The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-10
Believed One Passed Over Topeka
Last Night.
Barns Blown Down, Windows
Shattered, Trees Broken.
4 so MILE WIND HERE.
Center of Force Was on Tyler
Street.
Nearly Half Inch of Rain Falls
In Six Minutes.

For few minutes on Tuesday night
about O'Clock the wind attained a We
loclty OF 90 miles an hour, although the
average gauge was Sc miles an hour.
Fffty-nine hundredths of an inch ofrain
fell. Thirty hundredths Of this was pre-
cipitated in six minutes.
The tail-end of a tornado probably
dipped down on the west side of To
pekas but did little further damage than
break over trees, tear off limbs and de-
range telephone wires. From a number
OF places broken windows are reported.
Damage was done to a BUILDING at
but one place, so far as known. A story
and one-half barn belonging to John
Tresize at 1926 Warren street was blown
over and wrecked In that same neigh
borhood quite few outhouses were de-
molished.
The path which the storm Travelled
started somewhere in the neighborhood
of Huntoon and Buchanan streets and
then took a northeasterIy direction to
North Topeka 1t can be plainly track
ed by the debris from trees which it
scattered around. It appeared to lift
at Curtis street on the North side.
Only in this particular path was the
storm severe. On the east side of the
city the wind caused little uneasiness,
there was also little worry in South To-
peka. But on the west side of the city,
especially on Tyler street and Topeka
avenue, between Tenth and Fourth
streets, where the twister was especial
ly marked, quite a few people sought
their cellars in fear and trembling.
Path of the Storm.
The path of the storm last night was
indicated on the switchboard of the IN
dependent Telephone company very
plainly. Whenever anything goes wrong
with the wires it shows itself in the
lights on the board.
I'VE could tell just exactly" said Mr..
Pankey this morning. what the path
of the storm was on Tuesday night. The
wires showed that there was something
wrong in a territory starting out on
Buchanan or Lane streets from about
Thirteenth or Huntoon and extending
in a northeasterly direction as fas as
Curtis street o. the North side. At day
break this morning we at once dis
patched our Hnemen to investigate, and
just as the lights had indicated, the
wires had been damaged in those
places On the east side, in South To-
peka, and in the outlying districts with
the exception of the southwest, we suf-
fered no damage at all. L suppose that
the tail-end of a heavy wind storm dip
ped down in the west part of the city
through the territory mentioned. We
found our wires down in places through
that territory, trees. broken down, and
in some places shingles torn from roofs.
Last night we thought that good
deal of damage had been done all to our
toll-lines, but that did not prove to be
the case today" continued Mr.. Pankey-
THE trouble all was right here IN the
city. We Immediately set up inquiries
on our long distance connections
around Topeka after the storm had
subsidized about midnight, and it ap-
pears that Topeka alone was touched
by the twister At Berryton and Over
brook the report is that they did not
even have a wind to amount to any
thing and very little rain. North of US
there was no trouble at all, neither was
there to the east. Our Abilene wire is
working badly this morning, and the
wind may have caused some trouble to
the west, but I believe that we will
find the difficulty to have been entirely
in Topeka. From all our reports this
morning. Topeka alone was touched by
the storm
Many Broken Windows.
From a good many places people
reported broken windows today. The
most serious damage of this nature
was the destruction Of large plate
glass on the south side of the building
at Eighth and Kansas avenue oc-
cupied by the Southwestern Fuel
The front windows of the Roose
grocery store at Fifteenth and Lane
streets were also driven in by heavy
wind c. W. Jones, living at GA
Tyler, states that some article was
blown against the windows on the
west side of the house and smashed
several of them. Similar damage is
reported from various places through
the storm district.
The street railway company was
considerably delayed for time last
night by the storm. In the west part
Of the city where limbs blew from the
trees in a number of places on both
the Tenth and Sixth street lines, the
motorneers had to run slowly for fear
of Wrecking their cars because OF the
debris on the rails. Frequently it was
necessary for them to clear the tracks
No damage was reported any places
regarding the breaking down OF trolley
wires or poles.
Chinlneys Blown Down.
The storm did the most damage in
the neighborhood of Fifth and Tyler
streets. Chimneys and trees were bro
ken down and roofs badly damaged.
At the residence of J. Weiss, at 42l
Tyler street, the proprietor of the Weiss
Grocery company, two large cnlmneys
were blown down. The roof about
them was badly damaged the bricks
falling with such violence that the raft
ers were broken. Mr.. Weiss estimates
his damage at about SIS. He has cy-
clone insurance.
Just next door to the Weiss home, is
the residence Of George Anthony A
large chimney was also knocked from
the roof of his house and some of the
rafters broken besides knocking OF
large patches of shingles.
Mrs. Mills lives at AT Tyler street
adjoining the Anthony home. A large
cottonwood tree was blown over in
front of her house, and in falling some
of the branches struck the porch and
damaged it to a considerable extent.
Out in POtwin quite a bit of damage
| is also reported in the way of broken
trees. The worst instance is reported
from the homa of N. H. LOOMS. where
the wind knocked over a chimney and
/ the roof was broken so that the rain
entered and soaked the ceilings of the
middle rooms on the second floor.
At the residence of J. S. Warner
/ 1927 Buchanan street, a chimney was
blown from the roof, and broke of
| shingles and portion Of the cave
! trough.