ld the houses of
those unable of themselves to do so. After considerable effort, in
which the people of the borough of Coatesville, and also of West
Chester and other places, made generous contributions, the sum of
nearly two thousand dollars was raised for that purpose. This amount
of money was generously distributed among the sufferers in sums
varying from one to four hundred dollars, and most of the dwellings of
the class referred to have been repaired, or are in course of
erection, and erelong the desolate appearance of the place will not
exist, and these people will be placed in a position as favorable as
they were in before the storm. No relief has been rendered to any of
the sufferers from Insurance Companies, or from any public
corporation.

After the storm had passed through the village of Ercildoun on that
Sabbath afternoon, a tide of visitors set in, entirely unprecedented
in this part of the country. The sun shone out beautifully; a terrible
scene of desolation was spread out in every direction, buildings on
every hand having been either blown away or overthrown; fences
nowhere; the grass apparently parched and destroyed; trees filling all
the roads and pathways; the _debris_ of dwellings spread over all the
fields; animals gasping for breath or dying; crops shorn to a level
with the ground, and human beings running in every direction. Before
evening had come, upwards of a thousand people were gazing with
astonishment at the scene; carriages and vehicles of all descriptions
were to be seen. On the following day, in fact, during the whole of
the next three weeks, the number of visitors did not seem to diminish.
On July 8th, the Sabbath after the storm, it is estimated that the
number was swelled to five thousand. All the roads leading to
Ercildoun were absolutely obstructed with vehicles. Reporters for the
press, artists for the illustrated papers, and photographers, were
busily attending to their duties. Some of these visitors came in the
interest of science, others to extend sympathy and aid to the
sufferers, but the great mass of them came with no such purpose. They
gazed upon the scene as they would upon a great natural curiosity,
and gave the subject little profound thought. They regarded it as a
grand "show," and were certainly well repaid for their many miles of
travel thither. The citizens of the village kept watch for a few days
to prevent pilfering, but were not entirely successful, as many
valuab