The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-06-14
STORM CAUSES
MUCH DAMAGE;
HOOD SUFFERS
Wholesale Grocery Company
Loss $4,000 When Wall Of
Storehouse Colfapses-
Telephones Are Out.
FUNNEL CLOUD IS seen

approximately $4,000 damage was
and electrical storm which swept over
Richmond and parts of the county late
Sunday afternoon.
About $4,000 Of the total damage
was caused by the collapse of the rear
part of the four-story building of the
w. H. Hood Wholesale Grocery COM
pany, 520-52S North Sixth street.
This is estimated by o. H. Gable, gen
eral mana ger. The damage is partly
covered by insurance.
Gable is uncertain whether wind or
Lightning caused the collapse. The
form 4 opinion is favored by Gable be-
cause the west wall of the building
collapsed inward and the south wall
was bulged inward.
w. E. Moore, Richmond weather
sorecaster, also believes wind caused
the damage. He says that if lightning
had struck the building, fire probably
would have resulted.
There was no one in the building at
the time of the collapse. Harry Pin
/ nick, contractor, residing in West Rich
mond, says he saw small funnel
shaped cloud descend on the rear part
OF the building.
Floor Beams Give Way.
When the wall went down, great
heavy wooden flooring beams collapsed
causing merchandise stored on the
upper floors to drop to the first floor.
Heavy farm machinery was stored on
the upper floor.
| Contents of all four floors were
spilled into a conglomerate mass of
debris the bottom floor. Farm ma
l11,
fruit jars, and brooms and mops were
scattered about.
Heavy floor beams, ~ inches thick.
were snapped by the great weight Of
| goods on upper floors. Huge slivers
Of flooring were scattered about the
grounds adjoining the building.
Windows in the south side of the
building were bulged outward. This
was coused by the inner suction.
General Manager Gable said the COM
pany would repair the damage and re-
build as soon as possible.
Omer WheIan Suffers.
The warehouse of the Omar Whelan
Feed company, directly south of the
Hood building, sustained an estimated
damage of about s400, when the wreck,
age from the Hood building crashed
through the roof. tearing hole about
40 feet long and 10 feed wide.
According to Gable. about $50 sacks
Of sugar and great quantities Of -four
starch, canned goods and general mer-
chandise were damaged by the rain
and from falling debris.
Officials of the Home Telephone
company said between 400 and 500
city telephones were out of commits.
sion Monday because of the storm.
fol- md an.
tire cable were broken in the alley
between North Tenth and Eleventh
streets. A tree was snapped by the
wind and fell against telephone pole
causing the pole in turn to snap and
TO bring down the cable.
Sewers Carry OFF Overflow
:, Although streets in center part Of
city We're running gutter full because
of the heavy rain, it is believed the
sewers carried off the water. Nc
water in cellars is reported. Inter
urban and steam railway officials said
Monday that regular traffic was no,
interfered with because of the loca
nature of the storm
No damage was caused in Richmond
by the rain which fell about p. m
Sunday night The full force of this
storm did not hit Richmond, passing
to the northeast.
H. E. Peele, of the Centerville fire
department, believes lightning caused
the destruction of large barn on {
farm near Hagerstown about p. m
The manager of large farm soutt
Of Richmond reports that severa
trees were snapped off and other min
or damage was caused by the after
| noon storm.