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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1913)
4-C TIJE OMAHA SUNDAY UKtii MAIU'lL 3U, 1913. AS YIEWED M A MINISTER Rev. T. J. Maokay's Description of Tragic Easter Sunday. BEEN THE MORNING AFTER Btnnntng Evidence of the Airful Power of the Destroyer -Ilain-Ke Inflloted Inside Home. Iter. T. J. Mnckay. In Church and Home. Easter day. March 23, will go down Into history as the most momentous that Omaha has ever known. It will always bo remembered as the day of the great disaster, when thousands of peoplo wero rendered homeless, and hundreds killed and wounded by a destructive tornado. Tho day dawned ctear and pleasant, With only light clouds hiding the sun, and the churches were thronged with anger, Joyful worshippers who llstenod with delight to the beautiful Easter music and the Inspiring utterances of the clergymen, as they delivered their mas en so of cheer and comfort. In All Saints the early celebrations at C and 9 o'clock were well attended and gave assurance of n crowded church at 11 o'clock. The expcctctlon wiui real ized, as the church wns filled at the third service. The music wns splendid, the full choir showing the result of tho careful training for weeks by our organ ist and musical director, Mr. J. II. Hlmms At 4 o'clock the children of the church, school and kindergarten oraembled In the church for their Easter service and pre sented their offerings, receiving their usual Easter remembrances. Scarcely had they reached homo ero black threat ening clouds began to form In tho south, and it became evident that n storm was brewing In that direction. Btlll no alarm was felt, as such threatening clouds iiro not unusual at this time of tho year, and no one dreamod of tho Impending dis aster. Clouds Grow IllncUcr. About 6:45 the clouds crew blacker and more threatening, and the storm broke with peals of thunder, and vivid flashes of lightning; We were all scatod In the study conversing quietly and wondering if the weather would clear tip by church time to that wo could hold service, when the electric lights went out, nnd soma one came In and told us thnt a tornado was raging in the western part of tho city. Btlll we did not rcnllso tho full danger of the situation, as telephonic communication was cut off, and not until the newsboys began crying their "extras" did we know that to the west of us, only half a mtle away, whole streets of beau tiful residences were destroyed, and thnt many of our peoplo whom we had scon at church in the morning were homeless, and not a few badly injured In the tor nado. v In the morning the papers gave graphlo descriptions of the damage, but not until wo went up to the scene of tho disaster could we grasp tho full extent of It Standing at the corner of Twenty-eighth and Farnam, only two blocks from the rectory, a scene or devastation met tho eye North, south and west, every street looked like as if some giant flail had wunff from side to side smashing In houses aa If they bad been built of card board, and levollng trees even with tho ground. For about six blocks In width tr ; ami three to four miles In length, the ' tornado had swept With a fury lndsrrlb I able, and with a noise like a heavy train on a trestle, dmllng death and destruc I Hon without partiality. Rich and poor I suffered alike. Mniialon nnd Cottage Alike. The costly manolon and the humble cottage shared the same fate. Stone house and frame houses were moved from their foundations and overturned and most of them wrecked beyond hope of restoration. Costly oriental rugs were tackwl in many of the wlnvdws to keep out the oold where houses were only par tially wrecked, while In others lace 'Ui talns wero flapping In the wind, and ino interiors laid open, showing furnlluro snd bedding strewn about In wild con furlon. Wo have soon towns wreaked by such storms, and have read graphic ac counts of such, but nover oould pun de scribe or do Justice to the dreadful extent and nature of such u tornado as iiiat of last Sunday. The contrast butweon the quiet of the Uusttr day morning and its ending una never be told by worda or pen. The pride of Omaha's best ivsf denco district won leveled to the ground or battered us If by u oatinonada. Wealthy people wero looking about the ruins as If In a dream, and eyes would fill with tears when a friend would ao cost them. People who rented, und whoso homes were destroyed, wero busily en gaged gathering up what little of their effects wero left, to store them until they could decide oh to tho future, and down thn long vista of the storm's path thu dwellers In tho humbler homes wora engaged In the samo work of try- Freak TO OUR PATRONS: ) 1 1 We wish to thank you for the patience which you have exhibited toward us on account of interruptions and delays in our Exchange and Long Distant Service dur ing the trying hours of the past six days. Through the untiring efforts and loyalty of all our em ployes we wish to announce that we are nearly back to our normal ability to repair or improve existing lines and instruments and to install emergency or permanent serv ice to any one requiring it. NEBRASKA TELEPHONE COMPANY In A. D. of Uio Wind Timber Driven Into the Track of the Tornado Brandcis and Mrs. Prank Carpenter Piano MpeOOOOeOOOOOPPOOOOOOOOOOOC :v Homes Kxhunilng Uodlcn from Idlewlld ing to Identify their homes amid the tangled wreckage. This tornado was unlike others that We have road of, which arose In the air once In a while and then swooped down again for another harveit. This one,' from the time It struck the city, swept on with the accuracy 'of an immense threshing machine, sparing nothing in its path until it reached the Missouri river, four miles away. Effect Upon the Mind. The effect upon the mind of the be holder of all this ruin was somewhat 1 ke paralysis of the body. We were speechless; stunned Into dumbness by the evidence of the awful power that we witnessed. And If this v as the feollnir o tiie marl who lost nothing, what could be the etate of rnlnJ of the people who saw the result of an entire life's work strewn about them Ir. shapeless wreck age their homes which were their pride lylnc in ruins at their feet. A curious feature of the storm was the way in which the wind (or was It elec tric force?) dealt with t"is :ntoj-!orn of homes. The house might be standing, even with tho roof on, only the windows showing the evidence of the disaster, but Inside the walls and doors wero splint ered and broken as If some one had taken an a.xe und client hours mailt'' sjsIv d stroylng everything In sight. Heavy furnlturo was moved about, clothing car ried away, and tho cost of repairing In teriors will be almost as great as re building. And all this ruin was the work of a few seconds. Just a gust of wind and all was over. Wall, North Twenty-fourth Street, Petrie Bros, Move Houses for Nothing A. T. Petrie of the firm of Petrie Bros , house movers, consisting of O. J.. H. f und A. T. Petrie, told the cltlseW relief committee when he had been called before It and asked to help move houses for a consideration that he had donated his own rervices and the eervlces of nis mn (since Monday to needy cltlsens. i "Furthermore," said Petrie, 'we are 'going to keep on helping, and It won t ice st Jheaa people a cent." Since Petrie began he has replaced many houres on foundations, moved oth ers from the streets and righted a large number. He has a big force of men at wotlc at great expense. He refuted to consider tho matter of payment from the (restoration committee. Sound to Him Like Two Autos Racing When the storm came Sunday evening, former Lieutenant Governor McQltton was inclined to pay no attention to it, al though he heard the peculiar noise. "It sounded to me at first.' says Mr. Mc Qtltnn. "llltn two automobiles racing, and I only realised the real cause of the roar I when the house began to totter. To Xtep Cuurcu Open JJext Week Cavalry Baptist church, Twenty-fifth and Hamilton streets, will be kept open for relief of sufferers next week and longer. If found necessary. Where Twenty.flve Were Killed 3