The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-07-10
HARDEST RAIN kHD HAIL STORM
OF YEARS HITS THIS DISTRICT
BARN is BURNED AND CHURCH
EEplE WRECKED BY
LIGHTNING BOLTS.
TWO Street Cars Derailed by Flood
and Oebris-Part Of City in Dark
ness=Streets Resemble Rivers.

One building WAS destroyed by
flames. started by lightning: The
steeple OF another was wrecked and
many roofs were damaged more or
less during severe storm which
struck Wheeling early last evening.
Telephone wire: by the score were
torn down or put out OF commissions.
trolley lines were tied up by wat"t
running over the tracks. and waite"
poured in torrents down The mann
streets in the business section Of II"
city.
The nld barn on the Jobetty farm
on the eBthany pike. owned by Joseph
Spsi,icl. Jr. WAS struck by l.ch:pln:
and burned together with lis contents
\ bolt al lichtriHG $truCh he Sr"ept"
Of ST. James Lutheran church on
ChaplIne street. tearing off bis seq
ion OF state roofing. anu warped the
;op OF the stCcpic.
TWO Ii.h; wires were ;orn down.
throwing dozens OF buildings in the
Market. pliae- Main street business
section into darkness about four hours
while tho Wheeling Electric company
worklnen repaired the broken lines.
Street Cars DeraiIed.
4 City railway car ran into debris
washed onto the tracks at Twenty
fourth and Eoff streets, The car was
tlerailed and traffic on the North
South line was tied up Il half hour.
One OF the big double truck cars on
tho Out-the-Pike division Of the West
Virginia Traction & Electric COM
pany's line was also derailed when 1t
ran into debris washed onto the
track at the Peninsula. Traffic on the
Pike line was delayed fully an hour
Telephones Knocked Out.
Many telephones OF both the Bell
and National systems of the new
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone
company were put out OF commission
when wires went down or the heavy
downpour drove water into the cables,
soaking the wires. The interruption
in telephone communication made. it
impossible to secure the storm news
from much Of the surrounding rural
territory.
Water poured through a newly
opened ditch and manhole into the
basement of The new Bell telephone
building on Chapline street. Although
the basement very little damage was
done.
Railroads Escape Lightly.
l Most railroads and traction lines
Escaped lightly. Neither Baltimore &
ohio nor Pennsylvania officials in
Aharge OF the handling OF trains heard
any serious trouble. Wheeling
Fraction company dispatcherS said
hat line suffered no damage other
han having 4 few Of its cars tied up
For little while when water poured
over its tracks in three or four places.
Heavy Hail Falls.
The storm broke shortly after 100
o'clock Rain came down in torrents
for few minutes. Just. as 1t seemed
tina; the storm was almost over 1t
broke with renewed fury. however. 1t
literally seemed as though the bot
tom dropped out OF the sky. Then
i, began TO hail. and for eight or ten
minutes ice balls and water came
down in mighty deluge. Surface
sewers were inadequate 10 carry OIL
the water. which ran inches deep in
the strests and in scores Of places
flowed over the curbS and sidewalks.
reaching the building line. This re.
suited in many cellars being flooded
On Marker and Main streets. along
which considerable building work is
il progress. heavy timbers were
picked up By the miniature rivers in
the Streets and carried away. \ lot
Of this debris blocked the intersection