Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-08-24
PITCH. DARK AT NOON
Tornado Burst Over Town
.,. -. Of Sheboygan.
SWEPT AWAY ALL IN IT'S PATH
Was Preceded by An Intense Heat-That
No One Was Killed Seems Al Ia
most a Miracle.

Milwaukee, Wis. August ga
special from Sheboygan, Wis, says:
A terrific wind storm struck the city
this afternoon. The storm came very
suddenly from the north. Eight large
buildings were completely wrecked and
200 small houses were blown down.
The loss will be more than $500. 900.
At noon it was dark as night and in
tensely hot. A few moments before
O'Clock the storm broke. increasing in
force until tornado was blowing.
Persons were thrown down and fences
and signs hurled hundreds of feet. The
storm ragged for some minutes and
passed off to the south. The storm
started in the western pa1t Of the city,
near the cemetery, and swept down on
to the south side and off into the lake.
1t was two miles wide and wrecked
everything in its path. All was over
in 10 minutes, although it seemed hours
to the panic-stricken people.
The roof of the large warehouse of
the Croker Company was blown off
and thrown against the large factory.
The building was wrecked and large
stock of chairs was left without protec-
tion from the rain, which tell in tor
rents.
The street Car barns were wrecked,
and street cars were smashed to pieces.
The electric wires were all blown
down. The roof of the malthouse of
the Keneid. .Schriver Brewing Company
was lifted from the building, carried
over loo yards and thrown into the
street. 1t was carried over the huge
ventilators of the brewery. The
American Folding Bed Company's plant
was demolished and the sheds in the
Simball & Sons brickyard were blown
down and the debris scattered in every
direction.
The storm struck the South Side Lu-
theran church, and the steeple was
blown down on to two residences,
smashing in the roofs. The Fourth
ward school house. beautiful build
ing, was completely wrecked, one side
and the front being blown in, causing
the roof to fall and crushing the floors
down into the cellar, The plant of
tn Opetenberg & Sonneman Company
was partially wrecked. Several freight
cars standing on the Northwestern rail-,
road tracks were blown over on their
sides.
That no one was killed seems almost
a miracle. The wind wrecked build
ing after building, with the greatest
rapidity, and there was little warming
of the approach of the storm. The peo-
pie in every case were out of their
homes before the storm broke, and those
who were struck by flying debris were
only slightly injured. In the factories
the employees were in many cases
bruised and cut from wreckage.
The 5-year-old son of Mrs. Thomas
Atkins had remarkable escape. The
house was torn into shreds and scat
tered about in the roadway. What
was left of the house was only about
three or four timbers where the build
ing stood. The child was buried in the
ruins, and when found was standing in
the corner, with timber piled in front
of him i'll such manner as to shield
him, and he escaped with only bruises.
Four box cars in the Chicago &
Northwestern yard were carried off the
track and stood straight on end. Some
of the bricks from the Crocker Com
pany's' warehouse were thrown with
such force against the adjoining build.
ings that they passed through the sides
of the buildings and yet no one was in
jured. Other portions of the building
of the Crocker Company were torn to
pieces. There is scarcely whole pane
of glass left in the tornado district.
Telephone, electric light and trolley
wires and poles are torn down, and a
street car has not run in the city since
the storm struck. Sidewalks and trees
were carried away like chaff.
The principal sufferer is the Crocker
Chair Company, whose loss is $780,
600. ..... ----l. .....s.- ..s-...