The herald., 1895-07-14
GOTHAM GETS A CYCLONE
Large Amount of Valuable
Property Wrecked
Thirty BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED
One Woman's Skull Crushed
10 by a Beam
CARS BLOCKED FOR HOURS
Hackensack aud Vicinity Also Visited
BY the Twirler
Five Persons Killed and Many Severely
Injured
A Storm Center That Was Only 500 Feet
Ia v idth Carries Death and Des.
traction In Its Path
One W0man's Skull Crushed
10 by a Beam
CARS BLOCKED FOR HOURS
Hackensack aud Vicinity Also Visited
BY the Twirler
Five Persons Killed and Many Severely
Injured
A Storm Center That Was Only 400 Feet
Ia Width Carries Death and Des.
traction In Its Path

Associated Press specisl Wire. ~
NEW YORK, July l3.-The first cyclone
in many yeas struck New York this after
noon and resulted fatally in one instance,
besides wrecking large amount Of valu-
able property.
The cyclone descended upon the upper
part Of East New York, known as Cy-
press hill, vt 4:30 o'clock. continued on
its way TO the lower plains in the island
and from there travelled to Wood Haven.
The cloud was first seen going over Cy-
press hill. 1t was funnel-shaped and
hung very low to the gorund. At the
upper end was a red spot that appeared
more like an'incandescent light than any
thing else. The cyclone swept over the
city cemetery. wrecking handsome and
costly monuments. It tore down trees
for about 200 feet and then turned into
Jamaica avenue at Crescent street. went
up Jamaica avenue for about half mile.
Trees were torn down and telephone and
trolley wires demolished. Right in the
middle of the wreckage six cars belong
ing to the Brooklyn and Suburban rail-
road were caught and were struck when in
front OF the Stewart home. The cars were
filed with passengers and there was great
excitement. Halt dozen passengers
were slightly injured. The cyclone
wrecked thirty houses at Wood Haven
and a very large school house.
There were twenty residents OF Wood
Haven struck by various objects which
we're carried through the air. Chimneys
sailed through space as though they wee
no heavier than feathers. At Wood Haven
a woman vas sick in bed. The house
was picked up and carried more than'a
block. Finally the woman was landed on
the side of the street and the mouse on
the other. The woman had q miraculous
escape from serious injury.
Mrs. Louisa Kotrephin of Third avenue.
near Rockawxy. was killed. She stood
ing beam struck her on the head, crush
ing in her skull.
. The cable and trolley cars were blocked
for hours. Several of the big thorough
fares were made impassable for traffic
owing to the network OF fallen wires ard
other obstructione that had been made by
the wind and hail. The florists on the
west side of the city and in the annexed
district were the greatest sufferers. losing
nearly all their growing plants and their
consefvatories being badly wrecked.
HACKENSACK, N. J. July ia ter
rife storm swept over this section this
afternoon. doing great damage. At
from here, it developed cyclonic fury. at
tended by the demolition of the village
and mum Der of deaths. Cherry Hill re-
ceived the full sweep of the wind and
within q quarter of a minute after the
storm broke twenty-seven.s houses were
wrecked. The cyclone made a clean path
through the center Of the place, carrying
everything before it. Houses we're un-
rooted and thrown down, trees uprooted
and crops in the fields were leveled to the
ground. At the present time it is known
that five persons were killed and the in
jured are mum bered by the score. many,
1t is believed. fatally.
Killed - Conrad Freiderman, hotel
keeper; three unknown laborers. child
of William Ahrens.
The storm came from the north. The
atmosphere was warm for time ana
then cold. and then, after second rush of
warmth, came the cyclone. carrying
death and destruction in its course. The
storm center was about 300 feet In width,
and the strip over which it passed Is a
mass of ruins. Not building in its path
was spared. Great amounts of wreckage
were carried through the air by the gale,
adding to the destruction.
of the New York and New Jersey rail-
roads was demolished. The wind first
took the roof and landed it one hundred
feet away. Then the wall fell. The sta
tion agent was badly injured. Opposite
the depot was the hotel OF the village,
kept by Conrad Friedman. In it at the
time, besides the proprietor, were his wife
and three children. Just as the storm
broke he hurried them into the street,
fearing the building was unsafe. Then
he returned to secure some money. and
had reached the door when the whirl-
-: l. kxs - Il
hurled twenty feet to the ground, the
building falling over and crushing him
to death. One of his children was in
jured by the falling tmbsrs. The infant
Of the Ahrens family was lying in crib
when the. crash came. The house was
unroofed, and flying stick struck the
child on the head, tearing off one of the
ears as clean as though severed by sur
geon's knife, causing death. When the
husband. who is a New York business
man, returned. he found his wife sitting
amid the ruins with the body of her dead
child III her arms.
: Two of the Polish laborers who were
carried away by the storm. Half an hour
later the mangled bodies were dragged
from the ruins. The third Pole killed
met his fate in a similar manner.
Hardly person who lived in the track
of the storm escaped injury. All are cut
or DrulSeu. many, u 10 enouSht, idtally.
The latest reports indicate that Willie
Fried erman, whose father was killed.
will also die.
Alex. Jones, the village blacksmith,
was buried beneath the timbers of his
shop. He was taken out badly bruised. 1t
is NOT thought he Will recover. His
house was carried along the ground until
it struck and was dashed to pieces.
Edward Chimok was seriously if not
fatally injured by the fall OF his barn.
The cyclone went through the village