The Messenger

HURRICANE CAUSES
GREAT DAMAGE HERE

109 Mile Gale Topples Trees,
Destroys Buildings and Crops

Bloomfield was hit by its second devastating hurricane late Thursday, September 14.

On this occasion it was a twister which rode on the wings of a 60 to 109 mile gale traveling from Cape Hatteras, N.C. to Eastport, Maine, in less than twenty-four hours and left more than $100,000,000 damage in its wake through the eastern border states.

While locally there were fewer trees and buildings damaged than in the big blow of 1938, much greater loss was suffered to the fruit, tobacco and other farm crops and in spots the destruction of trees, outbuildings and the utility services exceeded that of the former storm.

In the immediate vicinity of the Center a number of the town's finest trees were topped or uprooted and broken wires swishing through the air gave the effect of brilliant fireworks throughout the greater part of the night. At the green the upper half of the beautiful and cherished Constitutional Oak, scion of the famous Charter Oak, was lost. Nearby on the Federated Church property a large tree was uprooted and another on Tunxis Avenue crashed across the front of the birthplace of James G. Batterson, founder of the Travelers Insurance Co. The church steeple was damaged but miraculously remained in place.

Through the heavier timbered districts of the west side a greater number of trees were felled. Some took telephone and light poles with them to disrupt all electric and phone service in the area for several days. A large hickory tree crashed in the roof of the home of Edward Pike on Simsbury Road.

The greater part of the town was without electricity or telephones for a forty-eight hour period following the storm.

At the Lagan farm on Maple Avenue the roof of the big barn was torn off and the two big doors were blown in. On the hill near the seminary on Bloomfield Avenue there was much more damage than in 1938. Everywhere the countryside was carpeted with apples blown from the trees, ripening corn was laid flat, and gardens were destroyed. It is estimated that more than fifty per cent of the apple crop in the state was lost.

In the north part of town the tobacco plantations took a terrific beating throughout the six hours of the storm. One tobacco shed on Tunxis Avenue was demolished and practically all of the cloth covering of the Bloomfield fields were torn to shreds. Hundreds of the small out-buildings of the town were either destroyed or badly damaged.

Road blocks from fallen trees or broken wires kept Town Manager Williamson and Police Chief Bowen busy throughout the night directing the work of local emergency crews. No loss of life occurred here although nine were reported killed in the state.