The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-03
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE
HURRICANE RESEMBLING THE
KANSAS VARIETY.
Houses and Barns Reduced to Kind
ling, Trees Uprooted and the
Soil Denuded of It's Vege-
tation.
Special Dispatch to The Cali.

STOCKTON, Oct. "A terrific Wh1rl-
wind moving in the form Of a funnel
shaped cloud swept a path from sixty
to one hundred feet wide just north OF
the city at noon to-day. 1t was small
and decidedly lively chunk of the genu-
inc Kansas cyclone, and its movements
were in every particular like the terrors
of the Mississippi Valley. 1t was ac-
companied by peaIs of thunder and fol-
lowed by a heavy rain. The swiftly re-
volving wind tore along in a north and
easterly direction, sweeping houses,
barns, outbuildings, fences and even
animals from it's path. Strange to re-
late. so far as known, not one human
being was injured.
The cyclone came from the northwest
and travelled southeast until just north
and east of the city, when it took a
more southerly course. 1t advanced at
a deliberate speed estimated by wit
nesses to not be over six or seven miles
an hour It seemed to bound from the
earth and then, returning, snatch up
whatever it chanced to alight upon and
tear it to pieces.
The men at Henry Armbrust's winery
who happened to be in the vineyard
saw the funnel-shaped cloud approach
ing and heard the roaring sound accom-
panying it long before it reached their
place. 1t swooped down into field,
tore up clods, turf and sticks, bounded
over the rural cemetery without touch
ing it and descended on the winery
buildings The roof of the packing
house, large sheetiron area weighing
many tons, was lifted as piece of pa
per and torn and twisted. A straw stack
protected by a shed was lifted, covering
and all, and scattered like dust. A
coop containing a lot Of chickens was
carried bodily away and neither the
fowls nor the cage have been found
A horse standing in the corral was
lifted from the ground and thrown over
the fence, landing against shed which
had escaped destruction.
After these antics the cyclone seemed
to split In twain. One part passed
south of Armbrust's place, and the
other further to the east. The latter
seemed to be as furious as the original
zephyr. 1t struck the corner of the
Armbrust dwelling, carried away the
porch and tore out the corner Of the
building. The two sections of the whlrl-
wind then slowly converged, combining
again at the Gambetta place.
Here the damage was great. The
house was literally torn to kindling-
wood. No two boards were left nailed
together The outbuildings were left
untouched.
At the Young place, a mile south of
| Gambetta's a patch 100 feet in width
was moved through the peach orchard.
The trees were torn up by the roots and
twisted to pieces in the air. A section
of the fence was taken out and depos-
tied in a large oak tree. a half-mile
away. The wind jumped from the
Young place, distance Of nearly a
mile. 1t again struck in a field and
passed on into the open country. mar
rowly missing Collegeville.
At Simon Moore's, Immediately north
of here, shingles We're ripped from the
barn roof and crates and boxes were
scattered all over an adjoining vine
yard.
At Philip Broschfs a new 22-foot
windmill was ruined, and buildings
| damaged. Loss, S400.
! At Adams dairy barn was demol-
| ished and trees uprooted.
The tornado passed through Fair
oaks. an eastern addition, where roofs
and windows suffered greatly.