Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-01-19
A Tornado Plays Sad Havoc
with the City Of Read
ing, Pa.
Over Sixty People Were
Hurled to Death and
Many Injured.


Reading. hundreds OF h0usenOlus are
in mourning as the result of one of the
greatest calamitiesin the history of Penn
s~ylvania. A cyclone swept over the
northern section of the city yesterday
afternoon and laid waste everything in
its reach. The track of this destructive
element was not more than 200 feet wide
and it is lucky that it only touched the
suburbs Of the city. II came from the
west, but passed along the northern
Mount Penn slove works. Here a large
building was str, OK and a portion
Of the roof was cut off. Then the storm
cloud scurried across the fields, took of a
portion Of the roof of j. H.. Sternberg S
rolling mill, and a number of dwellings
were unroofed as readily as if the tn
roofs were paper. The storm then crossed
the railroad where a passenger car was
standing. This was overturned asquickly
as if it had been a toy, and its spiinters
scattered in every direction. Mean
while the rain poured down in
torrents. The atmosphere had
been heavy and oppressive, and
it was almost as dark as night.
Directly on one side Of the tracks of the
Reading railroad was situated the paint
chop Of the company. 1t was a one
story building, about 60 by $50 feet in
size. Here about thirty men were EN-
ployed painting passenger cars. There
were three cars in the building, costing
So 600 each. The building was struck
squarely in the middle and the bricks
flew as if they were playthings. The
cars were turned topsy turvey, while the
men were buried under the debris.
The chamber of each passenger car was
already filed with gas, as they were
ready TO be taken out. They exploded,
one after another, with the fearful bang
Of a cannon, causing people to run ou of
their houses, thinking ii was the sound of
an earthquake. There was a consider
able quantity OF gasoline in the building
and this added fuel 10 the flames.
A sheet of flame shot upward with a
roar as of musketry. Some twenty
| Of the men had IA chance to crawl out of
the debris, but their four companions
were enveloped in the embrace of the
moment by the terrified workmen and
then their voices were hushed forever.
They were quickly burned to death. The
flames from the passenger cars lit up the
heavens for miles around.
In the meantime the fire department
was called out. but their services were
unavailing. The building and cars were
consumed in fifteen minutes and nothing
was left but blackened, smoking ruins,
under which lay four humans burned &c
"a crisp.
Their names are:
John Kaller.
Albert Landberger.
Sheridan Jones.
George Schaffer.
Aaron Dewitt, another employe in the
paint shop, had an arm broken, and
George Knabb was injured internally, nc
doubt fatally.
While this was all going on the storm
was travelling forward with fearful rapid
ity. 1t must have travelled at a rate o
10C miles an hour. 1t struck and ~unroofeC
a dozen private residences. Huge sheets
of tin were carried half a square away
and deposited in a vacant lot. Then tn
storm proceeded in it's full fury.
Directly in its path at the corner Q
Twelfth and Marion streets stood tn
Reading silk mill. Here about 175 girl
were working. The building was a hug,
structure, most substantially built, fou
stories high and had a basement besides
1t occupied an entire block of ground.
The funnel shaped storm clout
struck the building directly in the cehtel
on its broadcast side, which faced the
west. 1t fell to pieces as if composed OF
so many building blocks. Nearly 20t
human beings went down in the awful
wreck. The walls gave way, floors fel
down, one on top of the other, and car
ried their great mass Of humans TO the
bottom. The bricks were piled in the
greatest confusion, while amid the rush
ing, roaring wind the terrible cries fol
suCCor were heard.
Among those who are dead are the fol