Grayson County TXGenWeb

1883
OUR CYCLONE

<The Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, May 20, 1883
gp. 1

An Unwelcome Guest That Caused Consternation
A Short Account of the Visit and What Followed

A town, to be well advertised, should be visited by one of our modern cyclones, and henceforth Denison will have a place in the catalogue.
Thursday morning about half past nine, two heavy clouds were seen approaching, one from the southeast and the other from the southwest, and they met apparently over the city, and a terrific tornado, or as it is generally termed by those who experienced it, a cyclone, struck the southwestern part of town, entirely demolishing Mr. Burch's residence, a one-story box house, scattering material in every direction. Mrs. Burch, who was in the house, escaped with only slight injury from a falling timber. Three houses in that vicinity were moved from their foundations.
Major McGauhey's residence narrowly escaped destruction. There were two elm trees close to and directly in front of the house, about two feet in diameter. One of these was twisted off and the other uprooted. The house was not damaged, but the occupants badly frightened.
The residence of C.P. Parrish, on Morgan street, was sprung about six inches.
E.T. Hathaway's residence was visited. The ballastrade on the top of the house was torn off, one of the windows on the west side was crashed in, his street lamp demolished, and all the flowers and shrubbery in the yard destroyed.
A house belonging to Mrs. Dr. Morrison, on West Main street, was moved from its foundation.
The school building fortunately escaped with only slight damage. Several lights of glass in two of the west windows were broken. The suddeness of the storm and the noise caused consternation among pupils and teachers, but sufficient order was maintained to prevent a stampede.
The Baptist Church, a frame structure east of the school building, just across the street, was evidently in the direct path of the storm, as it was crushed to the earth and utterly destroyed.
City Clerk Radeleff was a sufferer. His room was in a building on Mirick avenue, north of Main street. The partially completed roof on the two-story Guiteau building on Main street, was torn off and fell on the city clerk's domicile, crushing in the roof and ceiling and demolished his furniture. His picture gallery, which was his pride and served to cheer his lonely bachelor life, is a total wreck.
The fine two-story frame house of J.H. Porter, partially completed, on Woodard street, a block east of othe school house, was moved from the foundation, and was partially turned around. The building is so badly damaged that it was found necessary to tear it down and rebuild it.
The residence of A. Rennie, north of this church, suffered slight damage, and his wife received slight bruises.
The water spouts and ornamental cornice on Dr. Hanna's residence, on Woodard street, were torn off or damaged.
Every chimney on the Driggs residence, on Gandy street, were thrown down.
The gable of G.C. Andruss' residence, north of the school house, was blown in, and a portion of the roof carried off.
The kitchen of Tom Hoffman's residence, corner Gandy street and Mirick avenue, was lifted from its foundation.
A tree, 15 inches in diameter, standing in the rear yard of Mr. Waldron's residence, was torn up by the roots, while not more than 10 feet distant was a dry goods box filled nearly to the top with loose shingles, and apparently none of the shingles were disturbed.
The glass room of Martinere's flower pit, at his residence, was broken in as though by pressure from the outside, and the grass around the pit torn up by the roots in spots.
A chimney on the Episcopal Church was thrown down.
A tree was blown down on Sears street, which struck the residence of Lee McMurtry, throwing down the wall on that side. Mrs. McMurtry and her mother, Mrs. Burns, who were in the house, were partially buried in the debris. Mrs. McMurtry received a severe scalp wound, caused by a falling timber. The wound is about 12 inches wide, in the shape of a semi-circle. Dr. Hanna dressed the wound, which is necessarily painful, but the lady is not dangerously hurt. Mrs. Burns also suffered injuries, but not of a serious nature.
Gandy street property owners were fortunate. Mr. St. John's kitchen was moved a little, and a few shade trees on the street injured, but otherwise we hear of no damage on that street.
Dan Webster's fence was blown down for a few rods and a few fruit trees broken down.
Mr. O.B. Kone lost several valuable shade abd fruit trees, which were broken down.
The end of Buckman's soda factory, between Sears and Morton streets, was blown down.
A house occupied by Ellen Woods on Bond street, was demolished, and several small houses occupied by colored folk in the vicinity suffered more or less damage.
A large tree in front of the colored M.E. Church was broken off, but the church building was not damaged.
Those residing on Morton Street were equally fortunate.
Mrs. Dolan on Bond street made a narrow escape. She was sitting in the shed kitchen at her residence, holding her child, when she heard the storm coming and retreated into the main building. As she did so, a large tree was blown down and crushed in the kitchen, and no doubt both would have been killed had they remained in that part of the house.
Carl Hoffman, on Morton street, was a sufferer. His fence was blown down, tore up several fruit trees and dumped them in the alley and his garden 'truck" was destroyed.
Becker's kitchen, on the lot adjoining, was blown down and the main building was partially turned around.
T.V. Munson, the nurseryman, was also a sufferer. His packing house, at his nursery northeast of town, was scattered in every direction, the structure being a total wreck. A couple of men were in the building. They saw the storm coming, but before they could close the door, which was on the south side, the building was gone. A number of forest trees in that vicinity were broken and twisted off, falling in different locations.
Fifty feet of cornice on the west side of the Ledrick brick block was blown off, a portion falling on Jas. Blassingame's buggy, standing on Main street, damaging the top, and another portion carried over the buildings on the opposite side of the street. A portion of the fire wall in the Ledrick block was also torn down by the force of the wind.
The diplapidated building on Skiddy street, known as the Crystal Palace, came out of the storm with the front blown in. This is the building which failed to burn a few nights ago, after a generous application of kerosene.
Slight damage was done to other property in the track of the cyclone, or by the strong wind which immediately followed.
We have had several eye-witnesses of the approach of the storm describe its appearance, but the best view of it was probably had from Mr. Perry's residence on the hill, east of the city. Parties who were there and witnessed it, say the clouds resembled heavy billows on mid-ocean. They were of a green color and rolled over and over as they advanced swiftly towards the northeast. They would rise and fall, now apparently nearly touching the earth and again lifting. It is this lifting of the storm cloud that accounts for certain property in it track receiving no injury. Its force was confined to a narrow belt and just outside of the path, there was but little disturbance in the atmosphere until the cyclone had passed.
It was particularly noticed that there was no lightning, or other indications of electrical disturbance. A hard rain followed for about an hour and the streets were flooded.
The citizens of Denison have cause to feel thankful that no loss of life resulted, and that so few were injured. The escape in several instances was remarkable. The theory, heretofore generally prevalent, that Denison is not in the cyclone belt, is shown by this storm to be a mistake, at least to a certain extent.
Barrels, boxes, etc. on Main street, were hurled here and there, and signs upturned, twisted and torn down.
The telephone wires around the city in some instances failed to render efficient duty for some time after the storm.