Miscellaneous, Bainbridge Twister, June 1943

Worst Storm in Years Rages in Vicinity

Several Local People Have Narrow Escape From death Tuesday Afternoon

Bainbridge News, June 3, 1943

 

Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY] and vicinity was hit by a "blitz" late Tuesday afternoon when the worst twister, accompanied by rain, in the history of the village struck this area about 5:30, leveling buildings, blowing off roofs, crashing windows, moving buildings on foundations, and damaging numerous trees.  A truck driver miraculously evaded death and two local women on duty at the Observation Post had a narrow escape when the wind struck North Main street uprooting trees and moving the Observation Post. 

 

A huge poplar tree directly in front of the Frank Buman house was uprooted and fell across the highway carrying an electric light pole with numerous high tension electric wires and telephone wires to the ground, and the tops of three other large poplars near the Buman house were strewn over the highway and scattered over the large parking area at the Dairy Kitchen for a distance of approximately 500 feet.

 

Norval Shoales, of Norwich, driver of a Victory truck stopped his truck about 20 feet from the large tree in front of Buman's as it crashed.  He told your News reporter than he thought the winds would blow the truck off the highway, and that high tension wires were blazing and crackling all around him.  As soon as he stopped the truck, a large limb fell from a tree about 10 feet in back of his truck with more high tension wires.  He said, "There I was pinned in by high tension wires and trees."  He rushed into the Buman house, where he found Mrs. Buman, alone, panic stricken and prostrate from fright.  Seven windows on the south side of the house had been blown in.  Glass was scattered over various rooms and water was running on the floor as the rain came in the broken windows.  He said, "I thought the house was going to blow over."  The kitchen, a one-story annex to the house, was moved and twisted on the foundation, cracking the plaster, also an out-building was flattened, and all electric wires and telephone wires grounded.  Mrs. Buman said, "I was sure the house was going to collapse."

 

Across the highway on duty at the Observation Post were Mrs. Harry Noyes and Mrs. Warren Corbin who had the "scare of their lives," when the building was moved five feet and twisted around.  During the lurching of the building, the women were thrown against walls, both suffering bruises.  Mrs. Noyes especially received a badly bruised leg.  Mrs. Corbin's car was picked up and turned round as limbs and branches whizzed through the air with high tension wires snapping and cracking. 

 

A 15-foot limb about six inches at the butt, from a tree in front of the Buman residence, traveled about 300 feet through the air with such force that it penetrated the south side of the Dairy Kitchen and eight feet of the limb was inside the dining room.  Two other holes were forced in the side of the building, a window was broken and the roof badly damaged.

 

The America Plastics Corp. suffered considerable damage.  A brick wall was moved, numerous windows of the factory were broken, awnings town to shreds, and the roof was damaged.

 

At the Resin plant a part of the roof was torn loose and windows broken.

 

A large tree was uprooted at the corner of Pearl and Scott streets and crashed on the William Michel house, knocking off the chimney, breaking windows, and damaging the roof.

 

On Kirby street and several other streets of the village, large limbs had ground electric wires and sparks were flying in all directions.

 

Dr. Lewis Carris, Freiot avenue, lost numerous fruit trees and a large window was smashed at the house.  Large limbs fell on the roofs of the homes of Robert White and Ed Ringleka.

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Wind Storm Causes Much Damage Here

Afton Enterprise, June 1943

 

A freak windstorm, accompanied by torrents of rain, with lightening and thunder, swept down on Afton Tuesday afternoon at 5:30, causing much damage to Afton's beautiful shade trees and disrupting service throughout the village.

 

Two large trees crashed at about the same time at the Eldred and the Mudge residences on Main street blocking the street for several hours and bringing down electric light wires with them.  An electric pole and part of a tree crashed on Orchard street, blocking the street and another old tree fell near the schoolhouse and had to be removed.

 

Near Bainbridge and Sidney, the damage was severe, the wind blowing down large trees, destroying chicken houses and ripping the roofs from buildings. 

 

The storm seemed to travel up the Susquehanna and Unadilla Valleys.  Electric service crews from Binghamton and Center Village under Superintendent John Warren worked until daylight repairing damaged electric service throughout Afton and vicinity.