Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1920-06-16
WIND, HAIL AND ELECTRIC
STORMS WREAkS DAMAGE
Outlining BOLT KILLS BYRON.
SON OF GEORGE N. ROSS
Also Kills Calf and Burns m His
stable and Barn-Six Places
Struck-CrOps Suffe,

: smyrna was hit by one of the worS+
nall electric and wind storms FRIDAY
AFTERNOON, that ever passed o,,o,. 49,,
community. Besides a toll of ono
ueath' the storm left in its wake tbon-
S''mus OF dollars worth of DAMAGE 70
buildings and crops. One of +bo go
70 Su1er was George N. Ross who
Soinetlme ago purchased the Hutcbin
son farm on the road LEADING f,,o,,,
AlIey School to Kenton. a short a.
lance from Blackstone Cross Road
ms son. Byron, had just put up his
.eam when bolt of lightning struck
Che stable, killing him Instantly, aIua
calf in the stall and setting fire. -
'he stable. The timely arrival of +bo
young mans brother, saved Rvron,s
body from being burned m :, 49,
sVaoIe' Mr.. and Mrs. Ross were fran
Tic over the affair and have the SWIM
pathy OF the whole community Rvror
was a ikable young man 81 wears Of
age and had but recently returned
from France where he was sin tbo
service" once or twice wounded -,
gassed, and fighting in the thickest Of
Iiie battle line, sometimes over dead
noules' 1t seemed the irony of fate
Chat ne should have come ont of +bo
war only to be struck down by bolt
OF hghtning. Mr.. Ross, the father
lost considerable in the building and
contents and had his crops practically
ruined by wind and hail. The Smvrna
are company responded but did little
good other than keep the fife confined
to the one building.
Five Other Places Also Struck
Lightning also struck the stable on
the farm of Frank Downs, residing on
the G. w. Hill farm, near Blackiston,s
but-wlth no material damage. On the
farm of Eugene MINER owned by Mrs
James P. Hoffecker, lightning struck
the farm residence splintering the
weather boarding and knocking the
plaster from the wall. Fortunately no
one was near enough to be hurt by The
shock and fortunate too the house was
not set on fire. George D. Wright had ,
two different places struck, one was
an outbuilding on his farm near Bren-
ford and the other the new garage
which he and his son are building at
The Finger Board. In both cases no
material damage was done and can be :
at slight cost. William A.
Broadway, residing near Bayview had :
a big hole bored through his barn cup
ola and all, when the fiery bolt plowed
It's way down an end of the building,
fearing off boards clear until it enter c
I'd the ground. That it did not set fire
% the building is nothing short of /
A ball of lighting struck G
he windmill on the farm of Howard =
Zones on the old Rothwell farm, tear
ng a hole in the tank. Another bolt 4,
lit fence post and travelling down =.
he wire literally tore up fifteen of :
he posts. Like as in the other in 2;
tances above mentioned, if fire had :
aimed Roadway, nothing could have
aved it in the face of the strong
orthwest wind. The storm and wind
eft wake of damage to crops. Hard VI
Y farm but what suffered from
rops being damaged, fences down, or
rops laid low. Tomatoes it is esti-
hated will be hurt fifty per cent. !"
Iany have already started replanting o
Irapes and strawberries were hit hard
nd will cut production materially; in a.
ome instances almost totally. Wheat ~
not as badly hurt as thought and
estimates place the loss ".
n this crop at five per cent. -. ~
Wind Breaks Many Smyrna Trees w
The storm played havoc with many of
lade trees. The streets in Smyrna wi
ere literally strewn with broken as
mbs and branches. In some in
ances whole trees weer twisted off. be
all varying in size from a marble to he
hen egg fell in town and vicinity. we
yer in Thoroughfare Neck they were Ca
ported even larger than hen eggs. rel
any window panes were broken. The alt
ling branches played havoc with col
nyrna's electric pole line and the w,
rrent had to be shut off from four Nc
It'll after nightfall in order to make sta
pairs. Next morning the plant had ha
be shut down again, to enable re- sol
lirs to be made. ly
On the J. A. Frear farm, about lie
ven miles south of Dover, tenanted Co
Hynson Cohee, lightning struck the rar
rye barn, killing three mules, and boo
from IL to Is tons of hay sit
d 1000 fruit packages, besides all it
E farming implements and harness. inv