Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1889 — DESTRUCTION BY STORM. [ARTICLE]

DESTRUCTION BY STORM.

MUCH daAage to property in THE EAST. A Cyclone Devastates an Ulster County (N. Y.)Village—The Flood in New Jersey Inundates Several Cities Arkansas Swept by an Electric Storm. A Poughkeepsie, N. Y., dispatch says: A cyclone struck Ellis Corners, Ulster county, four miles west of Highland, destroying a large amount of property and injuring a number of persons. The cyclone, which was accompanied by a roaring sound that terrified the people, seemed to come from a funnel shaped cloud. Matthew Harcourt’s vineyard was completely ruined and every tree in his apple orchard was rooted up, the trees being carried away as though they were feathers. The house and barn of John Nelson were struck and completely demolished, broken timbers being carried hundreds of feet. Mr. Nelson and his wife were blown out of the house along with the flying timbers and both were seriously but not fatally injured. Two barns belonging to Patrick McGowan were totally destroyed. Mr. McGowan, who is SO years old, was so badly injured that no hopes of his recovery are entertained. There being no more buildings in the path of the tornado no more serious damage was done. Bed quilts and dresses be onging to Mrs. Nelson were found in a pond four miles from the scene of the storm. Huge timbers were also found stuck up in the mountains some distance away.

A Newark, N. J., telegram says that placi has just experienced the most disastrous storm that ever visited that city. In the city cellars were flooded and sewers burst. Work had to be suspended in the factories? in the lower section. A washout occurred on the Morris & Essex railroad at South Orange and trains were delayed for many hours. In South Orange several buildings, including the postoffice, were carried away, and 25‘) barrels of flour were washed out of one storehouse. In Orange Valley the water is up to the second story windowsand great damage has been done to the numerous bat factories there. People were compelled to paddle around on planks and to swim in order to get to places of safety on high ground. Bloomfie’d and Montclair also report great damage to property. No lives are as yet known to havebeen lost. The greatest alarm prevails around Millburn. Above it is the Orancs water reservoir dam, which is not regarded as safe. Should it burst it would overflow Millburn and other small towns along the Rahway river, of which it is the source, and the damage would reach as far as Rahway. The dam is still reported all right, but the inhabitants of towns arepreparing to move to high ground. Nearly every road in the country is impassable, and all the bridges have been washed away. A Plainfield, N. J., dispatch reports that place suffering from the greatest flood ever known there. The dam at Stony Brook, above the Green Valley mills, has given way, carrying with it Coddington’s ice houses and many barns and seriously undermining the mills. A clam on Green Brook, in the heart of the town, has alsogiven away and caused much damage. Many wooden buildings were carried away. The immense dam at Westfield, back of Scotch Plains, has collapsed and an additional body of water was thereby thrown into the valley below. Green Brook could not contain it and the water rushed across to Cedar brook and thence through thefinest residence portion of Plainfield. The damage here js very great, two or three square miles of thickly settled territory being submerged. There were many gallantrescues of life. In The South. Fayettesville, Ark., July 31.—This section was visited last night by the most terrible electric and iffiin storm ever seen here. Yesterday was the hottest and most oppressive day of the season. About midnight the clouds seemed to come up from every point of the compass and met over this city, where they hung for three hours, during which time the rain fell in torrents. The residencesof Moses Mock, Moses Bourn, J. V. Walker, Mrs. E. E. Wade, Rev. V. N. Ragland, Judge Brown, aad the livery stable cf Kell & Hungen, in which one horse was killed, were struck by lightning. The large barn of Copt., Thomas Brooks, editor of the Fayetteville Republican, was set on fire and destroyed, together with a large quantity of grain and five finehorses. The residence of Thomas Holland, three miles from here, was blown to atoms, and that of F. Graham, in the same neighborhood, was partly destroyed. A number of streams are higher to-day than ever before known. The I ris'.o railroad bridge over White river is washed away, and crops along the river are generally destroyed The loss to the farmers of this county will be many thousand dollars. At Clarksville the streets were flooded and the town was in danger of being wept away by Spadra creek, which was out of its banks. Many people took to the hills and did Jnot return until after daylight, when the stream had gone down.