The Forrest City times., 1902-03-14
H VER|TAB[E HURRICANE.
Omaha Swept by Northwest Storm, Monday Night, Do-
 ing Much Damage.
PARK M.E E. CHURCH BLOWN TO RUINS.
The Coliseum Building Badly Dam- aged and Fully Half n Hundred Buildings Badly Shattered-The The storm Struck Elkhorn, Ten Miles Distant.

Miles Distant.
 Omaha, Neb., March 12.-The hcav- fest wind, rain and hail storm in the history of the city visited Omaha and Douglass county at two o'clock yes terday morning. It struck Omaha near Monmouth park, in the northern edge of the city, and moved south east, the greatest severity being ex- perienced in the neighborhood of Thirty-third and Larimore streets. Although perhaps fifty buildings were more or less damaged, nobody was seriously injured. Two policemen, who were caught in the storm had narrow escapes, and Mrs. Amanda Geary, who lives at Thirty-third street and Grand avenue, probably es- capped death by being absent from home. Her house was picked up and scattered over a square of ground, bits of the furniture being found in neighboring field. Several street cars were caught in the path of the wind, but remained on the track. Telephone and electric wires in the path of the storm were strewn over the streets, and a great number of poles were torn out.
 Franklin school, one of the largest in the city, had to be abandoned temporarily. A large chimney was blown into the roof, which caved in and demolished the interior of sey- eral rooms. Small buildings were blown about in an easy way. and sev- eral barns were torn to pieces.
 The Monmouth Park Nj. E. church was literally torn to pieces. Several greenhouses were wrecked by the hail.
 Immanuel hospital was badly dam aged by a large chimney being blown | through the roof.
 The several nearby towns in this county report the worst storm for years. It was particularly severe at Valley and Elkhorn, and at the lat ter place Union Pacific train was struck by falling coal chute and considerable damage done t. it, al- though no one was injured. At Flor ence, three miles north of the city, and where the city water works are located, the storm twisted several buildings from their foundations, but the waterworkS plant was net affect ed
 In Central park, lightning strnck several barns, and was one of the elements that contributed to the hay oc in this city.
 The effects of the storm were made more apparent with the break of dawn, and it is now known that half a hundred buildings were dam aged more or less. Cumming street, from Eighteenth to TwentY-fourth, and Twenty-fourth street north of Cumming are strewn with debris from damaged buildings, signs and fences. Nobody is thought to have been injured, but Bicycle Patrolman Dan Baldwin had narrow escape. The storm struck him before he had dlsmounted, and the force of the wind threw him heavily to the pave d place of safety.
 The coliseum building is the worst wrecked of the larger structures. It was directly in the path of the storm. Nearly all of the skylights are gone, and the roof is badly twisted. The high board fence surrounding the building was also carried away. An do tch east of the coliseum, was badly wrecked, and row of flats across the street were twisted and all the windows torn out.
 Five large plate glass windows in raggart's undertaking parlor. at 2224 Cumming street, were blown out. and the furniture and interior wrecked.
 The storm created considerable ex- citement for a short time. and aroused the entire population in the north part of the city. who thought the town was in the grasp of real twister.
 The storm moved southwest after leaving this city, striking Elllhorn. a village of 800 people, ten miles away. Half a dozen of the dwellings in that town were badly twisted, and several small buildings blown down. The ele- vator and cribs of the Omaha eleva- tor company received more damage than any other property. The storm came up suddenly, and lasted but a few minutes.
 All day Monday the temperature registered from 60 to 6s degrees, and the weather bureau reports that the storm is the result of the unseason- able heat, which caused it to form over this section