Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-01-17
A TORNADO AT READING, PA.
Newly Erected silk HILL COIlapSeS,
CRUSHING OUT MANY LIVES.
Eaphtha Explosions Add Terror to the
Scene and Death ReapS a Rich
Harvest.

HdPYeSl.
READING, Jan. 9-This was the saddest
night in the memory of Reading. a
death-iike pail hangs upon the city. A
hundred households are in mourning as
the result of one of the greatest calami
ties in PENNSYLVANIA. A cyclone swept
over the northern section of the city this
afternoon, and laid waste everything
within its reach, with a terrible loss of
life. The lives that have been sacrificed
and the number that have been injured
can only be estimated. The most relia-
BILE computation at 10O'clock tonight is
that notless than go persons have been
killed outright and 100 injured. How
this calamity occurred is about as fol-
lows:
1t was raining very hard all morning.
Toward noon it ceased almost entirely,
and by o'clock there was every indica
tiOn that there would be an entire ceSsa-
ton of the rain storm. Half an hour
afterward the bright sun made every eff
fort to penetrate the clouds. The tints of
a rainbow were seen in the eastern sky.
1t portended beautiful sunset. There
was a clear sky overhead. This contin-
ed for half an hour longer.
SUDDEN CHANGE.
Then the scene changed with sud
denness that was appalling. The f1eecy
clouds gave way to ominOus signs of a
coming storm. Dark heavy banks of
clouds marshaled themselves toward the
town, and soon a gloom seemed to have
settled over the city. There was still
ness as of coming danger. Then the
wind whistled, roared and tore in mad
confusion. The storm clouds grew
heavier still, and louder rOared the wind.
In the western sky the storm was seen
approaching with laundering noise.
The swath it cut was narrow, but its
effect was terrible. Persons residing
along the track of the storm say that
they saw the first signs of danger in a
funnel shaped maelstrom, which seemed
to gather up everything within its reach
and cast it right and left. The track of
this destructive element was not more
than 200 feet wide. 1t came from the
west, and first touched the Mount Penn
Stove Works.
Here the corner of the building was
struck. and portion of the roof was
cut off as nicely as if done with pair of
scissors. Then the storm cloud scurried
across some fields and took off portion
of the roof of J. II. Sternberg's rolling
mill, and a number OF dwellings were
unroofed as readily as if their tin roofs
were paper. The storm then hurried
across the property of the Reading Rail
road Company and crossed the railroad.
Here car was standing. This was
overturned as quickly as ifit had been a
toy, and its splinters scattered in every
direction. Meanwhile the rain poured
down in torrents.
DREADFUL HOLOCAUST.
The atmosphere became heavy and
oppressive, and it was almost as dark as
night. Directly alongside the tracks of
the Reading Railroad was situated the
paint shops of the company. 1t was a
one-story building about 60 by $50 feet
in size. Here about 80 men were en-
ployed in painting the passenger cars.
There were eight or nine of these cars
in the building The building was struck
squarely in the middle and the bricks
scattered about as if they were play
things. The cars were turned tOpsy-
turvy, while the men were buried under
the debris. Some of the bricks were
carried a square away. The chamber
of the passenger cars was already filed
with gas, as they were ready to be taken
out on the road in few days. These
exploded one after another with the
fearful bang of cannon.
Bang! Bang! Bang! They resOunded
over the city, causing the people to run
out of their houses, thinking that it was
the sound of an earthquake. There was
a considerable quantity of gasoline in
the building, and this added fuel to the
flames. A sheet of flame shot upward
with a roar like musketry. Some 20 of
the men had chance to crawl out of
the debris, but four of their companions
were enveloped in the embrace of the
flames. Their cries were heard for a
moment by the terrified workmen, and
then their voices were hushed for
ever. They were quickly roasted to
death, and fire from the nine passenger
cars lit up the heavens for miles around.
1t was beautiful sight, and could have
been enjoyed but for the awful calamity
which accompanied it. In the mean
time the fire department was called out,
but its services were unavailing.
The building and cars were consumed
in Is minutes, and nothing left but
blackened smoking ruins, under which
four human beings lay burned to crisp.
Their names are John Kahler, Albert
Landberger, Sheridan Jones and George
Schueefer. 1t was rumored that others
had been killed, but these are the only
ones known to have lost their lives in
this building. Aaron Dewalt, another
employ6 in the paint shop, had his arm
broken, and George Knabbs was injur-
ed, no doubt fatally. The loss to the
railroad company is fully $4,000.
While all this was going on, the storm
was travelling forward with fearful rap
idity. 1t must have travelled at the rate
of 100 miles an hour. 1t struck some
more private houses, and unroofed a
dozen residences. The huge sheets of
tin were carried half a square away and
deposited in lot. Then the storm
reached its full fury. Directly in its
path at the corner of First and Marion
streets, stood the Reading silk mill, one
of the industries of the city, in which
the citizens took the greatest pride.
Here about Us happy girls were work
ing. The building was huge structure,
most substantially built, four stories in
height and basement. 1t occupied an
entire block of ground. The building
was nearly 800 feet in length and about
$50 feet wide. 1t was surmounted by a
massive tower fully one hundred feet
from the ground. The funnel-shaped
storm cloud struck the building direct
" in the center on its broadest side,
which faced the west.
OIt fell to pieces as if composed of so
many building blocks. Nearly 200 hui