St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-11
ROTARY IN ITS ACTION
A Twisting Tornado Cuts a
Wide Swath at Akron,
Ohio.
Hundreds of Buildings Wholly
Wrecked and Hundreds
More Damaged.
No One Killed Outright, But
Many Persons Suffered
Serious Injuries.
The Path of the Storm Fifty
Feet Wide and Miles
Long.

LOl1Ss
AKRON, O., May 10.-At $50 this
evening, in the midst Of a most terrific
cloud-burst. this city was struck by the
worst tornado, beyond comparison,
which has ever been known hereabOuts,
except, perhaps, the Sharon cyclone of
just a month ago. The storm struck
the southern part of the city and tore
through the Fifth, Fourth and Second
wards, doing damage which cannot be
estimated at this writing. but
fully 100 buildings are completely
demolished. Hundreds more are
badly damaged, and stretch
two miles long is raXed of trees and
buildings of all sorts. The full force OF
the tornado developed just west of Main
street, following nOrtheasterly course
through the Wolf creek valley. The
house of D0minick Greader, at Cross
and Washington streets, was unroOfed
and Mrs. Greader was slightly injured.
The front of John Van ATS house was
torn off and carried across the street.
and John Heler's ho2se, few doors
north, was almost demolished, as were
j. Bigger's and l.. Shaffler,s houses. j.
ROepke's shop was turned around on Its
foundation, and the Shatfler house was
turned upside down. At this point tre-
mendous excitement was caused by the
broken electric light wires, which killed
a horse and threatened to do serious
damage to the bystanders. Passing
oil
streets. doZSn or more bouses were
more OF less damaged. some being
moved bodily from their foundations
and others completely unro fed.
Thomas Gilligan's house on King
street was smashed in as if tremendous
weight had fallen upon it from above.
Tony Mennett's house on Cant street
was
Turned TOpsy Turvy
and practically ruined. At Grant and
Cross streets portion oil Louis Nauch-
bauer'S house was blown to atoms. The
wind then struck Gebhart Herrman's
house. The family of nine persons had
just sat down to supper. The tornado
struck the house in all its fury, and
landing it fifty feet away. All the oc-
cupants we're more or less bruised, |
Mr.. Herman was pinned down in the |
febrlS, and only the energy of despair |
when he Smelt the Odor of the fire near |
him enabled him to eXtricate himself. |
Recovering he found his little girl burn
ing by the overturned stove. and be-
fore the flames could be eXiinguished
she was frightfully burned about the
back and limbs. His house is ruined
beyond hope of repair. Leaving the
Hermann house the hurricane then
struck the Barkhardt brewery squarely, |
Wrecking it utterly. The next building |
struck was the residence of Charles |
Sanford, which was removed from its |
foundation and badly wrecked. Next |
to Sanford'S place was John Miller's, |
which was damaged to the extent of |
several hundred dollars. The new |
house of A. &. Miller was completely |
ODliterated. Mrs. Ellen COup'S residence |
was also torn rafter from rafter. The |
houses of Charles Augne, d. E. Hum |
phrey, II. II. Hemminger, John Klinger. |
George Roussart, K. ID. ChrismaD, Bart |
Carran, G. A. ROSt, and others were |
At the corner of Brown and Exchange |
streets O. c. Bakers grocery was torn |
to pieces. His wife and daughters were |
in the building at the time, but they |
made good their escape to the cellar and |
were saved, but Mr.. Baker is missing, |
and it is feared that he is
Dead In the Ruins.
e. S. Harrington's house was crushed |
in upon his four children. but all es-
caped. Thomas ThompSOn's family |
heard the roar, which was like the rush
ing of mighty waters. and managed to
was lifted over their heads and |
landed upside down many feet away.
Mrs. Nash's house was utterly demOl-
iShel and strewn far and wide. Philip
WebberS' and John Spicers' houses
were careened and smashed. The
Gibbs pottery, brick block $50 by 60
feet, was levelled to the earth with its
kilns and belongings. Frank Knapp's |
big stable and large barn was brought
down and injured several horses. The
barn of Mr.. Hunscker was carried
tefs barn and orchard were
vim Irish had just seated them
selves at supper when Mrs. Irish,
warned by some intuition, cried: Run
to the cellar; cyclone is coming" She |
and her two children managed to reach
the cellar before the crash, but Mr..
Irish was caught by heavy timber and |
his spine was seriously injured. The
house was completely broken to pieces,
not timber remaining in place. Mr..
irish was probably fatally injured.
Passing on the storm demolished
almost as utterly the houses of |
Alvin Alexander and Mrs Kate
O'C0nnell, in passing unrOOfed W. E. |
Frick' and Mrs. JEWELS residences. 1t |
expended its force on Robert Watts
house and Mrs. Eliza Bakers home, and |
passed into the open beyond. The eX-
lent of the tornadois at this time uneX-
plOred, and the damage cannot be |
stated. All descriptions of the storm |
show that it was rotary in its motion, |
and this is shown by the skewing of the |
buildings it struck and the twisting off |
0f the bic trees in its path. The track |
nf the tornado was between fifty and |
one hundred and fifty feet WIDE.
POWDER WORKS BLOWN UP.
Three Workmen Killed and Many |
Injured.
SCRANTON, Pa. May 10.-The entire
plant of the Consumers Powder COM
papv located near Winton, this county,
was destroyed at 1880 o'clock
this morning by an explosion
and fire. The force IF the
EXPLOSION was terrific, ard was
nIainlv felt in this city. The first eX-