Summary: Wind storm: slate blown off steeple of Broad Street M. E. Church, also adjacent scaffolding; 100 yards of Petersburg RR bridge track and flooring blown into the river; 50 old pines at Howard's Grove fall – smash into half dozen houses formerly used by 57 VA; tin roof at Greanor's Factory (future Castle Thunder), 18th St., blown off.


From the Richmond Dispatch, 2/25/1862, p. 2, c. 3

High Wind. – The near approach of March was portrayed yesterday in swinging signs, oscillating steeples and chimneys, fugacious tin roofs, severed limbs of trees, the outer appearance of the fair sex who ventured out, and a general banging too of windows, doors, &c. The steeple of the Broad Street M. E. Church was denuded of a considerable quantity of its slaty covering. Three hundred feet of the flooring of the Petersburg railroad bridge, with the track that rested upon it, was blown into the river. The mail train stopped on the Manchester side last evening, and passengers were carried to Richmond in carriages across Mayo's bridge. The trains start from the same place this morning.

Fifty of the lofty old pines forming part of Howard's Grove were leveled to the ground. In their fall they performed the office of auctioneer to from four to six of the houses lately tenanted by Col. Armistead's 57th Virginia regiment.

The extensive brick wall around Mrs. Catharine Wallace's residence, on Gamble's Hill, was blown down.

The brick wall of Dr. Beale's yard, on 9th street, was blown down, rendering the sidewalk impassable.

The whole of Col. Bigger's garden fence, fronting on Broad street, was leveled to the ground.

The tin roof of Mr. John Purcell's residence, on Clay street, was blown off.

A scaffold erected around Trinity Church, on Broad, was blown down, narrowly missing two ladies who were passing at the time.

The tin roof of Greanor's factory, on 18th street, was lifted off from its foundation and floated off.

Several valuable sheds attached to Dunlop, Moncure & Co.'s mill, in Manchester, were blown down.

The tin roof of the extensive warehouse of Edmond & Davenport, on 15th street, curled up like paper after being loosed from its fastening and fell into the street.

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