Smyrna times., 1919-08-20
SMYRNA HIT BY SEVEREST
WIND STORM IN 40 YEARS
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DAM
AGE DONE TO LOCAL CROPS
rive Mill Dams Break Including Lake
COmO-Train Traffic Suspended
36 HOurs-NOtes of Storm.

night and Thursday morning, which
left more destruction in its wake than
any storm for more than 40 years.
Some compare it to the hurricane of
'78. Five millpOnds between Middle
town and Dover, including Lake
Como, went out, railroad traffic was
completely suspended by a washout
at the D. & c. Canal bridge, and
thousands of dollars damage was
done to crops. Smyrna streets were
literally strewn with fallen trees
and broken branches. Two trees on
Main street, one in front of the East
en Horse and Mule Company sta
bles, and the other in front of John
G.. Griffin, were blown across the
electric light wires, cutting them into
and throwing the whole town in dark
ness. All Wednesday night with no
electric lights in streets or in the
homes, the wind howled, the rain
drove in sheets and the night was
weird. Farmers were hard hit. Field
after field of corn was leveled, toma-
toes were washed and destroyed by
the driving rain; peach, pear and ap-
pie orchards were stripped of fruit,
blown to the ground and grape vim
yards were leveled. Two dreding ma
chimes, off Liston Point, just above
the mouth of Smyrna River, were
sunk and the crews, only with the aid
of life preservers, barely escaped
with their lives. Bombay Hook and
Woodland Beach were storm-swept.
Pretty Lake Como Goes Out.
Lake Como, Smyrna's placid and
picturesque lake, went out between
midnight and morning, by the break
ing of about go feet of the causeway.
j. Frank Webb, the miller, tried to
save the situation by having the flood
gates raised, but the lower gates
were stuck so tight that they were
immovable and the upper gates were
insufficient to relieve the pressure ON
the bank. The water rushed with
terrific roar and covered the meadow.
It rose to the residence of Enoch
Moore, residing in the mill property
and carried away fences and his hog
pen. His pigs were later recovered.
Wesley Langrel's pig penalso went
before the rushing water and three of
his young pigs were lost. The base
ment of Webb's mill was filled with
five feet of water and more than a
$1,000 worth of feed was damaged.
His gasoline engine was put out of
commission by the water. During the
storm and just after the Lake Como
causeway broke, the road was roped
off. Motorists and teams down the
State are now obliged to go by the
head of the pond. Mr.. Daniel Cor
bitt, of Odessa, owner of the Webb's
mill property and pond, was in Smyr-
ma, Saturday, looking into the prop
osition of making early repairs.
Duck Creek and Other MiIlpOnds Out.
The Duck Creek pond also went out,
cutting off the water power of S. A.
Fortner's mills, formerly Denney's
mill. The water came down with
such mighty rush that the long iron
bridge joining the State road between
Kent and New Castle counties, was
for time endangered. Water cut a
part of the road adjacent to the
bridge and abutment on the New
Castle side, leaving a space just bare
ly wide enough for teams to pass
over. The pond at Townsend, Lake
side Mill, George H. Wiggins, pro-
prietor, went out during the storm
as did also Sherwood's mill, near
Brenford and Silver Lake, Dover.
This beautiful lake, just north of
Dover, which receives water from
many streams several miles distant,
was so full that the pressure on the
mill gates at the Lewis mills went to
the breaking point, when dynamite
was brought into play to blow out
part of the dam to allow the water
full sway. Neither did this altogether
relieve the situation and several other
dynamitings were necessary. The
water from this mill runs through the
town, close to the Dover Water and
Light Plant, and during Thursday the
stream in front of the plant over
flowed its bank and flooded the plant
with nearly two feet of water, rem
dering the large generators useless
and placed the town in darkness. By
fitting the employees at the plant
with hip boots the town water supply
CONTINUED ON FIFTH PAGE