Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-07-10
Hlisesllansous Reaains.
THE STORM IN GASToN
Devastation by Hail Amounts to
Thousands of Dollars.

Gastonia Gazette, July Z.
| Devastated fields Of cotton and corr
greeted the eyes of scores of Castor
farmers when they ventured forth a
daybreak this morning to ascertain
what was the result Of the. storm Of
| the evening before. In some sections
] notably Bethesda, Union and New
Hope and other parts Of South Poin,
township, farm after farm was lef
with hardly whole stalk Of corn ol
cotton standing. Where the day pre-
vious the prospect was fair for an av-
erage crop, fields that had been watch
ed with anxiety through the LONG
drought and which had finally emerged
from that bondage with fair promise OF
producing good crops. lay wasted and
shorn Of all fruitage. 1t was a scene
which twitched the hearts Of many
sturdy farmers. 1t is stated on reliable
authority-in fact by farmers who
have been in town today and by town
folks who have gone to see for them
selves-that numbers Of farms will not
produce a pound Of cotton or bushel
Of corn.
Mr.. A. Kennedy, who lives on the
Union road six miles south Of town,
brought to the Gazette office some
samples Of his cotton and corn. There
was nothing left but the bare stalks
and these were beaten almost into a
pulp. They were fair samples Of his
entire crop, he said Yesterday his
cotton bid fair to produce a bale to the
acre, was in fact the best cotton he had
ever had; today he does not think 1t
will produce hundred pounds. The
storm was the worst, he said he had
ever known in this section, and he has
been living so years here.
Mr.. Bob Brandon, who lives in the
same neighborhood on the Union road,
reported his crops practically ruined.
He brought a sample watermelon
from his patch which was dented on
almost every inch Of surface. The en-
tire crop Of watermelons in the hail
swept section Is probably ruined. Mr..
Brandon said that in places on the Un-
ion macadam road where there were
fills six and even eight feet high and
where there were 24-inch terra Gotta
pipes underneath, the flow Of water
was so great that it ran over these fills,
something that has not occurred since
the Union road was built
The storm in the New Hope section
was most severe Mr.. A. w. Titman
lost most Of his chickens killed by
the hail. Mr.. E. P. Lewis lost his best
mule in addition to having his crops
practically ruined Mr.. Lewis son, Mr..
w. D. Lewis, came near being drown
ed while trying to save the mule which
he had driven into swollen stream.
He struggled in the water for nearly
two hours to save the animal, but was
finally driven out by the rising water.
At McAdenville the storm was per-
haps as terrific as at any point in the
county. Mayor Ed Ray Of that town
was here this morning and stated that
over 5000 window glass were broken In
the mill buildings and other structures
there. The Methodist church was bad
ly damaged, the roof being perforated
by the hail until it had the appearance
of a seive. Balls of hail larger than hen
eggs fell there, said Mr.. Ray. The only
person receiving personal injury at
McAdenville was Mr.. l.. NJ. Rhyme, who
received a severe cash across his fore
head, made ,rom a piece Of flying glass
from the library building. All of the
glass in the front of the library build
ing was smashed and holes were torn
in the roof The damage to McAden-
Vile, according to Mr.. Ray, is fully $3,-
600. No insurance against damage by
hail was carried.
Stanley Suffers.
Stanley and vicinity suffered greatly
from the storm. Over the telephone
this morning, Mr.. o. B. Carpenter,
leading business man Of that town,
said: 1T was the most fearful storm
that ever struck this community" and
it seems that the results justified the
statement. Every mercantile estab-
lishment and dwelling house in STAN
ley" he said was damaged" Holes
were made in the roof of practically
every building in the town. Mr.. John
Wallace's barn, new one, was demol-
ished by the wind and hail. Mr. s. d.
Handsell was badly injured by hail,
having his scalp seriously cut and his
shoulders badly bruised. 1t would be
hard to estimate the damage in dollars
and cents, as every structure in the
town was more or less damaged. On
one side of the Stanley Cotton Mill 6S2
window glass were broken out. Ac-
cording to Mr. Carpenter it is safe to
say that the damage within a radius OF
two miles with Stanley as a center
will not be less than $4,000. The storm
he said, extended two miles west of
Stanley, three miles in the direction Of
Dallas and four miles or more in the
direction of Mount Holly.
Reports from Belmont indicate that
but little damage was done there,
though south of Belmont through the
entire length Of South Point township
the farmers suffered greatly.
The storm apparently ranged a little
southeast from Stanley, passing
through the Hickory Grove community,
McAdenville, Mayesworth, near Bel
mont and on through the Bethesda and
New Hope communities, and through
the Bethel section Of York county. Re-
ports from the last named neighbor-
hood are to the effect that numerous
trees were blown up near Bethel church,
that cotton and corn fields were riddled
and that damage to the farmers is very
heavy. Immense hailstones are said to
have ratified down chimneys and rolled
out on floors in many homes.
The western half Of the county seems
to have escaped the ravages of the
storm.
No Damage in Gastonia.
Gastonia fortunately escaped serious
damage, though the hail, wind and rain
was quite severe. The approach from
the northeast about 100 o'clock yester-
day evening of q smoke black lowering