Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-08-29
CYCLONE CROSSES THE COUNTY.
Disastrous Storm Wrecks Buildings
and Damages Orchards.

unwelcome storms about I O'Clock
Monday evening, and the experiences
was terrifying to those who were ii
the midst of it. Its path was from
Berkeley county straight across tc
Washington county, crossing Jeffer.
son three to four miles north of Shep.
herdstown. The village of Scrabble
was right in the storm centre, and fol
a few moments the people of that com.
munity thought that the last day had
come. A wind that tore up trees BY
the roots or twisted the tops out oil
them, and which wrecked buildings
and filled the air with flying debris
accompanied by a deluge of rain and
/ more or less hail, created condition
there that will not soon be forgotten
The Mount Wesley Methodist Church
which crowned the high hill overlooking
the village, was utterly demolished
Where there was a comfortable, sub
stantial brick church edifce on Monday
there is none now. The walls were
literally swept from the foundations,
the bricks being scattered in every d.
rection and the timbers carried entire
ly away from the site. Not one brick
was left upon another except in the
vestibule at the entrance. The church
yard and the road alongside were fill
| ed with the scattered ruins. The pews
were mostly in place, and piano was
but little damaged, but the other fur
| niture was demolished and all of the
| windows smashed. A good deal OF
damage was done in the grave yard
| adjoining, a number of monuments
being knocked over and some of the
| tombStones broken in pieces. The ruin
of the church is absolute, and probably
no part of il could be utilized. The
| loss is the more regrettable in that there
is no insurance.
David Hensell and his nine-year-old
son were near the church when it was
struck by the cyclone. The wind hurled
them to the side of the road and threw
them into the ditch, and il was with the
utmost difficulty that Mr.. Hensell was
able to retain his hold on the child,
who was scratched and bruised when
he was knocked down by the wind
and the torrent of rain that swept upon
them. When Mr.. Hensell and the boy
were struck by the storm they were
making for the church to find shelter
from the rain. Ii was fortunate that
they did not reach il, for they would
have been injured or killed.
Scrabble presented a scene Of
devastation when the storm had pass
ed. Scores Of trees were broken or
uprooted and filled the yards and gar
denS, while the roads were INSTRUCTED
and the fields were Uttered. The barn
on James H. Staley's place was badly
damaged, one end being unroofed and
one side moved several feet out of
plumb. His silo was demolished, only
the concrete foundation being left. A
large courthouse on Harry Hollida's
place, tenanted by David Hensell, was
overturned and badly broken up. A
carriage shed at John Tabler'S home
was blown 10 pieces, and his automo-
bile, which was inside the shed, was
considerably damaged. Small build
ings Of various sorts were blown about
and fruit and shade trees Jared badly.
The crash Of falling trees and broken
branches and rending buildings caused
great CONSERVATION among the people,
but in few moments the storm had
passed and everybody was thankful
that no life had been lost and no per-
son seriously injured.
Edwin S. Jarrett's Wild Goose Farm
and the places OF H. L. Lyme were in
the path of the storm A part of the
roof on Mr.. Jarrett'S big barn was torn
of and number of fine old shade
trees were blown down. Mr.. Lyme
lost the cupola from his barn and other
damage was done about the place. At
Mr.. Louthan's chimney at the house
was knocked off, and the doors of the
barn were blown of and broken.
At C. D. Scully's summer home, be-
tween the Shepherd pike and the river,
the storm was terrific. A log house
and chicken-house were damaged
or blown 10 pieces, and the sleeping
tents in the yard were carried away.
In his orchards a number OF trees were
uprooted and broken, and scores of
bushels of apples were blown pre-
maturely from the trees. Mr. Scully's
loss will be considerable.
The fine orchard Of VIM. T. Nc
quilkin, west of town seems to have
narrowly escaped destruction. The
storm struck il sort of sideswipe,
uprooting few of the trees and break
ing branches from others, and a good
many apples were blown from the trees.
The storm caused considerable dam
age to the orchards of John Porterfield,
H. P. Thorn and Dr. Clifford Sperow
in Berkeley county. The Martinsburg
Journal estimates the total loss at $751;
600, reporting that in the Thorn orchard
800 bushels of Grimes Golden apples
were blown from the trees. Damage
10 the amount of several thousand
dollars was done to the plant of the
Security Lime and Stone Company near
Bedington.
St. John Dyer observed the cloud
from his home west Of town, and he
says it was of the true tornado type
being shaped like a funnel, with the
point toward the earth. Ii reminded
him of the tornado that swept over
Louisville in 1889, when he was a resi-.
dent of that city, destroying hundreds
Of buildings and causing the death Of
many people. Mr.. Dyer said that he
was not near enough to hear the roar
OF the cyclone, but the rotary motor
was plainly to be observed.
he storm did considerable damage
to the electric power and telephone
lines, broken trees putting them out OF
commission. The electric current was
shut of until 4 o'clock Tuesday after
noon.
The orchard of Samuel s. Stouffer.
near Sharpsburg, suffered severely. A
number of the trees were blown down
and branches broken from others, and
Mr.. Stouffer will sell several carloads
OF apples that were blown from the
trees.
School Affairs.