The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-08-17
Heavy Storm With
Rain and Hail
Sweeps Town
Continued from page II
Storm Breaks Quickly

Storm Breaks Quickly
Low hanging dark clouds racing
across the sky near the southwestern
horizon shortly before three o'clock
gave the first indication of the ap-
preaching storm.
The driving wind, sweeping before
it sheets of rain and piercing hail
ragged at maximum intensity for less
than five minutes. During this time,
however, it did its work of destruc-
ton.
The storm wrecked its first major
damage in the r. E. Griffith wood
lot three miles south of town where
some sixty trees were blown down.
A calf belonging to Griffith was
blown into an adjoining field on the
F. Z. Wenger farm.
Santschi Farm Badly Damaged
Heaviest rural loss, however, was
sustained by buildings on the Chris
Santschi farm two and one-half
miles south of Bluffton on the Dixie
highway. The farm is occupied by
Mr.. and Mrs. Dennis Roby and three
sons.
One side of the dwelling was
badly damaged when chicken house
about fifteen by twenty feet was
blown off its foundations and hurled
thru the air 100 feet against the
residence. Force of the impact
shattered three windows and a forty
pound concrete block torn from the
foundation of the chicken house with
the superstructure was hurtled thru
the window into the living room of
Roby's home.
Both gable ends of the sixty year
old bank barn were blown away and
barn doors were shattered. Two
hundred and seventy-fve bushels of
oats on the barn floor were scatter
ed, some being found at the home of
d. E. Daily, neighbor more than a
quarter-mile distant. Tenders of a
tractor undergoing repairs near the
barn were carried more than 200
feet and dropped into a nearby corn
field. The loss is partially covered
by insurance.
Hay Barn Blown Down
Largest loss in Bluffton was sus-
tanned by Amos Thut whose hay
barn at the end of South Mound
street was completely leveled to the
ground. The barn, 80 by 56 feet
was leveled to the ground. 1t was
built some forty years ago by the
late Moses Steiner.
At the time the barn was de-
stroyed it contained about six tons
of baled hay and 40 bushels of corn.
Total loss is estimated at $4,000.
Thut was undecided the first of the
week as to whether the barn would
be rebuilt.
Blutfton's business section, in the
midst of its Saturday afternoon
trade, felt the full force of the
storm. Awnings of the Long restau-
| rant in the Hauenstein block on
South Main street and the Badert-
| scher grocery in the Mrs. Fred Zehr-
! bach block on Vine street were torn
loose and the steel frames plunged
thru the large plate glass show
windows.
Man-hole Cover Hits Auto
The cover over a man-hole pro-
viding access to the roof of Bluff
tons town hall, was blown off the
top of the three story structure.
The cover, made of heavy timbers,
was hurled across East Elm street,
tore hole in the roof of the dwell
ing occupied by Gerald Swank, and
glanced off, striking the rear of an
automobile parked on the street at
| the side of the house.
Piles of lumber at the Cal Balmer
q Son saw mill on East College
avenue were blown down by the
force of the storm but no serious
damage was done.
Streets were Uttered with branches
| of trees and a fleet of trucks was
| hastily pressed into service to clear
away the debris and open the thoro-
fares to traffic.
Riley Street Impassable
Riley street, choked with fallen
limbs which lined the roadway, was
virtually impossible for an hour
after the storm. In the tangled mass
of foliage were also several of the
municipal plants secondary electric
lines torn down by falling branches.
The wires carried electric current at
10 volts, John w. Swisher, electric
light plant superintendent said.