The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-08-15
REMEMBERS HAIL STORM
Plentywood, Montana,
Aug. 5, 1924
EDITOR MIDLAND JOURNAL,
Rising Sun, Maryland.

EDITOR MIDLAND JOURNAL,
Rising Sun, Maryland.
Dear SIR:
was much Interested in the art
Gle appearing in your issue OF july
25th under the heading, Looking
Backward by J. Albert Whitelock'
Of Salt Lake City, Utah.
AS he asked SOME one to verify
the date of the storm and the bridge
blowing down, / thought would do
so, if 700 care to publish it.
have very distinct recollection
Of the storm he refers to, but aside
from the fact thatsit was in the sum-
mer of 1866 I cannot remember the
date, or the month, but the date
given by Mr.. Whitelock seems to fit
we'll From his article one is led 70
believe that the storm came in the
morning, however I cannot agree
with that, as it came in the evening
about five O'Clock. The late James
Gayley and drove to Port Deposit
that afternoon; my mother, with
couple of cousins from Lancaster,
Pa, also drove down, but in another
rig. and as the storm clouds came
down the river my mother insisted
on starting for home at once, think
ing we could beat it home. which we
could have done had we started
about fifteen minutes sooner, as the
hail did not extend beyond the resi-
dence Of Mr.. Harvey Rowland.
"Jim" and got as far as the gaze
to the lane leading up to Mr.. Abra-
hams home, when the hail started.
The old mare was driving took
refuge, short distance beyond,
under large oak tree, the branches
of which extended quite a, distance
over the fence and road, and there
she stayed.
Jim and I abandoned the craft
right there, and a short distance
above the Armstrong foundry we
found shelter under a sporch and
behind high flight Of steps leading
to a negro cabin, and there we were
marooned for more than half an
hour. After the hail stopped we
went to-town and were taken in for
the night by Mrs. Murphy and her
daughter, Mrs. Head.
My mother and cousins reached
Rock Run and obtained shelter IN
Mr.. Carson's store, and at his home
for the night.
There was heavy land slide
between the two places, which took
several days to clear away.
do not think it was the follow
ing Sunday, but very soon after, !
listened to a good long sermon, by
Jim's father, deploring the desecra-
ton of the Sabbath day by the
railroad company.
And as an evidence of the wrath OF
an angry God, sighted the fact, that
all of the bridge was blown down
except two spans, and they wereNthe
only two on which no work had been
done on Sunday.
am glad the dear old man dia
not live to see the present day
Dissertation of the Sabbath, as It
would have broken his heart
To give some idea Of what the hail
was like, some refugee in. Mr.. Car
sons store stepptd out in the dark
and picked up the first hail stone
he touched, brought it in and on
placing it on the scales it weighed
12 ounces, and more than one that
size struck Jim and me, and had Il
not been for the shelter of the trees
and the near by shelter of the porch
both of us would have been pounded
to death. AS it was, we both car
ried several bad bruises on our
bodies for some time after.
The old mare found her way home
after the storm and the next morn
ing was standing at the gate to the