The Heritage Corner, Springhill Record
September 8, 2010
Wednesday Sept. 8, 2010 – Hurricane Edna
With the threat of Hurricane Earl upon us I thought I would take you back to another hurricane which wreaked havoc around here several years ago. During the night of Sept. 11, 1954 Hurricane Edna came with all her fury. There were wind gust of 85 miles per hour and heavy rainfall which did a lot of damage in Springhill and surrounding areas.
Many trees were uprooted and fell across roads or landed on buildings tearing off the finish or damaging the roofs. Chimneys by the dozen fell, some penetrating the roof. In some cases buildings were literally torn to pieces, particularly the older ones. This kept the Town workmen busy all night removing the trees from the roads and other debris which was being tossed around. While the Superintendent of the Town workers, Ken Terris, was at work that night, half of his roof was blown away.
The downed trees caused power interruptions throughout the storm as well as an interruption in telephone services for about 250 people in Springhill. Between Wentworth and Westchester Station 33 consecutive spans of wire, covering about three quarters of a mile, were down, some spans having as many as 5 trees on them.
There was hardly a building in Springhill and vicinity escaped unscathed by Hurricane Edna. Austin’s ice barn, in Rodney, was destroyed; the barn of William Smith on the corner of McGee and Morris Street was also destroyed. The roof blew off the Grandstand on lower Main Street and demolished it. Two huge trees which broke away from their anchorage were leaning on the home of Mr. and Mrs. William VanBuskirk on Princess Street. Two of the barns belonging to Leonard Boss of Rodney were demolished with four calves trapped inside – one of the calves was killed. Half of the roof was ripped of the saw mill of the lumber firm of D.H. Ryan. The flat roof and chimney of an apartment building owned by Mrs. T.B. Ryan was damaged. The homes of Angus Gillis, Drummond Street and Angus Herrett, Queen Street, had trees crash on the roof of their homes and trees punctured the roof of Mrs. James R. Price of McGee Street.
Meanwhile, in Clairmont, Joseph Hachie lost two horses when his barn blew down and a family in Windham lost their home when the house was blown over. Thankfully they were not in it at the time.
There was no loss of life during Hurricane Edna but there were minor injuries.
Here is a poem written by Danny Boutilier on Hurricane Edna.
“FOOD FOR THOUGHT”
If we stand and look around us
We find ample food for thought
In the visit of “Mad Edna”
And the havoc that she wrought.
While the storm was fiercely raging
Did the thought come to your mind
That when God we should be thanking
We’re resentful and unkind?
With the weather dry and sunny,
Of the heat we will complain;
