The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-17
,Windstorm Strikes City, Damages Reach $200, 900,
 Many Houses Are Wrecked
Continued from Page Five


 oaks and hickory trees were twisted and uprooted.
 The damage is estimated at be- tween $4o,oo0 and s5oooo for that section.
 SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE
 Severe property damage was done in the vicinity of Seventh and Eighth streets, on Fourth avenue. west, and Fourth court, west. The home of Trav- CTS Sanders, 724 Fourth court. west was wrecked. The walls of the house were blown in the roof torn off and huge gaping places made in room partitions.
 When the squall broke MT. and Mrs. Sanders, their daughter, Thelma, and Mrs Vera Reeves were is the house. The daughter was slightly injured by flying glass.
 Next to the Sanders house the home of Fred M. Hughes was badly damaged. The roof was lifted off as if the job had been done with a. knife. MT. and Mrs Hughes and their two sons were in the house, but none was injured.
 Roofs were jerlSed from two houses on the Underwater car line between Eighth and Ninth streets. Trolley poles were laid like tenpens on Eight street from Thomas to Adams, distance of eight blocks.
 GRAYMONT SECTION | In the Graymont section, on Eighth avenue and Weaver street, two negro houses were torn up and others partly demolished. Parts of roofs were blown away all through this district.
 Signboards and outhouses were made kndling wood all through the Cray mont and Owenton neighborhood. Much new construction work in Owenton was razed. Lumber piles were scattered for hundreds of feet
 Thad O.. Chapin. machinist, living at s14 Fourth avenue, west, was slightly injured when falling timber struck his head. Part of the roof of the house l fell in.
 Thomas l.. yandeveer. sos Fourth ave nue west, was knocked sprawling when he attempted to close a door blown open by the wind. The roof of the house was blown away. MT. Vandeveer, his wife and Mrs E. F. Major, who lives with the yandeveer family, were unhurt. Yesterday afternoon MT. Vandeveer and Mir Cafin were standing on top Of the vandeveer home figuring on bill of lumber to repair the damage done \ by the storm, when The Age-Heraid re- porter came along.
 PORCH WRENCHED OFF l The porch was wrenched from the house of Mrs Mary Rietta, 722 Fourth | avenue west Three new bungalows under construction across the street were i flattened by the wind.
 l Thousands of fine shade trees were up- rooted by the storm in Fountain Heights, | Norwood, Owenton. Graymont and Cen tral Park The northern portion of cen I tral Birmingham suffered somewhat from this damage. f.
 Trees falling across wires caused breaking of connections which will cause many homes to be without electric lights | for several days
 1 The damage on Eighth avenue, north, was confined mostly to falling trees and ltelephone wires and poles. This And other thoroughfares on the Northside were blockaded by the debris. At 1420 Twentieth >street. north, the house of w. A. Bell was struck by the storm and an entire corner wrenched of1 Mrs. Bell was in the house at the time, narrowly escaping injury when the chm- i ney fell through the roof.
 SEAGOING SIGN One of the freaks of the storm was re- pcrted by a street car conductor. He 1 said that the huge navy recruiting sign l which stands at the corner of Third ave mt north. and Twenty-frst street, was blown down Third avenue to Twentieth street and then back to it's starting point during the height of the storm without overturning.
 "Some sea-going sign. was his com \ ment. Folks who heard the tale made | the same comment.
 A taxicab which had been left standing in front of the Hillman hotel lost its top when stout gust of wind enteree at the front, where the upper part of t. wirdshield had been left open. anf wrenched the top off when it could fnt no other way to get out.
 Once again the storm sewers in tns downtown district proved inadequate t' N take care of the dbwnpour, and stor' hasements were damaged. Crowds be siered the stores for shelter because O the crippled car service.
 DOWNTOWN DAMAGE
 Torn awnings. broken windows, de stroved signs, wrecked newspaper stand and other signs of ruin and damage wer everywhere in evidence in the downtowl district
 Umbrellas were turned inside out b, the violent wind and tops of many moto cars suffered by being warped am wrenched by the storm
 Persons living on the southside wer