The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-03
BABY CYCLONE.
A Long Black Tongue Runs
Down Out of a Cloud
In the Western Part of Town
This Noon.
TEARS OFF KITCHENS
Smashes Things Generally
Though But 40 Feet Wide.
Made a Buzzing Noise and
Frightened Every body.
Had it Been Larger Destruc-
tiOn Would Have Been Great.

At l o'clock this afternoon a small
but genuine funnel shaped cloud passed
over the western part of the city par
tally demOliShing several houses and
blowing down many chimneys, scatter
ing the bricks and timbers in every di-
rectiOn-
Fortunately no one was injured, and
a few hundred dollars will repair the
damage done.
The tornado made a noise which
warned the people in the block where it
was first seen, and nearly all got out of
the way.
The funnel shaped cloud, very black,
was first noticed at Twelfth and Bu-
chanan streets. 1t appeared to hover
for a moment over the street, and then
a tall swaying like an elephants
trunk and about 40 feet wide, dipped
down and started north.
The edge of the cloud struck the
kitchen of Sam McLamOre's house at
the corner of Twelfth and Buchanan
streets, and unraofed it. The wind blew
off the chimney of the house of Will
Reynolds, at 1880 Buchanan street, but
the tail lifted high enough to pass
over the house of w. T. Mcknight, next
to Reynolds.
It went ON twisting back and forth,
about 20 feet above the ground.
The Methodist church at 1882 Buchan-
an street lost its chimney, and the roof
was DANA ged. The house of A. Mallory
next to the church, lost both it's CHM
neys and the porch was blown away.
The kitchen of the house of NJ. Simpson
at 1161 Buchanan street was blown
away like a feather and several win
dows broken. Half of the roof OF the
house of Stephen Pasker was blown on
and the house was otherwise damaged.
The cloud moved very slowly with a
buzzing noise which always accompa-
MES a tornado. L seemed to pass jus,
over the housetops and none of the
houses in the section visited by the
storm felt the fCV force of the wino.
The fact that the wind moved so slow
civ
jured
Twelve year old Bessie Ross. who
happened to be back of the PasEer
home, made no effort to get out OF the
way and was caught by the wind and
/ carried at least so feet and dropped in
vacant lot. She was Uninjured.
The street force under Foreman P.
Smith was working in the block be-
tween Eleventh and Twelfth streets,
and when they saw the funnel shaped
cloud coming the men drove their teams
to the west side of the street and
watched the clouds pass over.
The people living in the vicinity of
the storm were in state of cOnsterna-
ton. They saw the air full of bricks
and the black, wriggling mass of black
clouds hanging over them and moving
slowly to northward, and many thought
that there was no escape. Men and WO
men rushed into the street, the women
covering their heads with their aprons
and the men expecting every moment
that the cloud would swoop down like
a destroying monster and annihilate
them.
w T. Mcknight gives the following
description of the cyclone:
Il first saw a big, whirling black
cloud near Twelfth street. 1t did not
appear to move, and made a noise like
a threshing machine. In a little while
it started north toward my house. The
tail of the cloud which hung down was
about 40 feet wide. When it struck a
chimney it scattered the bricks in every
direction. 1 did not know what was
going to happen, but 1 took the folks
and ran out west of the house. Other
people saw the storm coming and got
out of the way. 1t moved very slowly
directly north, and when it got to the
end of the block it lifted and disap-
peared.''
Il did not see the cloud until itreach-
ed Twelfth street and do not believe
that any one else noticed it. The tall
passed just over the house tops and 1t
did not seem to strike them but the
force of the wind from the cloud did the
damage. We thought that if the cloud
world drop to the ground that nothing
could get away from it for it seemed to
be whirling very fast just above US.
A Mallory said: Il was scared, I
guess I heard something and the first
thing I knew my chimneys went flying
every way and the porch was then
blown away. I did not see the cloud
coming and do not know what it look
ed like, but [ got out of the way. 1
have not had time yet to see whether
anv of the children were hurt. What 1
want now is to find some one to help
me lay up my chimneys. 1 can't make
a fire until they are fixed"
At about the same time that the tor
nado passed along Buchanan street
several people noticed a funnel shaped
cloud which seemed to be several miles
east of Topeka. 1t was moving in
northerly direction but the tail seemed
to be above the earth though it occa-
sionally dipped down so that it may
have done some damage.
One person compared it to leech
which has the power of lengthening
itself out and then contracting. The
sight is always hideous and uncanny.