Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 May 1898 — TORNADO SWEEPS NEBRASKA. [ARTICLE]

TORNADO SWEEPS NEBRASKA.

Several Towns in Its Course Are Partly Demolished. A tornado passed over a section of Nebraska Tuesday afternoon with disastrous results. While all towns for a radius of fifty miles from Albion were more or less damaged, Wood River seems to have suffered most. Many houses were destroyed and several persons hurt, and everybody took to storm cellars. The railway station was partially destroyed. A number of tornadoes seemed to be passing at the same time, and debris of building was flying in every direction. A heavy train ran before the terrific gale for thirty miles without steam, so high was the wind. At Albion the cyclone passed high, but it unroofed seven buildings and several persons were hurt by falling timbers. Cyclone conditions prevailed for three hours. Fears are entertained that great damage was done in the country. At Franklin, ten houses were totally blown to pieces, and many people hurt, but no deaths resulted. The balloon-like cloud cameHbouncing along like a great rubber cone. The roar of a hurricane preceded it. Many people witnessed its crossing of t'he Republican river before it reached the city. It struck the water squarely and threw eolumns of spray a hundred feet in the air. The dry bed of the river could be seen for some distance.