Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-07

2 sudden terminatioH Wednesday after noon when 2 terrifying electrical storm, the worst In years, aeconpanied by a hurricane. rain and hall, broke over Norwich Five minutes after the storm broke the midway was mass of tangled wreokage Tents and concession stands went down, one after the other and with in the space of a few minutes the midway was in ruins Fortunately ne one was seriously hurt although several people suffered slight injuries.
 The storm blew in from the northwest Distant rumblings and dark hued clouds heralded it's approach about half hour before it struck the grounds. AL though 1t was evident that storm was brewing but little attention was paid to 1t as 1t looked as if 1t would blow around the northeast But during the height of the race programme the dense black clouds hanging low over the ground and illuminated by vivid flashes of lightning headed directly for the fair grounds And then the full force of the storm broke
 With a swirling rush and blinding cloud of dust a veritable cyclone swept over the grounds just as the horses were coming down the home stretch in the sec end heat of the 225 pace. There was mad rush for shelter on the part of the 5000 people around the race track and on the midway May of those in the grandstand remained in their seats un- til the fury of the storm had spent itself out. Others found shelter in the poultry department, the main exhibition hall and in fact anywhere they could get in out of the gale and downpour.
 Women Were Terrified
 Terrorized and sobbing women, some with small babies in their arms and oth- CTS with young children hanging onto their skirts rushed madig about in the crowd seeking escape from the choking dust cloud and the drenching rain. Spec tacular flashes of lightning accompanied by deafening crashes of thunder added to the general confusion.
 Tents Fall Before wind
 With the first rush of the gale which seemed to come in waves a number of the concession tents met their waterloo. Gaudily dressed dolls, boxes of candy and various other merchandise went circl- Ing around on the ground which was fast becoming a sea of mud while the tent coverings and light wooden stands went down In a confused heap.
 The heavy tent covering ever the merry go-round was torn off and cast down on the horses, some of which were left standing on their heads by the furious gale.
 1 The New London County Farm Bu- reau tent, one --of the largest on the grounds, the tents which house the farm machinery exhibits, the several dining 1 tents the athletic show tent, and other. collapsed, leaving the contents open tt the rain and hail which did it's utmost tc l complete the wreck
 Girl Hurt in Motordome
 During the height of the storm tn. motordome top met it's fate. number O. people who had taken refuge in the mo l tordome made frantic efforts to hold dowr 1 the tent covering over their head but tt no avail The tent top suddenly split 1T 1 two and was blown down into the pit l A young girl who was among those wht 1 tried to hold the tent covering and wht wound one of the ropes around hersel was slightly cut when the covering tor i loose.
 ] The test your strength" machin which stands some 35 feet high and --~' 'ci l weighs 470 pounds, went down with ; crash, narrowly missing one of the con | pened to be standing in the path of tn l machine when it toppled over
 l The midway presented sorry appear ance after the storm had blown over N 1 matter which way one looked there wa | nothing but wreckage. One man who ha, a concession at the grounds said tha i in the 25 years that he has been following i fairs he never experienced anything quit l as bad as Wednesdays storm.
 Autos Stalled in Mud and Water A number of touring cars, large an small and a half dozen or more truck were stalled on the grounds after tn storm. In some cases the rain had go into the coils, making 1t impossible t start the engines and in others machine were mired almost to the hubcaps in tn 1 thick yellow mud. Most of the machine had to be lowed from the grounds. 1 One machine, Ford, owned by Joh E. Slayin of Holyoke, Mass, was maroon ed in pond 20 feet wide and eight 0 ten inches deep. The driver waded int the water and tried to crank the engin'
 but it refused to start A rope wa
 then hitched onto the balky machine an
 it was pulled out of the pond.
 Track Under Water
 A truck loaded with machinery sank { 1.-the hub in mud and blanks and board
 had to be brought into use. After th
 storm there was foot of water on u
 ace track in front of the two granS
 stands.
 During the height of the storm. Al Siegal and Roy Walker, two local me
 who had a refreshment stand on u grounds, served coffee free to a numbt , of the women and children who vel } drenched by the rain. MT. Siegaps star ? fared no better than the rest for 1t VI almost totally destroyed.
 One of the few stands that escape
 with but slight damage was the hone : sandwich stand conducted by Allen Lat am of Norwich Town. Mir. Latham
 stand weathered the storm in excellel
 shape and. he was the only man on u
 midway who was still open for busine f after the big blow.
 X The farm machinery exhibits suffer, = considerable damage. The canvass we e down on top of the machinery and u :, ground on which the machinery stood VI 1, 1 flooded to a depth of half a foot or mor ' The water in the vicinity of the merr 6 go-round was so deep that 1t almo
 reached the fire box in the steam engi
 which supplied power for the hoppy hor
 es.
 e While the storm resulted in serious los if es in a number of instances. 1t sad t humorous side. After the excitement h; # died down somewhat, one of the men VI | had a lucky number" concession stal d in the vicinity of the motordome " h seen industriously poking here and the e in the water and mud covered wrecka
 of what was once his place of busine
 It developed that he was fishing f dimes. nickels and quarters that we Ss l spilled out of the cash box when his pla
 of business suddenly collapsed. Another man with his trousers roll
 up above his knees was seen wadi