DIVISION Two — COLONIAt. 165 



GREAT STORM — FOUR CHURCHES BI.OWN DOWN, 

 189I. 



The Pasadena Daily Star of December 11, 1891, said : 

 " Four years ago yesterday there was a storm of exceptional violence. 

 Houses were unroofed and trees blown down, but no great destruction was 

 wrought. lyast night this section was visited by the hardest blow it has ex- 

 perienced within the memory of the oldest resident. It was the culmination 

 of the storm which began the night before, and it appeared to reach its 

 height between three and four o'clock this morning. The wind came from 

 the north and northwest at hurricane speed, rocking houses, taking off tin 

 roofs and chimneys, threshing the fruit off from trees, bending and breaking 

 down shade trees, driving through the streets and into the houses clouds of 

 fine dust gathered on the wings of the storm as it came swooping down 

 through the Canyada and the mesa at the foot of the mountains." 



The paper then goes on to give a full account in detail of the destruc- 

 tion wrought ; and I have compiled from its report the following table of 

 principal losses : 



Presbyterian church on East Colorado street ; tall, elegant round steeple 

 blown over into the street. 



First Methodist church, corner Marengo Avenue and Colorado street ; 

 tall, square steeple with bell in it, blown over on the church roof and crush- 

 ing it down. 



Christian church on South De lyacy street ; all blown down — a total 

 wreck. 



North Co7igregational chtirch, corner North Raymond Avenue and Jef- 

 ferson street ; total wreck. 



Raymond hotel, tin roof blown off from tower, eight or nine brick 

 chimneys blown down, crashing through veranda roofs, and many windows 

 broken. 



Arcade block, tin roofing torn off, chimneys and iron cornice blown 

 down, and $1,000 worth of heavy plate glass broken. 



Brockway block, corner Marengo Avenue and Colorado street ; chim- 

 neys, roofing, skylights, cornices whisked and hurled away into the street, 

 and five great lights of plate glass worth $1,000 broken. 



E. S. Frost's two-story frame building near the corner of Broadway and 

 Colorado street totally demolished, killing a horse and smashing up two 

 buggies and a valuable bicycle. 



Williams Hall, tin roof torn off. 



Haskins's two-story brick blacksmith and carriage building on West 

 Union street unroofed. 



The Steam Laundry, two-story building on Wilson Avenue and Villa 

 street, a total wreck. Machinery not much damaged. 



Capt. Thornton'' s two-story frame block on South Fair Oaks Avenue 

 went to smash, down across the sidewalk. 



Nine or ten cottages or dwellings were mentioned as blown down, be- 

 sides many more residences and business houses more or less severely dam- 

 aged ; and yet nobody seriously hurt within Pasadena. 



