The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-25
The Building Raised from the Foun-
dation, Dropped Back and
Crushed Like an Egg Shell.
QUEER FREAK OF THE STORM
BARN PICKED UP AND HORSES LEFT
STANDING on FLOOR.
Carried a Block and Thrown 10 the
Earth-The Cloud Said to Have
Bobbed Up and Down.

FARIBAULT, Mimi, Sept. A.-Meager
details have just reached here of a disas-
ter in the village of Morristown. ten miles
west of Faribault. Shortly before o'clock
this evening the village was struck by a
tornado. A barn was first raised in the
air and carried a block. Paul Gatzke' s
saloon, where sixteen people took refuge
from the storm, was crushed, and all but
three of the occupants were buried in the
debris. Eight dead bodies and five injured
persons have been taken from the ruins.
The Dead
HARRY s. WAIT, farmer, aged forty:
leaves wife and family.
OTTO GATZKE. son of Paul Gatzke,
aged nineteen.
FRANK PITTMAN. of Waterville. aged
fifty.
JOHN ROHRER, aged twenty-five.
ELMER BROOKS. aged twenty.
JACOB MILLER, JR., aged twenty
three.
JACOB WEBER, aged twenty-three.
- PETERSON, hired man.
The Injured
PAUL GATZKE, proprietor Of the
saloon, injured internally; may die.
FRANK f. WILDER, injured internally;
may die.
FRANK PITTMAN, twelve years old, and
son of Frank Pittman; may die.
PORTER A. WHITE, head bruised; con-
dition serious.
BERNARD A. SCHMIDT, slightly.
WILLIAM BROOKS, slightly.
The storm came without warning on the
citizens of Morristown from a southwest
erly direction, passing over to the north
east. The length of its path in the village
was less than half a mile. Owing to its
peculiar action, the distress and damage
resulting were not as great as they might
have been. The storm cloud made jumps
OF one block, but whenever it came down
everything was crumbled by the power of
the wind The barn belonging to DR..
Dargabel, which is on the outskirts of the
village, was the first structure destroyed.
and this was one OF the freak features of
the storm. The barn was picked up and
carried a block, leaving the floor unin-
jured with two horses standing on it. The
building was crushed. From there the
Gatzke. Before reaching the Gatzke sa-
loon there is a two-story building. which
was left untouched.
All the people killed and wounded in
Morristown were in the saloon, having
hurriedly taken refuge there when the
storm seen on the outskirts of the
village. There were sixteen people in the
structure at the time the storm struck.
The building was raised from it's founda-
tion and crushed like an egg shell. Be-
fore the building fell three people man.
aged to escape, but the other thirteen were
either killed or injured.
After leaving the saloon the storm
crossed the street and destroyed the barn
OF ]. p. Temple and took the roof from
the barn of W. NJ. Bigoli. 1t then crossed
the Cannon river and destroyed the barn
of Adam Snyder. The storm then passed
off to the northwest and did no further
damage.
The first fatality occurred, however, be-
fore the village was reached. The storm
was first discovered by a farmer, who
lives four miles from Morristown. He saw
the funnel-shaped cloud, and says that it
was bobbing up and down on its way to
the village, and made four descents In the
four miles. The farm of John Olson, who
resides two miles from Morristown, is,
as far as can be learned, the first place
where any damage was done. Olson's
hired man, Peterson, was killed, but the
particulars could not be learned in Norris
town last evening
The citizens of Morristown were prompt
In caring for the dead and injured. I'M
mediately after the storm had passed, will
ing hands were engaged in removing the
ruins of the saloon. and from beneath this
the victims were taken. The dead and
injured were removed to their homes
Henry S. Waite was a farmer, residing
three miles east of Morristown, and was
q Republican candidate for Representative
He was forty years Of age, and had resided
here all his life.
This is the third disaster that has visited
Morristown this year. In February the
entire business district was destroyed by
fire and among the structures rebuilt was
the saloon OF Gatzeke. The village was
visited by another fire in May, which did
a damage amounting to $4,000. Morristown
is village of six hundred inhabitants. II
lies ten miles southwest of Faribault, in
the corner Of Rice county.