Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-28
Terrific Storm Strikes in the Vicinity Of
Minden, Kearney County.
ALL BUILDINGS IN ITS PATH WRECKED
Live stock Killed md Large Trees
Twisted on Like wceds-Fortu-
nately No Human Lives
Are Lost.


| thlng In it's path. Houses barns. corncr,h.
and sheds were crushed with as much ease
as II they had been eggshels and stock
| uoss chickens and rabbits we're killed M
| various places. Had the cyclone came a few
nouns later ten or fifteen lives would bayo
been lost but as it was the peop,e saw
the danger in time and saved them
selves by crawling into cyclone cellars or bv
musslhg the burrows in the plowed ground,
me cyclone originated on the farm of l. A.
Hill, about three miles west OF Ninden II
was first noticed shortly before s o'clock as
1t advanced slowly down the Burlington
track moving eastward toward Mnden, but
when within two miles OF the town II
changed its course and went northeast
Inc hrst real damage it did was when II
! struck the farm Of John V. Tenant. one
mile due north of Minden. Mr.. Tennant.
"ife and son saw IL coming and ran TO tho
plowed field, where they buried themselves
In furrow. They had no sooner dropped
10 the ground than the cyclone struck their
nome. Their two-story house was wrecked
ana the cowshed and barn were crushed as IL
'ueg hau peen made OF paper. All the
machinery of the firm, together with We
hicles. were carried away and scattered in
small pieces. A plow that had been stand
ing by the house was hurled through the
! air and dropped a quarter of a mile awav.
Large trees were twisted, broken and torn
| up by the roots. Sixty rods of fencing
| were pioWn away and two heavy fence
posts that had been lying by the barn were
found driven into the ground.
| Wreck ut Bayer Farm.
After leaving the Tenant farm the cv-
| clone went almost due east for mile when
IL struck the farm occupied by Joseph Raver
| ana completely ripped everything from the
| premises The house was on n eood bricl,
| foundation and was surrounded nv largo
| trees, but there is nothing but a few scat
| tered boards left to show that it ever ex
lsted. Mr.. Bayer saw the storm coming
headed directly for his home. He seized his
infant chlld IN his arms, together with a
neaVy qult, and calling to his wife to fol-
| io"' hiaue MS way to thick clump of large
| trees One end of the quilt was fastened tn
| Ihe bottom Of massive tree and Mr., Bayer
and family crawled under it and lay fiat on
the ground till the storm had passed. The
trees under which Mr.. Bayer and family
| were lying were twisted and broken and AL
| most tied into knots. Mr. Bayer said this
morning that 1T was a miracle how they es-
caped suffocation and injury.
At this place the house, stable corncrib
and granary were so demolished and scat
tered that common express wagon would
hold almost everything upon their former
site. There was not a single thing of the
household goods saved Boards and stuff
from this place were picked up two miles
east from the county road this morning
llmbers of all kinds were scattered in every
direction. wheelbarrow was taken from
the yard and dropped in a field nearly fifty
rods distant, where it was found in an up-
right position. A silver two feet in length
was driven clear throuph ell a
1t took two men to remove it, One horse
and all the chickens were killed. The gar
den which was in front of the house was
made as smooth and clean as a lawntennis
court.
Describes the Storm.
Thomas Bayer, father of Joseph Bayer
lives half mile south of his son. He had
been watching the storm and gave tue fol-
lowing description of the scene at his sons
home to the correspondent this morning:
After the cyclone left Tenants place it
separated, but came together again Just
before it reached my sons place When it
struck his home all that l could see was a
huge black mass. Then in an instant | saw
house about sixty feet high in the air
going back westward in the direction from
which the cyclone had just come. After it
had gone about ten rods it seemed to stand
perfectly still for a few seconds and then
shot forward in northeasterly direction"
This statement is substantiated by the
TACT that large portion of the flooring is
still lying in the field about thirty rods from
where the house stood. The cyclone con-
tnued northeast after demolishing the
Bayer property until within four miles of
Hartwell, where it changed its course and
started in souheasterly direction cross
ing the burlington track one mile west of
II art furnn
westerly direction across open fields until
half mile south of the town. where if
struck Peter Billisbach's farm and swept
everything before it.
Reach the Cellar I'm Time.
AS the cyclone had been maneuvering so
much every person in the village caught
sight OF 1t and Immediately ran into cellars
or caves. Mr.. Billisbach, with his family
of eight, has just succeeded in entering
their storm cave when the cyclone crossed
the road with deep roar and a big iump
and landed in the front yard 1t was all |
over in second, as Mr.. Billisbach said |
ana the crash that accompanied 1t was al |
most deafening even in the. cave When the |
family Ventured from their place of safety
they were in the midst of lot of debris. |
Not building was to be seen upon their
farm. A large grove that surrounded the
pace was neapeu up ike so much old !
brush and for miles around the lumber from
the house was sticking in shrubs
and grain fields. large barn. corn
crib and granary were also picked
up and generously distributed around
the country for miles. Three horses were
in the barn at the time of the disaster but
so far no trace whatever can be found of
them. An iron windmill seemed to defy the
storm, but 1t was easily carried away II
was nearly a mile from this place where a
chair was found driven deep into the ground
all ready for occupancy.
Between Hartwell and Kenesaw large
barn was relieved OF its roof as slick and
clean as If a huge cheeseknfe had severed
It with one stroke. The cyclone continued
towards Kenesaw, but when about three
miles from Hartwel 1t went straight up
and soon vanished.
Touches Up HartweII.
While the main part OF the cyclone was
Peter Biaisbachs' property a
small portion separated and went uptown,
where it twisted through the Hartwell
lumber company's yards and distributed
umber of all kinds throughout the village.
The town of Hartwel was also visited by
! heavy hail storm, but as the stones came