The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-03-25
HURRICANE
IN CHICAGO
Windy City Suffers Tornado
That Does Large Amount
Of Damage.

most severe tornadoes that ever swept
over this part of the country wrought
enormous damage in western Indiana,
northern Illinois and eastern Michigan
last night.
The number of casualties cannot be
stated with any accuracy, but reports
! from Indiana Harbor are that at least
one person has been killed and twenty
five injured there Widespread dam
age was done ut Hammond, Ind, the
first spot where the wind, rain and
lightning worked their havoc. North
of Chicago, at Evanston, where the
Northwestern university is located,
Rogers Park and Thornton report by
telephone, through circuitous routes,
that the loss of property was attended
by loss Of life, too, though details are
lacking.
After striking Hammond the storm
swept down on Washington heights,
southwest of south Chicago, then leap
ed northward to Evanston and Thorn
ton and then bounded over toward
Grand Rapids, Mich.
The storm was accompanied by ter
rifle thunder and lightning, and the
rain descended in torrents for a couple
of hours. Along the lake front south
east of south Chicago the wind blew
a hurricane. At Indiana Harbor three
hotels were wrecked, large general
store was demolished and eighteen
residences were blown down.
The extensive freight yards and
packing establishments at Hammond
were damaged to the extent of thou
sands of dollars, and two men are re-
ported to have been injured Freight
cars were unroofed and blown over on
their sides, and the plant Of the Re
public Iron and Steel company was
practically RACED. The city is in utter
darkness.
The town Of Indiana Harbor, twenty
miles southeast of Chicago, on the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
railroad, was the heaviest sufferer.
One man, L. Barker, the proprietor Of
dry goods store, was killed, and IF
teen persons, who were in his store
when the storm struck ii, were injured,
some Of them seriously, although none
is expected to die. In all, twenty-five
persons were injured.
Barker's store was entirely demol-
lshed. Eighteen residences were blown
down, and several persons We're hurt
in the ruins of their homes
The wires Of the electric lines were
knocked down and the power was shut
off, making 1t impossible for anybody
to reach the place save on the regular
trains Of the railroads.
All three of the hotels in the place
were badly damaged, Green's hotel in
particular being badly wrecked. One
two story frame building was entirely
turned over
The storm created havoc in the town
of Hammond, Ind. Several residences
were badly damaged, and two persons
were injured, but not fatally. One
end of the large plant of the Republic
Iron and Steel company was blown
down, causing loss of at least $685.
600. Business houses were unroofed.
and the city tonight is in total dark
ness.
So many Of the electric light wires
were blown down that the authorities
compelled the company to shut Off all
power, because of the fear that lives
might be lost through contact with live
wires. In the freight yards of the rail-
roads running through Hammond great
damage was done. Many cars were
unroofed, blown over and the yards in
many places piled with wreckage
In Grand Crossing, eight miles south
of the center of the city, number Of
buildings were wrecked, freight cars
blown about the yards and the tracks
of the railroad covered with debris to
such an extent that the majority Of
incoming trains were compelled to call
upon their passengers to assist in re-
moving the wreckage from the tracks
so that the trains could proceed