Forest, Ohio Tornado

May 14, 1886

ANOTHER TORNADO

Great Loss of Life and Property in Ohio.

MANY PEOPLE MADE HOMELESS.

Scenes of Fearful Grandeur, and Brilliant Electrical Displays
A Passenger Train Caught in the Tornado.

Forest, Ohio, May 15.-- This place and vicinity was visited by a tornado last night,
about 11 o'clock. The air was filled with balls of fire, which exploded with a loud,
snapping sound. Full particulars, except those brought by farmers living near the
track of the storm, cannot be obtained. There are known to be five persons killed
and a number injured. The residence of Wm. McElree was totally destroyed,
killing McElree and his mother-in-law. A house near by was destroyed, killing a
man. The house of Thos. Moore was razed to the ground, injuring three persons
seriously. A school house and church twp miles northeast of here were destroyed.
Samuel Packard was fatally hurt and his wife injured by the blowing down of his
residence. The Center school house, one mile west, was laid to the ground.
In the Blanchard river valley the fences, telegraph poles, trees and many houses
were laid low. In Forest the Methodist Protestant church building was demolished.
Three deaths have just been reported from south of Dunkirk.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT FROM FOREST
Cleveland, May 15.-- The Leader's special from Forest, Ohio, says; The storm here
last night was one of the most fearful that ever visited this section of country. It came up suddenly about 10 o'clock, inky black clouds being lined with a brilliant light which made the atmosphere as bright as day. A rumbling noise accompanied the storm in this vicinity. It swept clean a track half a mile in width and nine miles in length, not striking the town to any extent. McElwee, wife and two children and mother-in-law, Mrs Haggin, were buried in the ruins of a large brick house, and the first named killed.

The rest were injured--the last named fatally. Mrs McElwee dug the others from the
ruins. Mrs Lees was killed in her house. Isaac Lambert, 80 years of age, was buried
under his house, and fatally injured. A.L. Packert was fatally hurt by falling timbers.
Thomas Moore was buried under the ruins of a large frame house, and badly hurt.
Charles Packert and J.V. Thompson, sleeping in the same bed in this house, were
carried a long distance and landed safely-- in bed, Thomas B. Hart and wife were
blown from a bed in the second story, and the latter perhaps fatally hurt. A ten-
year-old son of Joseph Rummel, had his collar bone broken, and was otherwise hurt.
Two churches, Union bethel, and the Methodist Protestant were destroyed. Two brick
school houses were destroyed, the bell of one being carried a quarter of a mile.
Large stones and beams were carried a quarter of a mile. Trees were uprooted by
the acre, and hundreds of orchards are completely gone. Some farms are swept
clean of everything. A large number of sheep and horses were killed. Feathers
were blown from chickens; trees were stripped of their bark; the ground was
ploughed up, and devastation and ruin are on every side.

On the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway a passenger train had every
window blown from the cars; the pilot was blown off the engine and the steps were
blown away. Telegraph wires were lifted from poles and carried long distances.

Morning Oregonian, Portland, OR 16 May 1886

A TRAIN IN A TORNADO.

PITTSBURG, May 15.-- The Chicago express on the Fort Wayne railroad had a
rough experience in passing through a tornado which struck eastern Ohio last
night. Lightning flashed continuously from the time the train left Fort Wayne at
8 P.M., and rain descended almost solidly until Lima, Ohio, was passed. Such a
storm the passengers had never seen before, and the ladies, of whom quite a
number were on the train, were greatly frightened, and the gentlemen were to
scared themselves to be of much service in allaying their fears. The wind steadily
increased in fury, and the breaking of poles and sibilation of telegraph wires made
a concord of wild sounds.

The train passed Forest, 229 miles west of Pittsburg, about 10:35. The engineer
was then sending the locomotive along at about thirty miles an hour. The engineer
put on more steam, and when about three miles from Kirby the storm was at its
height. Suddenly there was a dull roar in the distance, and then the cyclone tore
across the plain on the south side of the track and catching a big tree tore it up
by the roots and flung it across the cars. One limb struck the locomotive and cut
the cowcatcher in two. Another limb fell on the platform and steps of the first car,
and demolished it. Other branches smashed in windows along three ordinary
cars and two pullman sleepers. Telegraph poles came dancing down at the same
time, rocks and bushes blew through the air in a fury, car windows were smashed
to pieces, and glass flew in every direction.

The train kept on the rails, and the engineer, applying the air brakes, brought it to
a standstill within 200yds. Every passenger was in a paroxysm of fear. The railway
men kept fairly cool, and, as soon as they could, assisted in the restoration of
confidence. The storm continued. The air was still filled with flying branches and
stones, while the glare of electricity liberated from the clouds intensified the horror
of the scene.

Though every window in the sleepers "Baden" and "Salamis" was fractured, and
almost every pane in the other coaches was smashed, it is remarkable that very
few passengers were hurt. Mr. C. C. Bomerchant, of Canton, Ohio, was in his
berth in the sleeper Salamis when the tree shivered the glass above him and drove
one piece under his right eye with such force that the eye was literally cut out. A
lady in the same car, who refused to give her name, was also cut, though not
seriously, about the face. A few others had their hands cut.

The storm did not abate much, except that the tornado passed away. An idea of
its force may be conceived from the fact that rocks were blown into the cars on
the south side, and had sufficient impetus left to pierce the western windows as
clean as if they were bullets from a gatling gun. None of the roofs of the cars were
much damaged, but the locomotive boiler was dented in several places and the
smokestack was knocked out of a straight line.

After about an hour's delay the train started again, and in due time reached Crestline
without further accident. There a locomotive was procured and the battered cars
came on to Pittsburg, reaching the Union depot one hour and a half late, a good
deal of time being made up on the run. When the train arrived here it looked as if
it had been riddled by sharpshooters and a battery of heavy artillery.

Morning Oregonian, Portland, OR 16 May 1886

Articles transcribed by Nan of Harry.  Thanks Nan!

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