The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-23

Hancock, a ten-year-old boy, was killed
by being hit ON the head by a flying piece
OF roof while he was seeking shelter -,
A great number Of persons undoubtedly
were injured, but the names OF only Few
could be collected last night. The storm
struck two hospitals in its path and also Two
silk mills. II also damaged two schools,
besides the dwellings that 1t left in pieces.
The destruction wrought was said TO 90
second only to that done by the hre early
last year.
Directly in the path of the storm when
il struck upper Main street was a two-story
house belonging to Meyer Bones, which
WAS being raised one story IN order to have
a store built under it. Mr.. Bones was
experimenting the work, and at the time
che storm came along four plumbers were at
work inside
One of them caught sight Of the whirling
cloud and shouted to the others to get out.
The Van Dam boy, apparently, did not
heed the warming. When the storm struck
the building 1t collapsed like house OF
cards. with crash that was heard for blocks
even above the roaring Of the storm. The
boys body was found, badly crushed,
afterward. He was Is years old and lived
at 1870 Straight street.
Bones had been able to get out in time,
but the sight of his house crumbling to
pieces before his eyes drove him insane;
He had to be put in straittacket and
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may lose his mind entirely.
The Miesoh silk mill, at Leslie and Court
streets, had part Of its roof torn out and
q section Of wall blown down. There
were about 200 employees In the place,
and there was panic among them. A
few were injured by falling timbers. The
wind did some queer tricks with the silk
One roll was found wound around a tele-
graph pole 800 feet away.
st. JOseph's Hospital was directly in the
path Of the tornado. The wind took of
section OF the roof and smashed every
window on the top floor. There were about
one hundred patients in the hospital at the
time. Some Of them were on the top floor
and had to be hastily removed by the nurses.
There wa8 lot OF excitement, but the
nurses acted with rare calmness, and II was
said that none Of the patients would suffer
any i'll effects. although all were badly
scared, :.
The big Passaic rolling mill was hit and
part Of the roof was taken of The storm
also blew out section of one Of the walls.
John Saunders and John Connolly two
workmen, were hit by falling timbers and
had to be taken TO the hospital one OF them
with broken leg
mill was the house OF Mrs. Nevins. She
was sitting on the stoop when the tornado
came along. daughter was inside the
house and, hearing the noise of the I'M
roofing of the mill, rushed outside to get
her mother. To her surprise, she found
died Of fright. Several Of the windows OF
the Nevins house were blown in.
st. Agnes's Church and the silk mill Of
Stern, Polly 4 Co. felt the swiftly passing
tornado. Half of the roof Of the school
adjoining the church was torn up as though
1t had been a carpet. The same thing
was done to the mill. There were about
one hundred men working in the mill, and
only two were injured. The damage to
the two silk mills was estimated at about
$4,000.
The tornado did great havoc among
the frame dwellings on Clay and Chestnut
streets in the Sandys Hill section OF the
city. One three-story building owned by
James Burns was completely demolished.
Mrs Burns was ironing in one OF the rooms
on the third floor. She was blown out
of the window, but was not seriously in
iured,
Mr.. Burns mother was on the second
Goor of the house. She says she crawled
onr on the roof, but she was too excited to
tell what happened. Mr.. Burns sister
was going into the store on the ground
floor when she was lifted of her feet and
carried against a building in the rear about
twenty feet away.
In an adjacent house a man who works
nights was asleep when the building col
lapsed. He crawled out practically I'M
hurt, but for some time there was a story
that he was dead.
The Hancock boy lived at 70 Chestnut
Fl rect He was in fruit store when the
storm came up and he ran for his home
which was only a hundred yards away.
Just "a he reached the areawav leading
TO the backyard a great piece Of tin that
had been torn off a roof came sailing through
the air and struck him in the head, cutting
half of it off. His mother who had been
looking out OF the window at him tainted
The General Hospital at Market and
Madison streets is the largest hospital
in Paterson. The storm struck it with a
bang. tearing up the slate roof on the west
ern wing and blowing in every window
in the western half Of the building. Beds
were blown around inside, and the wind
rushed through with force enough to break
many Of the windows on the Madison street
side.
Hardly window was left in the admins
tration building. There was great ex-
element among the patients, who were
kept calm by the nurses only with the
greatest difficulty.
One death resulted however Joseph
Glass, q consumptive, was found dead in
his bed by the nurses after the storm had
passed, and the doctors said death came
from excitement and shock.
A two-story house on Clay street was
lifted of Its foundation, carried along
by the wind about fifteen feet and then
turned over. The house was occupied
by a Mrs. Jane Smith, a widow. and Mrs
Robinson. The two women sought ref
uge In bedroom on the second floor.
No one expected to find either of them
alive after the house had been turned
over, but when pulled out they had moth
Ing more serious than bruises.
Both W omen went to the hospital Their
case was one of the most marvellous Incl
dents Of the tornado's visit,
An incident which was almost a match
for Il was the pranks the wind played with
n flagman's shanty at the Park avenue
crossing OF the Susquehanna railroad
Cronin. the fagman, got inside when the
tornado came along and the wind picked
the shanty up with him in it and carried it a
block He escaped with some bruises
About the first to feel the storm burst
about their ears were a lot of people who
were attending n funeral al Maplewood,
the home Of W. =, Lambert. we-known
resident of Paterson.
The funeral was that of Mrs. Lambert,
and the house was crowded with relatives
and friends. The Rev. Mr. Shaw had just
concluded the services when the storm
broke The women screamed and several
Of them made rush to close the window,
shrieking TO others to do the same,
Ralph Shaw, the minister's son, who had
had some experience with tornadoes,
shouted at the top Of his lungs that the
windows must be left open, If the house was
TO be saved Mr.. Shaw said aiterward:
@If we had not done t his | believe the
whole house would have been blown down
As il was, we could feel the suction of the
wind in the room, and the whole house
rocked with its force Ii made several
in the house, including myself, feel slightly
sick, the sensation was so queer.