July 31 1897
The Smith’s Falls Echo of Wednesday had the following article:
Yesterday afternoon between four and five o’clock Smith’s Falls had an experience never before witnessed—at least not within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Threatening dark clouds loomed up rather suddenly, and soon the rain commenced. After a little it was mixed with hail. A few minutes more and it gathered force, the hail and rain fairly tumbling down, until the streets from sidewalk to sidewalk were like raging rivers.
The hail at first was about the size of marbles, but after a little the size increased until as large as pigeons’ eggs, with an occasional one as large as a hen’s egg. This continued for a good half hour, when it ceased as suddenly as it began, and the floods went down. The sultriness was gone and the carpet of round balls necessarily gave a healthy arctic tone to the atmosphere.
The gardens were practically ruined, and the destruction of glass was immense, considering there was only a moderate find at the time. Every bit of glass in the skylights of the four photograph galleries in town was smashed, and even the heavy plate in the skylight of Rideau Chambers succumbed.
Nearly every house suffered more, or less. St. Andrew’s church suffered with the rest. Fortunately the area of the hail storm was not large. On the west of the town it scarcely extended beyond the houses ; on the north it did not extend to the semaphore, though Shawville seemed to be the centre of it ; it only extended out the Lombardy road a short distance; down the river on the south side there was rain only; on the north side the hail reached as far down as Peter Moir’s, where it did considerable damage. We have been told that E. Lemix, J. Foster and one or two others on that line will be heavy losers owing to the destruction of crops.
Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun andScreamin’ Mamas (USA)
Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.
The Storm of June 1899
Ya call that a Snowstorm? Linda’s Mailbag
Storms of Carleton Place- Which One?
Lightening Strikes Again –The Storm of 1972
The Day The Wizard of Oz Came to Carleton Place
To All the Snowmageddons I Have Loved Before
Lightening Strikes Again –The Storm of 1972
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