Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-08-25

The damage which was done in and
about the city by the tempest which
struck Augusta late Wednesday at
ternoon was found yesterday to have
been much greater than was at first
reported. Reports were received con-
tinually during the day of the wreck
and ruin wrought by the storm. many
Of them from sections which could not
be reached Wednesday night on ac-
count of the crippled condition Of the
telephone service, and all of them told
Of the damage by the wind, rain and
hail. and in some instances lightning.
to foliage and fruit trees, to gardens,
to houses and in some instances high
ways. The washing out of the latter
was serious feature Of the work of
the storm, and Mayor Files, in speak
ing of the matter yesterday afternoon,
expressed the belief that the damage
to the highways would equal if not
exceed $4,000. The work Of repairing
has already been commenced but it
will take a long time to restore the
highways to the condition in which
they were before the storm.
The damage to foliage trees was also
heavy, perhaps heavier than that to
the highways, as they cannot be re-
placed. for were new ones set out it
would take a lifetime for them to at
tain the beauty of those wrecked by
the storm. The greatest amount Of
damage done to trees, considering the
small area in which they We're located
was on Crosby street, where four trees
were ruined, three o. them by the wind
and one by lightning. Two Of them
were on the premises of George Allen.
One Of them in falling struck the piaz-
"a to the house of Frank J. Ham and
damaged it but not a great extent.
The tree which was struck by light
ming was in front of the residence of
w. 2. Perry. The bolt which wrecked
the tree came at the beginning of the
second shower at about 4.25 and it was
only by a miracle that some Of the
members of the Perry family were not
killed. In addition to the trees being
damaged a pole on that street was al
so damaged.
Over on the east side Of the river
one of the victims of the blast was
a fine elm on Moves place. This tree
| was wrecked and falling it narrowly
escaped uOlnS lot OF damage as IL
fell between the Haskell store and the
residence of Col. AL. Gardner, just
across the driveway The tree was a
big one and had it not fallen just as it
did it must have wrecked one Of the
buildings mentioned. AS it was, some
slight damage was done to the Gard
ner house. Just across Bangor street
from where the tree mentioned had
fallen another tree crashed down and
wrecked a portion Of the roof Of the
A. NJ. Brown store.
Another place where the trees Jared
hard was on Middle street, a number
Of them having been blown down. and
IN falling they carried the wires with
them. so that Wednesday evening the
street was filled with wires. In some
cases pedestrians had to go up by the
houses in order to PASS. One sample
of the winds work was noticed in the
yard of A. E. Wood on Greenleaf
street. where the forward part Of a
dump cart owned by L. j. Haskell
landed in Mr.. Woods garden. having
been blown a distance of about so
yards. In the yard of Col. Levi NJ.
Poor on Gannett street a fine maple
tree was blown down and wrecked.
The city farm was one of the many
places which suffered, Ga panes of glass
being broken by the hailstones, which