Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-17
Eighty Bodies Still i'm the Ruins-The
Storm Travels 100 Miles an Hour.
Shop DemOlished-Twenty Men Buried
i'm the Debris -SeVeral Cremated.
A Huge Building Wrecked at Pitts
bnrg-Eight Killed-Many Injured.

READING, Pa, Jan. 9.--This was the
sadoest day in the history of Reading.
Hundreds of HOUSEHOLDS are in mourning
as the result of the creates calamity in
the history of Pennsylvania. A cy-
clone swept over the northern section of
the city this afternoon and laid every
| thing within its reach, with terrific
loss of life. The lives that have
been sacrificed and the number of persons
injured can at shis writing only be esti
mated. The most reliable com putaton
at IL O'clock tonight is that not less tkan
sixty persons have been killed outright
and over one hundred IL jared.
It rained hard here all the morning.
Toward noon it ceased almost entirely,
and by O'clock there was every indica
ton that there would be an entire
cessation of the storm. Half an hour
afterward the bright sun was max
ing every effort TO penetrate the clouds
and rainbow tiDts were seen in the east
ern sky. This continued for half an hour,
and then the scene changed with a sud
denness that was appalling. FIeecy
clouds gave way TO ominous signs of the
coming storm, dark heavy banks of clouds
marshalled themselves and began ap-
preaching the town. The wind whis-
tied, rOared, and tore along in mad
confusion. The storm clouds grew
heavier still aud heavier roared the wind.
In the western sky the storm was seen
approaching with a thunderous noise.
The swath 1t cut was narrow but the eff
feet was terrible. Persons residing along
the track of the storm say they saw the
first sign of danger in the funnel shaped
uaestrom which seemed to gather up
everything within reach and cast it right
and left. In the country houses and barns
were unroofed, farm outbui dings over
turned, crops rooted up, and destruction
spread in every direction. The track of
| this destructive element was not more
than 200 feet wide, and it is lucky that it
only touched the subur BIS OF the city. It
came from the west, but passed along
the porthern border of Reading. First it
touched the Mount Penn Stove works.
Here the corner building was struck and
portion of the roof was torn off. Then
the storm G oud scurried across the fields,
took off portion of the
roof of j. H. Stanberg's rolling
! mill, and a plumber of dwellings, were
. unroofed as readily as if their tin roofs
the railroad. Here passenger car was
standing. This was overturned as quick
ly as If it had been toy, and irs
spIinters scattered in every direction.
Meanwhile the rain poured down in tor
| rents. The mosphere became heavy
and oppressive, and it was almost as
dark as night.
WRECK OF THE READING RAILWAY PAINT
| SHIP.
Directly on one side of the track the
Reading railroad com pany's paint shops
isere situated. 1t was one story build
we, about 60x150 feet in size. Hsre
bpgat 80 men were EN- ployed in painting
pa 9 niger cars. There we're, or 9 Of
car pasars IN the building, costing Sc 00(
hehtneThe building was struck squarely
yacht middle, and the bricks were
scattered about 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 wa:
filled with gas, as they we're ready TO bs
taken out on the road in a few days
They exploded one after another with {
fearful bang, causing people to run ou
of their houses, thinking it was the sounG
gasoline In the building and this
ad de fuel to the flames. A sheet of flame
shot dpw ward with the roar of musketry
Some twenty of the men had chance tt
crawl out of the debris, but four of thei
com panions were enveloped in the EN-
brace of the flames. Their cries wer,
heard for moment by the terrified work
men, and then their voices were husheC
| Tod Z.
death. The fire from the nine passenge
cars lit up the heavens for miles. 1t wa
beautiful sight and could have beer
enjoyed but for the awful calamity whiei
accompanied it. In the meantime tn,
fire department was called out but thei
services were unavailing. the building
and cars were consumed in Is minutes
and nothing was left but the blackenet
aud smoking ruins, under which
lay the four human beings burnet
TO crisp. It was rumored that severa
others had been killed, but these are th
only on es who it is known lost their lives
Aaron Dewalt, another employe in tn
paint shop, had an arm broken, an,
George Knabb was injured internally, n,
doubt fatally. The loss to tn
railroad company is fully $4,000
While this was all going on, the s;orn
was travelling forward with fearful "a pid
lty. 1t must have travelled at the rate o
one hundred miles an hour. It strucl
more private houses and unroofed
dozen private residences. Huge sheet
of tin were carried half a square ava
and deposited in lot. Then the storu
proce eded In its full fury.
HORROR AT READING SILK MILL