The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-06-20
BABY HURRICANE
WORKS HAVOC IN ]
DETROIT
DEMOLlsHES TREES AND uN
ROOFS ONE BuILDlNo--MAN
ON FORD sKYscRAPER HAS
CLOSE CALL FROM DEATH.

A drenching rain storm, accompars
fed by gale that at one time reached
velocity of 60 miles an hour. broke
upon Detroit shortly before o'clock
Friday afternoon. causing considers
able havoc in various sections of the
city. There were no fatalities either
on land or on river, but many narrow
escapes.
w. H. Clinton, a foreman in the
employ OF the Vinton Co., general
building contractors, was at work on
the roof of the Ford building. laying
a board platform near the northeast
corner, when the gale swept dowa
upon him with the force OF hurri-
cane. Before he realized 1t he was
being swept to the edge OF the roof
along with a pile OF loose planlxs. He
had presence OF mind enough TO cling
to a projecting iron pips until tbs.
storm had subsidized sufficiently to
neable him TO reach the roof door
In safety.
The planks were hurled TO the
street below and one OF them shat
tered a large plate glass In the re-
volvlng doorway of the Union Trust
building Another was hurled back
against the Ford building, shatterfngs
plate glass window. A peculisr
fieak Of the storm was that Clinton's:
hat, which was blown from his head
was returned TO the roof. which shows
that TIE storm had some OF the ear;
marks OF a cyclone.
A 40-foot section OF roof was blown
off the building occupied by the:
Mitchell Storage q Carriage Co. at No.
226 Rivari-st.. and 1t struck the houses
occupied by X. G. jams. manager or
the company. at No. 2S3 Champlainr
St, demolishing a chimney, wrecking'
the front porch and piling II with del
bris. Mrs. James. wife of the mani
ager. had lust returned from neigh
Dor ing grocery and was on the porch'
when the roof struck. Bricks and
huge splinters fell all about her, but,
she escaped without scratch. Be-
lieving the house had tumbled down
she feared greatly for the safety or
her two children, Margaret, aged A.
and Charles. aged 2. She crawled,
through a window into the sitting
room and found them safe but terribly
frightened
| Trees were blown down in severaP
sections of the city, carrying wires Oh
| all sorts with them. Motorman'
George Firman narrowly escaped seri-
GUS injury when a large tree struck
the vestibule OF his car on Third-ave.,
near Charlotte. The Detroit United
Railway had "A trouble" calls within
a few minutes after the storm, but in
spite OF the fact traffic was speedily
res umed on nil lines.
| A party consisting of some "a mem
bers of the graduating class OF the
Monteith school we're out in launch
of Windmill Point as guests OF Merle
Bennett. youngest son Of Coroner John
| F. Bennett. when the storm brike.
They were heading for "The Woods"
resort on the Detroit side and to those
on shore it seemed that they must
perish. But everybody kept their
heads and the launch made shore In
safety, though the members OF the
party were drenched.
| Stone ornaments were blown on two
OF the smaller steeples OF the Wood
ward-ave. Baptist church and one OK
them poked a hole through the roof.
Several persons noticed for the frst
time that the large steeple leans
slightly to the east and It was report
ed that the storm had done 1t.