The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-07-28
Carrying Trees and Poles to
Ground.
ONE OF SEvEREST ON RECORD
Telephone Girls Driven
From Keyboards.
Wires Blown Down--Trees Thrown
Across Streets and Roads, Block
Ing Traffic-Electric Power Off
Rain Is Binding.

| Since they have finished making hay
the farmers have been praying for
rain, and Wednesday evening those
PRAYERS were answered with vengeance
Earlv I'm the afternoon, the clouds be-
gan gathering in the west. There was
great electrical disturbance later In
the afternoon and when evening
came there was one of the hardest
wind, rain and electrical storms OF
the season. Flashes of lightning ana
peals of thunder came almost in uni
son and were followed by terrific
downpour Sewers were soon overtax-
ed and the streets and sidewalks took
on the appearance of miniature rivers.
and shade trees were blown down
in all parts of the city, while small
limbs showered upon the lawns.
From the country II was difficult to
gain any information. Many of the
lines to smaller towns were out OF
commission. while in the city, tele-
phone service was very poor because
of burned out phones. Electric light
fuses were burned out and those who
use electricity for power experienced
some difficulty in getting the wheels
started to moving. The electricians
and telephone linemen were kept busy
Thursday morning. getting the system
into working order.
The storm was the worst in the
memory of the oldest inhabitants. The
rain came down in torrents and was
swept about by a gale of nearly
sixty miles an hour. In the downtown
districts during the height of the
storm 1t was impossible to see across
the street.
The cutters overflowed and streets
were covered with water from curb
to curb. Cellars were flooded
The high wind unroofed many small
buildings in the city and though out
the country. Fences were blown down
and trees uprooted In many places
travellers in automobiles and carriages
on the country roads had to get out
and throw the trees out of the road
In order 10 proceed. This was done in
the binding rain.
Lightning accompanied the storm
making the scene from indoors spec
tacular. 1t struck the wires of the
Marion County Telephone companv
ran INTO the exchange in the Masonic
Temple and burned out the big ma
'hlne used there. Fire spread to the
woodwork and an alarm was sent in |
20 the Central department which re-
'pahded and quickly extnguished the
)laze All was confusion in the ex-
mango. Girls left their placas r.n
irantlcally about and then went to
Work TO put out the fire. Hundreds of
Pnohes were put out of commission
Telegraph wires We're blown dowr
,mu Wv, communication with many places
vas cut on for several hours. Tho
elephone and electric light companies
,'so report a great amount of damaga
several lines of the fire alarm svs,.,,
we're put out of commission MI
street car system was serlous,v in
lerfered with. 'iS IN
!" 'he surrounding country cor, ,o
,'o"h nat and the crop badly do,
sed as the result. ''''a-
,. Nordica Is Aired
~ was reported todav tho. a.,
In ,ha 'oih uhroofed several houses
!" a. tue west part of the city. The wind
,tu peculiar thing at the brewerv
Mhere IL lifted up a wagonshed ana
'arried II about fifteen feet west
Al Hotel Nordica the windows wera
open and the east wind blowing like A
'yeione carried pillows, sheets and
oedclothing out of the rooms on the
west side. Telephone poles were snap-
ped like so much chaff and fruit trees
all over the city were uprooted.