CHAPTER VI. (CONT'D)

WIND, RAIN AND HAIL STORM.

Probably one of the most destructive and severe wind, rain and hail storms in the history of Atlantic and surrounding country, was that which occurred Tuesday evening, about half past seven, July 28, 1871. The rain was preceded by a terrible wind, and after a few minutes of the drenching elements, hail of enormous proportions fell, and being driven by the high wind, property and crops suffered greatly. The storm came from the northwest, lasting about three-quarters of an hour, and made barren its route, wherever that happened to be. During the storm the aspect without was the most gloomy and nerve-distracting character. The rain and hail were so dense, and the air so full of flying lumber and small movable articles of all kinds, that it was utterly impossible to see ten feet and was like looking into the darkness of night. As a criterion to the number of window panes destroyed, in about a week after the storm Atlantic firms alone had disposed of over 10,000 lights.

NOTES OF THE STORM.

By glancing over the files of the weekly Telegraph, the following items of interest in this conversation are found, which we append: The new brick store room being built by Stafford & Hawks, dry goods dealers, on the burnt district, which was just ready for shelving and being shelved, was leveled to the earth, a perfect wreck. It was two stories in height and stood 23x80 feet on the ground. About $500 worth of new goods had been stored in the building but a few days previous, which were also ruined. The new Presbyterian Church, which had been completed, on Maple street, at a cost of $2,500, was moved three feet to the south, the plastering ruined and the foundation in a crumbling condition and almost ready to giveaway. Into a house on Walnut street a board was driven endways by the wind. The frame for a new steam flouring mill stood firm and unmoved. The office of the weekly Telegraph was completely flooded. At one time the water was four inches deep on the floor. The Reynold's House suffered the loss of all of its front windows and the number of windows was large. The loss to the country was severe, but the track of the storm was so narrow that the effect of the ruined crops was not felt by the community at large. Private residences, everywhere, in the course of the storm, were riddled without number. The number was too great to particularize.

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Transcribed by Deb Lightcap-Wagner, March, 2014 from:"History of Cass County, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens", published in 1884, Springfield, Ill: Continental Historical Co., pp. 289.