The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-09-27
.A SMALL TORNADO HERE
WIND, RAIN AND HAIL STRIKE IN
NORFOLK.


Temperature Dropped Forty Degrees
After the Storm - Chmneys Were
Shattered by Wind.
TFrom fridays Dailyl
1t was a small sized tornado that
struck Norfolk at o'clock Thursday
afternoon. Chmneys were blown
over a few small buildings were sent
whirling through the air, billboards
were demolished and the streets swept
clean. Almost an inch of rainwater
accompanied the storm and there was
little hail. Prior to the storm the
temperature in Norfolk had run up to
sc but after the storm center had
passed to the southeast and the high
pressure had arrived from the north
west, the mercury dropped just forty
degrees. The barometer, which had
been down at 29G2 during the sultry
afternoon, leaped up under the pres
sure of the clear crisp air that fol
lowed to 1892.
The afternoon preceding the storm
was a sultry one Clouds rolled up in
then swooped down upon the town
The wind swirlcd around and the rain
was driven in all directions with ter
rife force. Hail did no damage.
Barn Moved Forty Feet.
A barn on the premises of C. d.
Simms, south of The Heights, was
picked up, turned over and moved for
ty feet to the north. A horse tied in
the barn was unhurt, the halter rope
breaking and the barn lifting up off
the animal like a balloon. Smaller
buildings were turned over. Chin
neys on Heights houses were blown
down. Lattice work at the home of
C. II. Reynolds was torn off the porch.
A wagon belonging to the Norfolk
Transfer company was turned over
and blown some distance. Awnings
down town were shattered. Billboards
were destroyed and sent whirling
through the atmosphere, spreading
pictures of Quincy Adams Sawyer and
the husking bee over several vacant
lots.
The rainfall amounted to just "a
of an inch.
Big Tree Uprooted.
Farm buildings at julius Weichert's
place half mile east of the Junction
today show traces of the tornado's
visit. A summer kitchen was torn
from the house and tossed aside. The
big horse stable, 2OX3O, was moved
two feet from it's foundation, a corn
crib was carried eight or ten feet and
stacks of wheat and oats were scat
tered about. Near the house a tall
cottonwood tree was pulled up from
its roots, which, however, were still
left sufficient intact to hold the big
tree erect. Friday Mr.. Weichert re-
ceived the assistance of his neighbors
in attempting to undo the damaging
work of the tornado.
Glass is Shattered.
During the height of the wind storm
and rain a pane of glass about IL by
10 inches was picked up by the storm
and dashed into a thousand pieces
against the back door of the Ward
smoke house. The glass apparently
came from no place.
At the new Northwestern depot the
fingers of the storm found many raft
ers projecting above the brick work
of the first story. This frame work
for the depot roof was pulled down by
the storm winds and half days work
of the depot force was undone in
moment.
The tornado path ran through the
southeast part of Norfolk, striking the
city near South Ninth street in The
Heights. The Heights and that por-
ton of the city north and east of The
Heights felt the worst effect of the
storm. In this region tree limbs were
cracked off and windows blown open.
Damage to the Queen City hotel
from the storm amounted to about SIS,
mostly from broken windows and
fues.
A plate glass door in Albert Deg
ner's residence was broken out.
At the corner of Fifth street and
Park avenue a large glass window in
the Roe Property was sucked out by
the suction force of the tornado. The
Roe property was recently purchased
by Mr.. and Mrs. Baldwin.