South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-07-15

old trees that have become land
marks in South Bend, came through
the storm almost unscatned.
A host Of the city's most beautiful
trees went down in the storm that
felled the old monarch. Across the
street on the lawn of Tippecanoe place
six magnificent trees are lying pros
trate and humbled, their roots torn
from the ground.
on each side of the Hubbard oak
is a broken tree. their younger trunks
splintered in mute testimony to the
power that laid their venerable COM
panion low.
At the home Of Mrs. George w.
Reynolds, $40 w. Lasalle av., two To-
Gust trees, half century old, were
blown down. A group of old walnut
trees at the corner Of S. Main and
Stull sts4 were stripped of many OF
their limbs by the wind.
It's Limbs Snapped.
The storm struck the city at about
five minutes Of s o'clock. Just for
few minutes the giant oak tossed its
limbs defantly 10 the elements as II
had a thousand times before. But
only for a few minutes. AS the blast
increased its head bent. and then II
snapped. Its limbs were torn asun-
der and at Just five minutes after
o'clock the old tree fell with tre-
mendous crash to the ground.
IL fell all in a heap its limbs lying
in confusion about the trunk, which
still stands. The Hubbard family
waited in fear when the crash came
lest the descending limbs should
crush in the front of the house, but IL
fell toward the street. The fence was
DESTROYED and the branches OF the
fallen tree fill the yard and the street
outside
The tree was the oldest standing in
South Bend. When the first white
settler came to South Bend, it tower
ed above all the other trees, giant
in stature. The history of the oak
was handed down 10 the present gen.
Grafton by l.. f. Taylor, one of the
city's pioneers.
Taylor came to South Bend when
the white settlers were but a handful
and remembered we'll the magnificent
old tree that lowered above all its
neighbors. In the years that inter
vened the tree was carefully preserv-
ed.
The house in front Of which the
tree stood, was built so years ago. The
tree was rs chief ornament. 1t stood
directly in the gateway and the ce-
ment v-a was built around it,
The house was built by Mr.. Ham
mond and later owned by John Fos-
ter. II was purchased from him by
Mr.. and Mrs. Miner Listenberger,
who lived there for 2S years. They
still own the property but five years
ago rented il to Arthur l.. Hubbard.
Cement Helped Break.
The old tree was the pride of Mr..
and Mrs. Listenberger's heart. To
their fondness for it and desire to
preserve 1t, they lay its destruction
now. The heart of the tree had rot
ted out and some tree surgeons per-
suaded them that it's life would be
heightened if it were filled. Accord
ingly two years ago they filled it with
cement to a height of II or 10 feet.
The tree broke off in every direc-
ton just above the cement. The
wood outside the cement was split
and twisted to the roots In many
places. Had it not been filled, they
now believe, il might have yielded TO
the storm and been saved.
Among the trees destroyed on the
Tippecanoe place was a huge old pear
tree that was on the ground when Mr..
and Mrs. Glenn Studebaker purchased
the property 40 years ago. The old
lies unmutilated on the lawn, its
branches filed with crop of little
years.
one half of an old catalpa tree was
broken off 1 D or 20 feet above the
ground and tossed lightly TO the
lawn beautiful willow tree near
the drive was torn up by the roots.
The loss of the trees are greatly la
mented by Mrs. elem Studebaker. who
had taken a personal interest in each
one A tree expert, now employed on
the Studebaker farm, was sent for and
will see what can be done toward
restoring some of them.
Council Oaks, historic old oak trees
on Tippecanoe place, came through
the storm 1nscathed. A few leaves
and a branch or two from the old ca
talpa tree onn the Ford place on w.
Washington av.. paid tribute 20 the
storm. but that was ALL The pictur-
esuue elm tree on Navarro st. and
Michagin ST was unharmed.
one Of the trees blown down on
Mrs. Reynolds property struck the
home Of George Hans, 616 w. Lasalle
av.. and crushed the front part and
- -"h. The damage will amount
to $500.