Chester County, PA Tornado, Jul 1877 - part 3

It now approached his house with a continuous roaring sound, and he fled within. It passed along the north side of his house, overthrew his orchard, destroyed part of his corn crop, carried an apple tree fifty yards, and cut a track 150 yards wide and proceeded in the direction of Sadsbury Meeting House. His loss was about $300. The first building struck was a tenement house on the property of Elwood Pownell. It was located on the top of a hill that overlooked the surrounding country; an old colored man named Robert Johnston occupied it. The building was leveled to the ground. He-stated that he was coming up the hill as the cloud approached, and sought safety by leaning against the bank and holding firmly to the fence; he was not injured. He is now living in the cellar of the house and crawls out into daylight when it is necessary; no movement is being made towards rebuilding his dwelling. Loss, $200. The storm-cloud next passed over Elwood Pownell’s property. His wagon shed and carriage house are gone, and a large number of his apple trees was overthrown. His farming utensils were swept away, and the barn itself was moved fourteen inches from its foundation. The fences on the property were more or less demolished, but his whole loss was not very great. He states that his father-in-law was paying him a visit on that afternoon, but was unable to get home in the evening as his carriage was seized by the storm and carried away. Mr. Pownell further states that he saw the wind coming, and with the greatest difficulty reached the house, being unable to find the door-latch after he got there. He also experienced great difficulty in breathing. His loss was estimated at about $200. The storm now passed in the direction of a property on which Thomas Bonsall, Jr., resides, distant about one mile from Christiana. Two-thirds of the roof of his barn was carried off, and the eastern gable end fell with a crash, as the wind struck it. His orchard was destroyed, and also many of the fences on his property. The loss sustained on this property was about $300.

About a mile distant from Mr. Bonsall’s buildings was a barn, said to be owned by a Building Association of West Chester. The roof of this building was carried off, and about $200 damage was sustained. The storm-cloud had now acquired rapid motion and passed-with great violence over the property of Frank Paxson, who lives almost directly east from the other properties mentioned. Mr. Paxson is quite an old man, and told his story with considerable frankness. He was lying down on that Sabbath afternoon and had his attention suddenly called to a great roaring sound without. He had scarcely time to go to his front door and examine the situation, when his large stone structure encountered a tremendous blast of wind, and all was over in a moment. He then looked out upon the scene: his barn was entirely demolished, and also all his outbuildings. The trap door of his house was carried off, and all his carriages and farming utensils were gone. The trees near his dwelling, strange to say, were saved, while his orchard was up¬rooted from one end to the other. I observed one of his large apple trees, not only blown over, but carried about fifty feet from its proper place. Mr. Paxson evidently felt his loss deeply, but was cheerful. We asked him if he had received assistance from any source? He replied—“not any.” He was slowly beginning the work of “reconstruction,” but his place looked desolate indeed. His grain was stacked, and bore evidence of having been severely handled by the storm. His loss was estimated at about two thousand dollars. The next property in the track of the storm was that of Madison Irvin. Part of the roof of his barn was gone, and his wagon shed was overthrown; a few fences and trees also were swept away. One hundred dollars would probably cover his loss.

We were now beginning to advance up the North Valley Hill, and were about three miles from Parkesburg. This hill, on its north side, is heavily wooded, and a great number of small properties is located along that section. Some of these men are poor, but had succeeded in securing for themselves small homes and residences. Stables here and there dotted the hillside, and a long line of forest trees extended in a northeasterly direction as far as the eye could reach. The great storm-cloud, in its onward movement, traveled over several of these properties. Wayne Woodland owns a farm of about seventy acres as the rise of the hill was reached. He had a full force of mechanics at work on a new barn, the old one having been a victim of the storm. The roof had been carried off his house and fifty-one of his apple trees were prostrate. The spring house had lost its roof, and his carriages and wagons were not to be found; in fact, the work of destruction had beet) nearly complete. His house, it is true, was standing, but he informed us that sixty panes of glass had been swept out of it. Mr. Woodland was about one hundred yards from his residence when he saw the storm approaching; he ran for his life and barely saved it. He estimated his loss at fifteen hundred dollars, and the estimate did not appear unreasonable.

Some small properties were now encountered, in the following order, viz: Robert Bradford, stable down, loss about fifty dollars. William Cephas, roof off his house and stable, loss one hundred dollars. Henry Miller, stable destroyed, loss about fifty dollars. Next came Michael M. McGuigan and John Murphy, whose losses were of a similar character, amounting, respectively, to about fifty and one hundred dollars.

A full description of the great tornado in Chester County, Pa, 1877

Continued in part 4, below