Cyclone Hits Area, August 1936

Cyclonic Storm Sweeps North of Bainbridge

Chenango County, New York

Bainbridge New & Republican, August 20, 1936

 

A cyclonic storm broke North of Bainbridge last Saturday night and swept across an area which included Rockdale and Unadilla, inflicting the most serious havoc at Unadilla, where thousands of dollars damages was reported.

 

Ward L. Windsor, 28, prominent 4-H Club worker whose farm is located on Gospel Hill in the town of Guilford [Chenango Co., NY] was killed by a bolt of lightning while milking cows, and his father, Lee C. Windsor, who saw his son struck down escaped due to the fact that he was wearing rubber boots which acted as an insulation.

 

Fred Robbins, Bainbridge town superintendent of highways whose farm is located above this village, lost a valuable cow killed by lightning.  Three other cows struck by the same bolt escaped death.

 

At East Masonville, a valuable horse belonging to Charles Harrison was killed by lightning.

 

The brunt of the storm was borne by Unadilla residents where the wind tore a large storehouse from its foundations, ripped up sidewalks, uprooted trees and wrecked several silos.  Electric light and telephone service was out of commission for more than twenty hours and traffic through the village was considerably delayed. 

 

The Storm in Guilford

Chenango County, New York

 

The terrific electrical storm, which struck our village as well as the surrounding community, around 5:30 Saturday afternoon brought with it destruction and death.  Striking with full force, almost immediately a high wind filled the woods at certain points with fallen trees and telephone poles.  Telephone service was put out of commission, and as night approached, electric service was cut off by fallen cables and streets blocked by trees and poles in the town of Unadilla.  Electric service was not restored until after midnight.  In our village, a horse belong to Frank Robbins was struck and killed.  A silo on the Harry Grindt farm, was wrenched from its foundation and flattened to the ground.  All these were minor happenings to the tragic event that occurred in our village. Ward Winsor met instant death when lightning stuck his father's, L.C. Winsor's, barn where he was milking the cows.  The lightning entered the barn and followed a steel support, from the corner of the barn.  Ward was leaning against this, as he watched the milking machines in operation when the bolt struck. It was so quick, he merely staggered to one side and dropped to the floor of the barn dead.  Dr. A.H. Evans, was immediately called and Coroner Wilcox, of Norwich. 

 

The buildings on the Henry Pfeil and John Ireland farms were struck during the severe electrical storm late Saturday p.m., Also a part of the barn on the Rourke place was moved from its foundation.  The Wright house, next to the Victory also was struck, necessitating the turning in of the fire alarm to extinguish a blazing ceiling. 

 

The Storm in Roger's Hollow

Otsego County, New York

 

The storm that hit along the valley and visited hill tops did much damage Saturday evening.  One side of Herman Quimby's barn roof was blown off; lightning struck at John Taylor's; the wind, which came with such force, knocked Mr. Taylor to the ground but he was not seriously injured.  Large trees were blown over at Vore's two farms, at the parsonage, one at the cemetery.  A silo was blown over on the Lockwood estate farm, hitting three cows.