The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-10-01
SWEPT BY A
TORNADO.
Bloomsbury Visited With Heavy Wind
That Unroofed Houses and Factories,
Uprooted Trees, and Caused Great
Damage Everywhere.
MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN THE
HAIL STORM.
THE OLDEST INHABITANTS NEVER BE.
FORE WITNESSED SUCH A GALE AS
THAT OF WEDNESDAY MORNING.

Bloomsburg arose very early on
Wednesday morning, and there was
good reason for it. 1t had been
somewhat stormy on Tuesday even
ing, and towards midnight the wind
began to rise and gradually increased
until about two o'clock, when it had
reached the proportions ola terrific
gale. 1t howled and shrieked, and
shook the houses until everybody was
thoroughly awake, and nearly every
family in town crawled out of their
beds, dressed themselves and descend
ed to the first floor to avoid being
hurt when the root went off, or to
await the subsiding of the tornado.
The tornado lasted only about an
hour, but in that time it got in its
work most effectively, chimneys were
blown OFF, roofs torn off, trees torn up
by the roots as though they were but
Towering plants, or twisted off through
the trunk like matches. To add to
the terrors of the night, the electric
wires were broken by the wind and
falling trees, and the town was left in
darkness.
No sooner had the storm subsidized
than people started out with lanterns
to see what damage had been done,
and from three o'clock until morning
there were crowds of sight seers. And
such sights as they beheld On every
street the sidewalks were blockaded
by fallen trees, and here and there a
great mass of tin indicated that some
building had lost its roof.
THE DAMAGE.
The Woolen Mill of E. c. Caswell
& Co. suffered the most. The roof,
and walls of the third floor were lifted
off completely. Heavy timbers a
foot square and thirty feet long were
carried some distance away. A piece
of the roof struck the Silk Mill, but
did only slight damage. Thousands
of dollars worth of machinery is left
standing on the floor covered with
debris and some of it badly twisted
Work was at once begun at clearing
up, and the third floor will be rebuilt
at once.
At the Keystone Foundry & Ma
chine Works the roof was partly
blown off.
The south end of the Brass & Cop
per Cos works was blown in, and the
stack blown down.
The Novelty Works are badly dam
aged, both ends being torn out ant
the roof falling on the machinery.
Tin roofs were blown off the Ex
change Hotel and the house on Fifth
street occupied by F. R. Carpenter.
One-half of the main building at the
fair grounds is completely demolished
sheds blown down, fences down.
The grand stand on the Norma
athletic field is destroyed.
Elmer Z. Melick's house is unroofed
The chimneys on James Magee'!
house are down, glass broken ant
roof damaged.
The barn of DR.. H. Robbins wa
turned over, and went down over tht
rocks into the creek.
Horace Supplies barn was demol
ished, but two horses escaped injury.
Awnings in front of the Farmers
Produce Exchange, the Leader store
and M. l.. Kline's are down.
The tin roofs of the Sanitariun
building were thrown over on the
Waller lot
The new plaster mill on Seventh
street is almost entirely destroyed.
Among other buildings damaged
are William Rabbs house corner stf
and Railroad School Furnishing Co.
Bloomsburg Furniture Co.; Acme Oh
Co.; Gas house; Steam plant; Elec
tric Light house; Harvey Creveling':
buildings out 5th street Mrs. Worth
ington's house, Presbyterian ant
Episcopal churches. Bryfogle Bros
smoke stack is down and it will take
IS boxes of glass to replace broker
ones.
These are only few instances o
the many. The loss will run into
many thousands of dollars.
Espy suffered again most severely
by the unrooflng of buildings.
At Danville, silk mill blown dowr
and Exhibition building at fair grount
unroofed.
In Mifflin township Isaac Spades
barn was blown down and two horse:
killed.
William Mensinger of Main town