Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-25
TORNADO AT CHICAGO
Last Nights Storm Of Wind
and Rain Destructive.
PROPERTY DAMAGED
AIR FILLED WITH PLANKs, POLES
AND PORTIONS OF BUILDINGS.
Street Railway Traffic Was Suspended
Terrific Blow Unroofs Number of
Homes-Places Under Water.

CHICAGO March 25-Further details of
the damage caused by last nights storm in
the suburbs of Chicago were obtained to-
day.
At Washington Heights several persons
were injured and houses were blown down
or unroofed. In Morgan Park and Fern
wood the storm reached tornado proper
tions. Five houses were unroofed, another
blown from its foundation and miles of
telephone and telegraph poles were blown
down. Twisted telegraph wires blocked the
rock Island and Pan Handle railway
tracks. Sidewalks were wrenched from
their places. and thousands of yards of
fence scattered through the streets.
Among the injured at Washington Heights
was Mrs. 8. Scharpier, who WIS badly cut
by flying glass. The families of Peter Mel
len and Mrs. r. Ray had narrow escapes.
Mrs. Mellen and her daughters were in bed
when the storm struck. In an instant the
roof was carried away and the terrified
women were drenched by the rain.
The Ray cottage was 200 feet way. Mrs.
Ray and several friends were in the parlor
when the roof of the MelIen house crashed
upon their dwelling, wrecking the upper
story.
number of houses and stores were
badly damaged.
Traffic Suspended.
Traffic on the Calumet electric street rail-
way and the Chicago Electric Traction
Company, operating between Blue Island
and Auburn Park, was tied up for hours.
Almost every house in Burnside was dam
aged in the storm. Chimneys were blown
down, roofs torn away, and there was
scarcely an unbroken window left in the
suburb. No one was injured so far as
the police were able to learn. The water
which had flooded this portion of the city
rose about six inches In the storm.
In South Chicago the storm continued
through the night, sweeping down tele-
graph poles and flooding a part of the
town.
Fred Brunkoff of Chicago and his wife
Rebecca were severely injured when the
roof of their dwelling was blown off. Both
were struck by bricks.
Roof Hurled Against Car.
At 74th street and Railroad avenue the
wind blew the roof from building occu-
piel by Brown & Co. and hurled it against
a car on the Calumet electric line, filed
with passengers The car was knocked
from the track. None of the passengers
was injured seriously
At Dauphin Park the Illinois Central sta
tion platform and roof were torn up by
the wind and thrown across the track
stopping traffic for some time.
Many Acres Under Water.
The situation in Dauphin Park is serious
Many acres of land are under several feet
of water already, and sidewalks in the
south end of the town are submerged. Last
nights storm added materially to the grav-
ity of the situation. The total damage
there is put at $4,000.
The wind put an end to the Rogers Park
street car service in North Clark street
Between Devon and Greenleaf avenues
fallen trolley and arc light poles and tan
gled and broken wires stopped all traffic
during the night and caused the calling
of policemen and firemen to prevent fatali-
ties. Throughout Lakeview considerable
damage was done by wind and rain.
Havoc Worse Than First Believed
Reports today from the storm-swept area
in and about Chicago indicate that the
havoc wrought is even greater than at first
believed The property loss from the wind,
which was of tornado character in sew
eral districts was augmented later by
heightened floods, which had but partially
receded from previous heavy rainfalls.
In Dauphin Park and vicinity the water
has risen until the first floors of many
homes submerged, and families are
fleeing in panic by boats Business in the
town is suspended and schools are closed,
the saving of life and relief of suffering
being given the first attention.
Car Shops Center Of Storm.
The freight car shops of the Nickel Plate
railroad were the center of a miniature tor
nado. The large building used repair
shop was partly wrecked, the roof being
hurled against adjoining building. About
the shops were large number of freight
cars. Many of these were thrown from the
tracks, while others were unroofed.
Much Damage in st. Louis.
ST. LOUIS, ILL.,, March 25.-The wind and
caused a large amount of property damage,
injured many persons and seriously Grip
ped the local and interurban street car
traffic, but no fatalities have been reported.
An old landmark known as the Custom
Mills, occupied as a boarding house by a
dozen miners, was blown down. The occu-
pants escaped with bruises.
Marrow Escape of Family.
The home of Phillip Riplinger was over
turned, and Rip.nger and his six children
were rescued from the debris. All were
bruised.
At the aluminium works of the Pittsburg
Reduction Company one building contain
ing machinery, was demolished and the
electric light plant was badly damaged.
The entire west wall and part of the roof
OF the OUDuTDdH railway SuDStdtiOH WAS
demolished. Plank sidewalks were blown
away, telegraph and telephone poles broken
off, and all over the city homes were dam
aged
East Chicago Flooded
The business part of East Chicago was
flooded and much damage from wind and
water is reported in the residence por-
ton of the town. Communication by wire
with the affected points is badly Grip
pied and trolley lines are practically tied
up.
Storm Described a Curve.
The path of the storm described a
curve, bending inland from the lake
shore and leaving the heart of the city
compared to the damage which
was wrought in the outskirts From the
district irf which Evanston is situated the
storm swept down to Rogers Park, thence
in shore among the Des PLANES river
suburbs. south through Thornton and
Chicago Heights. benAing back toward
the lake with the Calumet valley and
brushing every village from Blue Island
to South Chicago with destructive force.