The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1923-06-28
BARNS BLOWN DOWN AND
: DWELLINGS ARE WRECKED
By CyclOnic Wind Which Visited
This Section Tuesday Afternoon

That section of Garrett county ly-
ing south of Oakland toward GOrt-
ner was visited on Tuesday afternoon
about 400 o'clock by one of the most
destructive wind storms, II in reality
a cyclone of proportions which did
damage to several farms in the local
ity visited, in one instance utterly de-
stroying a dwelling in which were
housed eight children, injuring one
very painfully, blowing away a barn
on the farm of Mr.. w. H. Smouse,
another on the farm of Capt. w. S.
Mansfield and also moving the dwell
ing on this farm fou> or five feet
off its foundation. The wind was so
terrific that portions of the Smouse
barn were carried for a distance Of
mile or more across the fields to the
farm of W. S. Friend, located in what
is known as Pleasant Valley.
First reports coming to Oakland
were to the effect that lightning had
struck a dwelling and that two chill
dren had been burned to th,coupled
with a call for medical aid Dr.. Nc
Comas responded as quickly as posi-
bic and upon arriving found that a
house belonging to the Offutt estate
and located in the Underwood COM
munity, occupied by Mrs. Julius Jor-
dan and her seven children, had been
bodily picked up by the wind and car
ried for distance Of probably fifty
feet and when hurled to the earth it
collapsed upon the children, bruis-
ing and cutting all of them more or
less, one OF the boys ofethe family
receiving severe Commissions about his
head and face. The head of the fam
lily, Julius Jordan, was sentenced to
the Maryland Penitenuary at the last
term of the Circuit Court for i've
years when he had been convicted Of
manslaughter in connection with the
death Of Paul Mukusk, who died in a
hospital as the result of knife
wounds .nncted by JORDAN in fight
at VindeX last December.
The wind in its course of only a few
pEods wide then swept on down the
arrow valley toward Gortner. In its
path were the house ana barn on the
Capt. W. S. Mansfield farm. The
dwelling was not directly in the path
Of the funnel-shaped whirling storm
but it was moved from its foundation
four or five feet and in a spring
house nearby was the wife of the
tenant Of the farm. Two large oak
trees fell directly across the roof Of
the structure, crushing it down, but
fortunately the woman was able to
gain egress through a window on the
lower side Of the building and escaped
uninjured. The Mansfield barn, how
ever, stood directly in the way of the
storm and it was hirted around and
utterly demolished in a second the
timbers entering into its construc-
ton being scattered in all directions
and carried for some distance.
From the Mansfield farm the storm
swept on toward the east and at the
Srnouse farm the large barn, which
was built but few years ago and
was 50X70 feet, with two large silos
adjacent, was demolished in less time
than is required to place this line in
type. The barn structure was moved
at least fifteen feet from its founda-
ton and every timber from the
threshing floor upward was swept
away and scattered over a hundred or
more acres Of the farm and the ad-
joining lands. After the superstruc-
ture had been blown away the floor Of
the building fell about eight feet,
burying beneath it all the farm ma
chinery, valued at (. Thousand dol
lars, which had been stored therein
during the past winter. Mr.. Smouse
places his loss at $4,000 with no in
surance.
Many orchard sin the path Of the
wind were more or less injured. The
orchard belonging to Mr.. Charles f.
Glotfelty suffered the most, however,
where more than a dozen of the best
and largest apple trees were de-
strOyed.
In the sweep Of the storm massive
oak trees were picked up from their
roots, whirled into the air height OF
two hundred feet like match sticks
and then thrown out and away by
the funnelled wind