The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-07-19


ossining Sucked Dry BY the wind.
New York City.--A tornado with a
water spout attachment made mischief
on the Hudson River and at Chappa-
qua, few miles above here. No re-
ports Of it were heard from the north
Jersey shore, and its westernmost APP
pearance was when it began to suck
up water from the river opposite Os-
sining. The weather Lad been lowering
in the middle Of the afternoon, with a
brisk wind driving the black clouds
furiously, but no rain fell. Suddenly
the waterspout. apparently fifty feet
in diameter, appeared, and rising
high in the air in funnel shape, swept
west across the river to the upper
Nyack shore. People along shore say
the volume of water was so great that
it barred the river bottom for long
distance
A large new wharf building, at the
summer home Of Joseph Hilton, at Up
per MACK, wse swept way, and
pieces of boards and timbers were
whirled off through the air. The wa
terspout rushed through Crumhie's
Glen, tearing away number of trees,
but after it struck The land it soon
broke, the water falling in large vol
ume. People for miles along the lower
Hudson watched the waterspout from
the time it formed until it broke and
disappeared
Chappaqua, which lies in valley,
was hit at 3.45 O'clock in the afternoon.
For half an hour before the storm
burst the people Of the town knew
that something was going to happen.
Heavy, gwirling, dark clouds from the
southwest and northeast travelled rap
idly toward each other, meeting over
the northeast corner of the town.
The currents carried along with
them great clouds of dust, and the cur
rent met. it is asserted, with a crash
was the sound of falling walls and
crashing timbers.
Five houses were RACED and great
number of barns and outbuildings
were demolished The a.; currents
seemed to meet almost over the house
Of -drs. Anna Washburn, in which
weie Mrs. Washburn and her mother,
Mrs Hibbs, Of Philadelphia, who was
paying her daughter a visit. Mrs.
Hibbs was eight years old.
The building went down like a
house of cards and Mr.. Hibbs was
killed by falling timbers. Mrs. Wash
burn was seriously injured. The others
injured in Chappequa were: Warren
Tompkins, Walter Sarles, Mrs. Hes
ter Cox, Cyrus Dodge and Mrs. Mar
tina Morrow.
Chappaqua is located thirty three
miles from here in a valley which
formed a pathway for the storm. The
town was in complete darkness and a
terrific wind ragged while the rain and
hail fell in torrents. Hailstones an
inch and half in diameter fell. Many
rushed from their houses and threw
themselves fiat on the ground The
storm passed over them as they lay
there. Few of them were injured
In the barns that blew down were
many horses. several of which were
killed or so badly injured that they
had to be shot.
Considerable damage was done at
the Kensico Cemetery, where the fall
ing hail completely shattered the
glass in the big Conservatives. All the
conservatories in the path of the tor
nado were ruined.
After the storm had partly abated,
the fire department turned out, and,
with the assistance Of many summer
boarders, formed a rescuing party.
Drs. Mills, Hatch, Champlain, Sazel
and Cox joined the party and did
good work caring for the injured
In the night the flremen of the viii
lage formed vigilance committee and
patrolled the streets and guarded the
houses which blew down, as some of
them contained valuable property. A
conservative estimate places the loss
OF property and crops at 100000.
This amount. it is feared, will be dou-
bled when full reports Of the disaster
are in.
The path of the tornado is about
half mile long and 800 yards wide.
After spending its main force at Chap
paqua it passed on to Unionville, de-
stroying many farm houses. Then it
Travelled down the Bronx Valley to
Kensico Lake, where it seemed to lose
its force.