The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-13
SWEPT BY A TORNADO
PART OF NEBRASKA VISITED BY A
FUNNEL-sHAPED CLOUD.
Much Damage Done Near ElkhOrn and
In the City of LincOln-Severa1
People Injured.

LINCOLN, Neb., May IA dispatch from
EllShorn says: A tornado swept this section
this afternoon. A funnei-shaped cloud shot
down from the storm center. and a general
stampede of citizens for cellars and caves
ensued At the schoolhouse the children
fled panic-stricken to the furnace room.
amid the widest confusion, and many of
them were hurt. The tornado struck the
ground north of the town. Its course was
north vest. The path Of the storm was
from 200 to 300 yards wide, and everything
In its way was RACED to the ground, In
GLIDING several houses. After traversing
distance Of about two miles the cloud
arose, and at a point five or six miles fur
Their to the north dropped again to the
earth, where il is feared greater damage
and loss Of life resulted.
Lincoln was struck at 4:45 by a tornado
which ragged with unabated violence for fif-
teen minutes. apparently being the same
storm that struck Elkhorn. Rain fell as
from cloud-burst, accompanied by hail.
The prevailing drift OF the wind was from
southwest, but at times 1t seemed to form in
eddies between the business books and was
accompanied by cyclonic features. Build
ings were unroofed and torn down, cornices
swept from roofs into the streets and the
residence portion OF the city denuded of
trees. The greatest damage was at the
State Hospital for the Insane, where many
Of the larger buildings were unroofed. The
damage will be very heavy. The suburban
districts are yet cut off from communica-
ton. The severely injured are: J. L. Work.
man, head cut by flying debris; A. L. Wood
rey, injured in collapsed building; Mrs. j.
b. Abbott, caught beneath a horse; Henry
Meyer and ]. T. Thorp, not dangerously
At the State Asylum iron supports weigh
ing 800 pounds were blown several hundred
feet. There is scarcely a street in the town
which is not strewn with large branches
and whole trunks of trees uprooted by the
storm. In the main business part of the
city the Kelly Block, Ninth and P streets,
opposite and north OF the Lincoln Hotel,
suffered the worst. Here the storm tore the
tin roof from the building, throwing it into
Ninth street and covering the sidewalks on
two streets with bricks from chimneys The
water drenched the entire building. The
Beckwith building, north OF the Kelly Block,
was partly demolished. The Bohemian
Catholic Church, "A brick structure at the
corner of Second and L streets, was de-
stroyed, and the loss is $500. A L. Wood
rey was injured. He had backed his team
under the church and was trying to get the
animals away to place OF safety when
the edifice blew down upon him. large
portion of the roof OF the Ideal Hotel was
blown of, entailing damage OF q, co., The
cornice of the Ledwith Block, occupied by
the Merchants Hotel, was Blown into Elev-
enth street.
Four Men Killed by an Electric Bolt.
CADIZ. KY. May 2.-Yesterday afternoon
during severe hail and windstorm here,
John ]. Wallace. a prominent farmer, and
his three sons sought shelter under a large
sycamore tree. The men had no sooner
reached the tree than bolt of lightning
struck 1t and killed all four OF them in
stantly.