Evening star., 1923-04-06
REBUILDING BEGUN
IN TORNADO-SWEPT
SPRING, MD.
Four Hurt, Five Homes De-
.m0IiShed, Twelve Wreck
ed by Winds.
SCORE OF STATE GUARDS
PROTECT DAMAGED AREA
Little Time Lost in Efforts TO
Clear Up 100000 Loss.
Wires Torn Down.

Silver Spring. Md. began to ;sf
today Of rebuilding what was dc
stroyed yesterday afternoon. when
the little village was swept by
tornado. travelling at speed esti-
mated by weather bureau officials or
between one and two hundred miles
an hour. It left in it's wake four
injured persons, Ave residences razed
TO the ground and a dozen or -
partially wrecked.
Confined TO Subdivision.
The destruction was confined a.
most entirely to a new subdivision
Of the little suburb. and four of the
damaged houses were in the course
OF construction At an early hour
today work of clearing away the
debris strewn about by the wind was
well under way, and carpenters ard
bricklayers were applying their e.
forts to repairing those homes that
were not totally destroyed.
A score of Silver Springs company
Of National GuaTdsmen, with guns
across. their shoulders were guard
ing the territory against possible
looting and from the hundreds OF
curio seekers who had come, to the
scene from Washington and other
sections. Half d hundred workmen
from the Washington Railway and
Electric Company and the Chesa-
peake ard Potomac Telephone Com
pany were at work repairing the
damage done 10 the poles and wires.
Damage Near 100000.
Little time was lost following the
calamity in checking up the losses,
ard according TO the best estimates
the total property damage will reach
100000. exclusive of personal prop
erty.
Those known 10 have been injured
W r. Heath Of Washington. broker
collar bone and possible internal in
b. P. Hensley OF 1886 Irving street
| northwest, internal injuries and lac
Harry wachtes. Brookvf1le, No
injured leg and possible fracture ot
the skull.
Mrs. Joseph Steckline, whose home
was destroyed, cut by flying glass
and injured on arm by falling brick.
That more persons were not IN
jured is considered miraculous by
those who were in the vicinity of the
TOWN yesterday anu oS llloSe Wiz
visited the ruins today. Houses
tumbled without a seconds warning.
roofs. shutters. timber and other
debris few furiously through the air:
trees were uprooted and limbs were
blown in all directions, in many in
stances for great distances. There
are two whole trees-largc old elms.
with the grass-covered earth cling
ing to their roots-in field more
than quarter Of mile from the
30 Ia VII.
wind seemed to confine its greatest
fury.
Girls Lifted on Feet.
A small shed adjacent TO the con
struction work being done by Brooke
Lee and used as temporary Office was
blown more than a hundred yards
from its position. An automobile
and the hood, but il otherwise gamely
stood its ground.
Florence Davis, sixteen, whose par
aged. was on her way home with
Deln.a Stanley of 929 Hamilton street
Brightwood, when the storm reached
its greatest velocity and they were
lifted from their feet and thrown
against a fence more than fifty feet
away. They were uninjured.
The homes destroyed are those or
Dr. F. L. Dudley, who conducts
| drug store in Silver Spring; Vernon
| Dodge. Joseph Steckline John C
| small five-room building on the rear
of the property of Capt. Frank J..
Hewitt
The barn. a large frame structure.
| on the rear lot OF Mr.. Carrolls prop
| erty. was blown ''in every direction.
as, the owner described 1t.
Residences Damaged.
Those residences more or less seri-
ously damaged were those of Harry
Alexander, William Won Hurlebis.
Chris Kronbitter, William Davis,
Capt. Hewitt and Mont tgomery Blair.
The latter is the handsome old
Blair home, noted for many years
in that section. The damage to this
structure was confined to the roof.
| but what was looked upon as the
greatest loss to it was the destruc-
ton of nearly half hundred shade
trees in the grounds.
In checking up the toll Of the storm
1t is conceded by all that the tornado
swept in q a.northeasterly direction for
a quarter mile. Signs of the wind
4
a distance of about two miles The
width of the area covered by the gale
was less than 200 feet and some build
ings just beyond that prescribed limit
showed no signs Of being affected
Hits show Place OF Town.
The residential section, which felt
the full weight of the terrific wind
was one of the show places of Silver
Spring. Little more than a year ago
there was barely a house within its
confines and practically every one of
| the damaged homes was less than a
wear old. The attractive little home
| of DR.. Dudley, which was totally
destroyed. was only just completed
and he and his wife and two little
children had moved into II just three
weeks ago. I'VE had watched ii
| eagerly and hourly during the course
of its construction" he said today as
he moved about the ruins, "and we
were just getting comfortably set
tied
Despite his loss DR.. Dudley and his
wife were joyous. because their little
| two-a -one-half-year-old daughter
| Margerie, who was in the home dur
| iEg the gale, with her colored nurse,
Leena Warren, was unhurt.
DIR. and Mrs. Dudley were in Wash
| ington at the time. Their six-year-
CONTINUED on Page ., Column 81