A Hailstorm & Flood at Cannonsburg, KY
Submitted by Kay Mason <KLMPIANO@aol.com

Pages 224 & 225:

    One hot June afternoon (June 10, 1909) while in the store I became aware
that a storm was brewing.  The wind arose and the sky soon was overcast by
dark clouds, in the west and northwest, which soon took on an orange hue and
were lit up quite often by bright flashes of lightning which were followed by
crashes of loud thunder.  This was one time it was lucky not to have a
customer - so I hastily shut up shop and raced over to our house.

    On inquiry ELIZA [MCDAVID MASON] said all the children were home except
ALLEN [MASON] who had gone to the pasture to bring the cows.  I put on an
overcoat and also a heavy pad of burlap sacking over my head to protect me
from the huge hailstones and raced back to the store in hope that ALLEN
[MASON] had reached it.  As I passed by the cottage where we had formerly
lived, now occupied by SAM KILGORE, he called to me that ALLEN [MASON] was
with him and I went back home and gathered up such things as I could about
the yard that were afloat.

    Happening to look up the Marsh Run valley from our front porch I was
horrified to see a wall of water several feet high and from hill to hill
coming toward us - gathering up rail fences and loose material on its way.
Thinking we had not enough time to get to high ground before it struck the
house we elected to stay and gathered on the second floor and waited.

    Soon our whole lot was under the rushing muddy flood which fortunately
for us had had time to spread and thus reached only to the kitchen floor
leaving the rest of the house dry.  Our forethought in having the house
raised about 2 feet some time before saved our furniture.  While our fences
and garden were damaged and some chickens and our pigs and the pen were
washed away we had many reasons for being thankful our loss was so small.
The pigs and most of the chickens found their way back home.

    The horses, Bill & Charley, made considerable fuss, as the water was knee
deep in the barn, so as soon as the storm abated I got out and bridled
Charley and carried the children and ELIZA [MCDAVID MASON] out to the bridge
and from there they went to the store.

    Then I went back to get Bill out.  He was considered by his former owners
as one of the smartest horses alive - had been trained to pull a tram car at
a saw mill without a driver from the mill to the lumber yard and return forth
and back - hour after hour - and would work most any place he was tried -
however, when I opened his stall door he wouldn't come out till he was
bridled and led out and then while I was struggling with the large yard gate
which opened against the current, Bill got loose and walked straight into the
main current of the creek and went under all but his head and swam back and
dashed back into his stall.

    I gave up and rode Charley back to the bridge and called for a volunteer
from the crowd of onlookers and young SAM KILGORE got on Charley behind me
and went along and rode Bill out - and I took both horses to BABE ROSS' barn
- and Bill tried most all the way there to get loose and go back to his stall.

    Mr. & Mrs. [BABE] ROSS invited us to spend the night with them and we
very gratefully accepted.  The next day was spent cleaning up about our place
and replacing board walks and things drifted away.  A few days dried up the
mud.  Our well had to be completely emptied of the muddy water and washed
out.  Fortunately none of us got sick from bad water.

    We were not in the center of the storm which was about a mile north of
us.  There the hail beat down garden vegetables, flowers, shrubbery and
bushes, killed the tops of trees - large and small - leaving a swath about
1/4 mile wide which soon turned brown and dead.  Men & stock suffered from it
- some cattle dying from the effects.  The hail marks were plainly visible on
fences and building on the Geiger farm for several years afterward - as were
the dead trees.

    I resolved never to buy or live in a house on low ground again and I
shall never forget the helpless and terrified feelings I had when I saw that
wall of water bearing down on us, as long as I have my memory."

Kay Mason

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