HomeMy WebLinkAbout592"Article taken fron The Oshawa Times Thursday July 28, 1966.
WRECKING WIND SMASHES FRENCHMAN'S BAY AREA
Damage has been put at well over $50,000 in a lightning and wind storm that smashed
through Frenchman's Bay early this morning.
The storm struck with incredible force just after 8.30. It lasted for no more than 20 minutes.
Dozens of boats, both large and small, were either sunk or smashed against the shoreline,
about 12 miles west of Oshawa.
A 60-foot yacht on dry land for servicing was turned over and damaged extensively.
Pickering Township Police had to rescue two fishermen caught in the middle of the bay
when the storm struck.
COTTAGES DAMAGED
Three cottages were virtually destroyed by falling trees and the gale force winds.
Four float-planes were completely wrecked in the storm. One was hurled over 175 feet
over trees and cars before coming to rest with its wings torn to shreds.
Miraculously, reported Pickering Township Police, no one was injured.
Late this morning work crews were slowly picking their way through the wreckage.
Dozens of trees had been blown down and hydro wires torn off.
FIRE CALLS
Pickering Township Fire Department answered two calls during the storm.
One was to cope with sparking hydro wires torn down by a tree limb.
""Those wires were jumping pretty good,"" when we arrived a spokesman said.
The second call was to an overheated water pump that couldn't manage the storm.
No damage was done.
The storm cut an ugly swathe through the Frenchman's Bay area.
PLANE SMASHED
""It go so black so suddenly that we didn't know what was happening,"" said 16 - year -
old Oshawa Times carrier boy Peter Carlyon.
""You should see it down here. The damage is incredible. Our own boat was blown right
over and the aluminum mast smashed.
""There is an airplane that looks just like match wood. It was smashed to pieces.
There are overturned boats all over the harbor.
""One plane has been sunk in the bay. I don't think that $50,000 is going to cover the
damages here. The damage is too great.""
Peter Carlyon, went on to say that he had just got up when the storm struck.
""It got so black that I could hardly see my hand in front of me. My father came rushing in
and said we were all to get out and try and anchor the boats more firmly. It didn't do any
good. The storm struck too quickly.
""The marinas here have all been hit badly.""
Mrs. Edward Kirby, a resident of Frenchman's Bay since 1933, said she was more
frightened than she had been during the London blitz when bombs were dropped.
""The noise and wind was terrible,"" she said.
One of the planes smashed by the storm pulled away from two 2,000 lb. mooring lines.
It literally flew over the beach before it smashed into trees.
Bob Parker, who has lived in the area for 44 years, described the storm as the worst he
had ever seen.
""The damage is incredible,"" he said.
GALE FORCE WINDS lifted this Piper Cub, 175 feet out of the water, over trees and
cars, to end up in a heap of twisted metal when a 20-minute storm sliced through the
eastern section of Frenchman's Bay at 8:30 a.m. Twelve-year-old Garry Boniface of
Scarborough and Susan Annis, 15 of Pickering examine the wrecked aircraft.
In picture at right is illustrated the severe force the winds as it overturned this flat-bottomed
skiff while it lay anchored near shore.
One area resident said the storm was the worse he had seen. He has lived in
Frenchman's Bay since 1922. The storm also toppled trees onto houses and cars
blocking streets overturned several small pleasure crafts, smashed cottage roof-tops and
knocked down hydro wires and telephone lines. Pickering Township police placed the
damage at well over $50,000.
—Oshawa Times Photos by Bob McDougall
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