The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-08-21
Farm Homes and Buildings Are
Utterly Destroyed - Orchards
Suffer And Much Timber In
Path of Tornado LeveIed


lions of Garrett county last Fri
day afternoon about 3 100 o'clock,
causing widespread damage to
forests and orchards, wrecking
at least two dwellings, in wide
ly separated communities and
disappearing to the east.
In addition to practically demolish-
ing the farm home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Samuel j, Thomas at Sang Run and
the farm home of Mr.. and Mrs. Fran
els Bittinger near the Pleasant Val
ley Recreation area, on Meadow
mountain, more than a dozen miles
from the Thomas farm, every build
ing on both farms were entirely de-
molished and practically blown away.
At the Thomas place the large barn
in which some fifteen tons of hay and
other winter feed was stored, as well
as his store building, hog house and
other buildings were reduced to kind
ling wood and scattered for long dis
lance from their foundations. In the
barn was calf, which was killed, it
being the only animal so far as known
to lose its life.
The same condition existed at the
Bittinger farm. Unless one paid par
ticular attention to conditions at the
two places they appeared alike, es-
pecially in the wreckage of the dwell
ings and the barns.
When the twister struck the Thomas
place Mr.. Thomas said Sunday after
noon that he attempted to close door
leading to the front porch of the house
but he was unable to accomplish this
and instead was pushed backward into
room adjacent. He felt the house
raise from its foundation, Judging that
been driven eastward six feet or
more and following the lifting of the
roof it settled back, but not in it's
original position as shown, it having
tlonbeen driven eastward six feet or
more from the foundation and left
sitting on the ground. When the roof
was blown off the upper portion of the
house was left exposed to the ele-
ments and the bedding and other fur
nishings were blown away. Blankets,
| pillows and mattresses were hurtled
over that portion of the outer walls
left standing, and probably landed in
the Youghiogheny River which skirts
the property.
Mr.. and Mrs. Francis Bittinger,
an aged couple, reside on Route 2, out
of Swanton, about two miles from the
Meadow Mountain CCC camp. Their
house was lifted from its foundation,
carried a considerable distance and
then partly collapsed. In it were Mr..
and Mrs. Bittinger, their daughter and
child. All were cut and bruised and
were brought to Oakland by members
of the Holy Cross Camp, on their way
to the Meadow Mountain camp to par
/ ticipate in an entertainment, and who
were in the immediate community at
the time brought the injured persons
to Oakland where they received treat
ment at the office of DR.. Williams.
With the Bittinger family in the
home at the time of the blow was Pat
Mayhem. Mayhem said that he found
himself beneath the kitchen stove, up
set by the movement of the house, and
suffered a burn on his hand.
In the Sang Run district and not
far from the Thomas farm is the farm
of Mart Friend. The twister removed
approximately 600 square feet from
the barn roof on this place, smashed
windows in the dwelling, cleaned out
an entire orchard and some maple and
walnut trees and demolished his corn
crib as we'll as doing other damage
on the farm. 1t cut wide swath
through the forest in the vicinity of
Mr.. Friends home and then headed
eastward.
Hundreds of trees were down with
in sight and along the highway from
Sang Run to McHenry and from the
top of Meadow Mountain to the Bit
finger place.
Robert W. Sheckells, forester at the
Meadow Mountain Camp, is authority
for the statement that giant oak trees
were torn up by the roots or twisted
off and carried away.
In the Friendsville section there
was much damage in evidence when
a great number of trees were uprotted
or twisted off and as result highways
were blocked until cleared by road
crews sent out by the State Roads
Commission.
Others in the Sang Run community
who suffered losses, estimated at hun
dreds of dollars in damage to orchards
and maple sugar camps, as well as to
crops and timber blown down, broken
off or otherwise destroyed are J. AL
win Friend Ralph Hoye, Godfrey
Hoye and V. G. Friend.
! Continued on Page Seven)