336 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



feathers before an ordinary storm ; as it approached, our 

 emotions were somewhat relieved, by hoping its course 

 might be a little to our north, which proved so, from eighty 

 to one hundred rods ; nevertheless, our village materially 

 suffered. 



A barn of H. C. Myers was destroyed, and his fine or- 

 chard of fruit trees torn up root and branch. A large barn 

 and sheds of J. Booth were felled, and his dwelling much 

 injured. The dwelling of John Decker was blown to atoms, 

 some of the rafters and clapboards were carried nearly one 

 hundred rods himself and family much injured. A large 

 new Baptist church, almost completed, was literally piled 

 into a heap of promiscuous rubbish ; even the wall of its 

 foundation was torn up several feet fortunately, Mr. 

 Northrop, master builder, and four or five of his workmen, 

 and three or four masons, left a few minutes before. Many 

 of the buildings were unroofed. The premises of Captain 

 Jacob Best, a mile and half west of us, consisting of a large 

 new barn, forty by fifty feet square, and a shed twenty 

 by forty feet, attached to it, and other small buildings were 

 entirely prostrated, even the foundation timbers were thrown 

 several rods, split and broken in every possible manner ; 

 his house exhibited a melancholy wreck, unroofed, siding 

 torn off and buried amid timbers, trees, and other promiscu- 

 ous lumber ; his wagons, carts and sleighs, were found 

 wrecks, from thirty to forty rods whence they were taken, 

 and one cart wheel was carried nearly one fourth of a mile 

 up a hill ; large apple trees were hurled thirty and forty 

 rods, and one was carried more than half a mile by meas- 

 urement ; he had some cattle killed. 



A Mr. Anthony Simmons, near Best's, was on the road 

 with his team, loaded with a hogshead of sugar (twelve 

 hundred and fifty pounds) ; horses, wagon and sugar were 

 hurled over a stone wall into a perfect wreck; himself 

 blown in an opposite direction about fifteen rods, against a 



