-
dlcted for tomorrow and the snoy
will probably not last longer thar
Sunday
A barn on the Martin Armstronl
farm In the west part OF the tow
rented by Philip Jacobs was complete
ly demolished Some farming nipple