Delaware State Journal And Statesman

TERRIBLE STORM AND ITS EFFECTS.—On Friday afternoon last, about five o'clock, a rain and hail storm visited this vicinity, accompanied with a terrible tornado. The rain fell in torrents for about half an hour and the wind blew a perfect hurricane. Trees, fences, grape arbors and chimneys were blown down, and several houses were unroofed, and, in some instances, badly damaged. In the central and northern portion of our city as well as Brandywine and the upper part of Christiana Hundreds, many trees were either blown down, or else shorn of their best branches.

The dwelling part of the brick house at the North West corner of Fifth and Market Streets, owned by Jesse Sharpe, Esq, sustained considerable damage. The chimney was blown down, and falling on the roof of the building crushed it completely in. Two houses in Washington Street, belonging to George M. Phillips and George S. Capelle, were unroofed. The roof of the residence of Joseph Richardson, Sr., corner of Twelfth and Tatnall, was damaged. The gable end of the residence of Dr. C. R. Jefferis, corner of Fifth and Shipley, suffered some injury from the tornado.

The chimney on the house of Mrs. H. Febiger Jones, No. 1101 Market Street, was blown down, falling on the roof of the kitchen, crushing it in, and knocking the plastering off the ceiling in the upper story. A house in Madison Street, between Eighth and Ninth, occupied by A. Painter and owned by Mrs. Samuel Fisher, was injured in a similar manner.

At the Christiana Light house a portion of the chimney was demolished on the main building, and the chimney on the Gas House was entirely destroyed. A number of fine trees in that vicinity were also blown down.

On the property of Charles W. Howland, in the Westerly part of the city, a number of valuable trees were uprooted and blown down. One of the trees fell on Mr. Howland's Green House totally demolishing it. The tornado was terrible in its effects in that section of our city.

The roofs of three houses on the Newport Turnpike, near Stewart's Foundry, were blown off. The lumber in the yard of Mr. A. H. Quinby, in the same vicinity, was scattered in every direction.

The stable of S. A. Nebeker & Co., near the brewery on 8th street, was badly damaged, the roof was blown off, and the horses somewhat injured by the falling bricks and timber. Their driver, Thomas Miller, was also severely hurt, and is now under the doctor's hands. The stable of Israel Townsend was also blown down, and damage was sustained by other property in the vicinity.

Six chestnut and two apple trees were blown down on the farm of John Thompson, near Mt. Salem church, in Christiana Hd. Several trees were also blown down in the woods of James Riddle, and corn and fences were prostrated in the vicinity.

The roof was also blown off the stable of D. Montgomery, at the corner of 7th and Pine sts. Mrs. M. was in the stable milking, but fortunately escaped without injury.

Along the margin of the Brandywine Creek, a large number of trees were uprooted, and in some instances completely twisted off a few feet from the butt. A number of pieces of slate were blown off the roof of the Franklin Factory, corner of Ninth and Walnut streets.

Nine or ten buildings, formerly used as barracks for the soldiers, at Camp Smithers, were blown down by the tornado.