Omaha daily bee., 1919-04-08
In the Path
of the Storm

Hundreds OF, drivers, who rcmem-
bered the former disaster which
visited the city, were on the ground
assisting unfortunate victims in
every possible way, using their cars
to convey injured persons to places
where they could receive medical At
tention, helping lost and democrat
ICED victims to find shelter and
flashing their headlights over the
ruins while parties searched the
ruins of wrecked buildings.
Owners of automobiles in the
damaged sections of the city, and
within a radius of miles. were on
the scene in their cars within short
while after the tornado spent its
force.
The tornado struck near Fifty
sixth and Center streets at 8:48,
according to the report Of Fire Chief
Dineen. /. Chief Dineen explained
that as each wire in the path of
the tornado was severed, the fire
gong in the station rang. At S:48
a series of persistent, intermittent
rings began and continued over .
period of nearly 2 minutes.
"One of the most noteworthy
features, of the tornado was that
not a single fire occurred in the en-
tire scope of the Storm" said' Chief
Dineen. Several fire calls in other
parts of the city were answered
during and after the tornado but
not single one in the stricken dis
trict." -#
A chair was driven into the out
side wall of house at 48l5 Under
wood avenue. The four legs pene-
trated the siding and held the chair
suspended against the wall.
The chimney of the Elwood apart
ments was blown down and fell
through the building. Two little
boys were in an upper storp apart
ment at the time the avalanche of
bricks and mortar came tumbling
through but neither was even
scratched, witnesses said.
A handsome pergola and red tile
rooted garden house in the rear of
the elegant Ellwood apartments,
Forty-ninth avenue and Dodge
streets, were completely destroyed.
Part OF the roof of the Ardmore
Terrace apartment house, Forty
ninth and Chicago streets, was
smashed and the apartments were
badly rain-soaked.
While residents in Keystone Park
addition, just west of Benson, es-
capped the path of the tornado, they
say they have suffered the most
severe hail storm ever encountered
in the vicinity.
Zone hailstone measured was
six and one-fourth inches in cir
conference" said Arthur Thomas of
the Chamber of Commerce publicity
bureau, who lives in Keystone park.
There were any number of them
more than five inches in circum-
ference.
Scores of windows were broken
by the impact of the large hail
stones.
Little Edward Schnell, 10 years
old, living at 46l9 Cunning street,
was playing in his backyard when
he saw the tornado coming.
The little fellow, panic-stricken,
ran out into the alley and threw
himself down fiat. Sheds, parts of
houses and all sorts of wreckage
Flew over the lad, but he escaped
uninjured.
Harry Seglin, 1927 North Tween
ty-third street, found a dead cow
in his yard this morning. 1t was a
red COW.
Two cows were reported missing
in the storm. One of them disap-
peared with the shed in which it
was kept by Mrs. Andrew Johnson,
1918 North Forty-second avenue.
John Gross of Papillion also lost
his COW.
Whether the cow was carried all
the way from Papillion or only
from Forty-second avenue is not
known.
With the exception of his, house,
all the buildings on the farm of
Anton Pulte, a mile west of Forest
Lawn cemetery, were destroyed by
the tornado. A large number of
chickens and several small pigs were
killed.
On the Pulte farm there was a
garage and when the storm came,
an automobile was standing inside.
The tornado picked the garage from
its foundation, carried it nearly 200
feet and dashed it to the ground,
completely wrecked. The automo-
bile remained where ithad stood,
apparently not having been moved
an inch.
Louis Kulakofsky of the Central
Market was calling on Miss Helen
Levy in the Adelaide apartments at
Forty-ninth and Dodge streets,
when the storm hit this section,
carrying off the front portion of the
apartment house and wrecking
Kulakofsky's automobile which
stood in front of the building.
The former home of Miss Levy's
parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Saul Levy,
in the Bemis park section, was de-
molished in the tornado six years
ago.
Wymer Dressler and family, 323
South Fiftieth avenue, drove to
Lincoln on Sunday and did not hear
of the storm which wrecked their
home, until midnight: None was at
home when the house was twisted
and torn. The pantry at the rear
of this house was left exposed and
on one of the shelves were a doz-
en- eggs NOT disturbed or broken.
Ex-SoIdier Charged With