Reprinted
from the Interlaken Review, May 13,
1927, additions in [ ] identify some of the locations in 2017.
Last Tuesday [May 10, 1927] about 11 a.m.
a thunderstorm was seen approaching Interlaken from the west and all looked for
a good soaking rain but little dreamed it would amount to more than that. Soon
a funnel shaped cloud was noticed and the storm broke in all the fury of a “twister” or cyclone, sweeping a
path 500 or 600 feet wide, crossing the center of the village of Interlaken,
doing much damage in its course. The storm began at 11:10 and the worst was
over in about three minutes. John Thompson’s home on Knight street was the
first to suffer damage, pictures and china ware broken.
The home of John Taylor on Mechanic
street suffered the most damage of any, part of roof torn off, chimney blown
down and every window broken, curtains and things blown away. Mrs. Taylor was
badly cut by flying glass. A bird cage was blown out through the window. The
cage was afterward found on Seneca street, but the bird escaped when the bottom of cage was torn
off. The house was moved on its foundation about six inches.
A limb from the poplar tree in front of
Taylor’s home was
blown across the garden, crashed in a window at Addison Blauvelt’s went through
two rooms and out of a door on opposite side of the house, taking a chair with
it. Part of the roof was blown off, and the woodhouse side torn partly off.
Across the street, a roof board was
hurled against the house occupied by Homer Hurlbut, broke through the siding,
tore off the lath and plaster and went through two rooms. Their little daughter
stood close to the path of the board but was not hurt beyond being covered with
plaster.
Nearly all the tiles on the walls of
Homer Case’s building came crashing onto the sidewalk and in the alleyway.
Fortunately, no persons were around when it crashed. The scuttle cover was torn
off and came to rest at the edge of the roof. An awning in front of Mrs. Nellie
Purdy's millinery store was stripped off, taken over the buildings on the east
side of the street and finally landed on
the shed back of Barber’s barn. [2017 AlarmTech/GunBlack building]
A screen door flew back and took out one
of the large windows in Miss Anna D. Peterson’s hat and gift shop.
The barn on the Dr. Gould’s place had its
roof demolished. The side steps landed
in the middle of Main street. [Formerly the Lake Crest Hotel, now apartments.]
W. E. Peterson had overalls and shoes in front
of his store and before he could get them inside they were whisked in every
direction. [This building was torn down after being used as the fire house for
50 plus years, and is now the Memorial Garden.]
Mrs. Hattie Seeley lost a chimney, the
bricks of which, broke windows in S. J. Babcock's home. Mrs. Seeley’s house
roof was damaged and the roof on the garage next door was half torn off.
Ernest Quick’s barber shop was moved
three inches and when one of the big glass windows gave way two men were hurled into a
corner of the room.
The old hotel building which has stood on
the comer for more than 100 years lost part of its roof. The building is now
owned by Arthur Blauvelt. [The Bee Hive building, torn down in 1963, corner of
Main and Cayuga Street.]
Across the street, the chimney Charles Miller’s house was
demolished and the roof damaged. That was the northern limit of the storm’s
vengeance. Five hundred feet further north people were not aware of the cyclone
until all was over.
Up on Seneca street many trees were blown down and looked as if they
had been twisted off. Down on Cayuga street many of the large maples were
uprooted. One large maple fell on Bert Stout's house, another just missed Miss
Besse Minor's home, seven trees were uprooted or twisted off in the Docharty
yard, and so on down the street. It seemed as if Seneca and Cayuga streets were
piled up with trees, completely stopping traffic. Telephone and electric light
poles were knocked right and left. Electric current was cut off until the
streets could be cleared.
Many out buildings were demolished or
upset, Peter Archangeli lost part of his chicken house, part landing against
Ben Hewlett's barn on the former McCall place.
Mrs. Milo Bement was out in the yard when
a piece of wood skyrocketed her way and broke one arm.
Howard Ganoung’s 5O x 75 barn, a mile east, was
moved two inches on its foundation. [Located on Powell Road]
Wirt Severn, a mile west, had his barn
considerably damaged, as was the barn on the Chas. Miller farm, to the north of
Severn’s. [John and
Charlotte Swanson, just past Bassette Road on Route 96A.]
In addition to the above-mentioned damages
many windows were broken, chimneys blown down and other happenings.
Will Riley's blacksmith shop on Cayuga
street came near collapsing. The building stands nearly a foot out of plumb.
The chimney toppled over. This chimney goes down to the floor, forming part of
the forge, which was ruined. It will have to be rebuilt before he can resume
business. [The building is still standing, next door to Hubbard Heating and
Plumbing’s warehouse building.]
The smokestack at Villemont’s laundry was leveled to the
roof.
The barn on Adelbert Howell’s farm, southwest of Interlaken,
was demolished, and the barn on Guernsey Wiggins' farm was moved on its
foundation.
Roland Allen wanted an auto without a
top. He left his Ford touring car near Donelson’s mill, and the top was removed very quickly.
It is evident the same twister storm
crossed the lake and did much damage near Genoa.
Thursday noon, May 12. Most of the
wreckage of above has been cleared and roofs repaired. Will Riley has his shop
in order and will open for business this Friday morning.
Dewitt’s
Diary, Tuesday, May 10, 1927
We got a
small cyclone here today. It done a lot of damage in town to roofs and
chimneys. It blew down Miller’s chimneys today. It did not do me any damage. We
took out some wind insurance on our buildings today with Bert Smalley.
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