Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-04
Iotal ......s.-........ Sl4, sc
Sweeps County Farm.

5, Aota1 .Sl4, 500
Sweeps County Farm.
With such speed did the tornado
sweep down upon the county farm
that, from the instant when the whirl-
ing funnel shaped cloud was seen, un-
, til it had struck the farm. was prob
ably not more than minute. There
places of safety.
An inmate named Hilsabeck saw the
storm coming. 1t was then 1870. He
& gave the alarm. But ne had not run
into the main building when the storm
struck. The duration was very brief.
1T is estimated that it could not have
lasted more than a minute or two, and
the path swept at the county farm was
not more than fifteen or twenty rods
wide.
The damage done IS variously esti-
q mated at from $1,000 to $4,000 with
s21,250 of tornado insurance. All Of
: the buildings damaged are protected
fully by insurance except the power
"house, and perhaps. the windmill,
Which the supervisors consider q part
, of the mill house upon which the
windmill stood. The mill house is
protected by insurance.
Old and New Buildings Unroofed
It was the south and the southwest
!, portions Of the group Of county build
ings that were struck first by the storm
and suffered the most. The old county
farm building. a frame structure was
zone Of the worst damaged. The south
half OF the roof was torn off the IL
that extends south The south side and
the west half of the north side of the
west IL roof was blown away.
The roof Of the south wing Of the
, new hospital was ripped off. A tall
chimney of that part Of the building
was blown down and fell thru the
ceiling of the second floor and tore out
part of the sdewalI. Seventy five or
eighty windows were blown out.
,5s Other Buildings Damaged.
% Other buildings damaged and the ex
! tent Of the damage was:
ia South half Of the barn roof gone and
part Of the frame crushed down to the
{ .Hrst story.
The large chicken house was torn
Ito pieces. The roof Of the tool house
was wrenched Off, and the frame was
crushed. The windmill was blown off
I the mill house, and the mill house was
somewhat damaged. Part OF the tool
house roof was ripped Off and some
tfshingles were shipped from the ice
} house roof. Part Of the slate roof was
torn away. The hog house was dam
[ aged extensively.
~ Torn to Small Bits.
4 The splendid grove Of trees in front
OF the buildings was ruined. Immense
Z Slms and NAPLES were ripped. twisted
+ and broken, some of the big trunks
being snapped off like reeds.
4l,1 .S~$j,,
! ton Of the wind blew to small bits the
shingles and other small pieces Of
lumber What was left, Of the shin
giles were as tho they had been put
thru a feed grinder.
ita Mud and earth We're pitched up from
The fields near by and plastered against
the buildings, in places completely
Ecovering them.
Two Slightly Injured.
Almost miraculous as 1t may seem,
s6nlv two of the almost 100 inmates
we're injured, and both only very
Sali9htIy. Those hurt were William
III aucliimer, aged IS, head slightly cut;
Mrs. Samantha Tyler, aged 30. elbow
hruised. Both are insane patients, and
y15nth were outside the buildings. They
were struck by pieces Of. flying tim
hers.
81, s.. There was no panic among the pa
heats, probably because OF the speed
With which the storm approached, and
the shsrtness Of its duration. The IN
snateo really did not have time enough
% - frightened.
The force Of the suction, or more
probably the vacuum created inside
- 6uiidtngs IL well illustrated by q