A STORM STORY - 1885

While the people of Westwood were eating their Sunday dinners on October 4th, a lively rain was falling. A few minutes after 1 o'clock this had nearly ceased, and those who contemplated attending Sunday school in the chapel were thinking of that duty, while others were preparing for an afternoon of comfort and rest. At 1:10 P. M. the atmosphere to the northwest assumed a foggy appearance, followed by sudden darkening; then came a hissing, roaring sound from the same direction, and those who saw it say a funnel-shaped cloud of inky blackness rose over the woods, swirling, rising and descending, at times apparently bounding along with a fury that was terrifying.

The tornado started near the residence of Fred. Bomm, nearly a half mile south of Westwood. Mr. Bomm was seated at the dinner
table with his family when he heard a rustling in his bean patch, and instantly poles and vines were scattered to the wind. It then took its course through a cornfield and flattened out everything in its way. A piece of woodland was swept through and trees were thrown across each other.

The orchard of Henry Vanderbilt was uprooted and trees were plucked out of the ground, then carried a long distance and set down upon the ground as though they had been planted by human hands.

Mr.B. Z. Van Emburgh was standing on his stoop and saw the funnel-shaped cloud of an inky blackness almost touching the ground. He saw there was danger ahead and turned to go around the house, but there was such a strong easterly current that it almost took his feet from under him and he was obliged to maintain his stand.

Nearly a quarter of a mile from the depot, standing in an open field at the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Mill Street, was the new school house that had just received the rough coat from the plasterers and was being painted. Joseph Kospowick and John Henry, two boys, were in the cupola of the building when the roaring noise was first heard. They saw the rushing cloud, and with frightened cries to each other descended to the cellar where they crouched against a wall among the paint pots. They had barely reached this retreat when the whirlwind struck the building, lifted it from its foundation, and shattered it into fragments. Heavy timbers were scattered through the adjoining fields for a distance of nearly one-eighth of a mile; and it is said that some of the shingles were found near River Vale, two miles away. There was scarcely a whole board left. The loss was $2,200-$2,500.

The next building to receive the full force of the cyclone was the beautiful chapel where the villagers worshiped, at the southwest corner of Third and Park avenues. A gentleman saw the cloud strike it. He says the structure was lifted complete twenty or thirty feet in the air and dashed to the ground with a terrible crash, completely demolished. An hour later Sunday school would have been in session, and the loss would have been frightful to contemplate, as about a hundred children attended the Sunday school. The chapel was valued at $4,000.

Across the road on the southeast corner of Third and Park avenues, the house of A. B. Van Emburgh was but slightly damaged, but the adjoining house occupied by Albert Bogert was almost wrecked. Mr. Bogert, who was asleep, was aroused by his wife, and hurried down stairs. The windows were blown out, and the
pillow on which Mr. Bogert's head rested was found in the park that fronts his house. A small barn was also demolished here. The next house southeast, occupied by Thomas Johnson and wife, an aged couple, was similarly treated. The wind went through the windows, carrying the curtains far across the park. The walls

and chimneys were very badly cracked. These two buildings belonged to Jasper Westervelt.

The large house on the northwest corner of Third and Park avenues, north of the chapel, was occupied by J. D. Hasbrouck, General Manager of the N. J. & N. Y. Railroad. It is supposed that the chapel diverted the course of the fierce blast, as this house escaped almost intact. The only damage was that caused by a piece of flying board, which pierced the side of the building near the bay window like a javelin, the end going through and tearing the plaster on the inside. The doors were also forced open, and two silk hats hanging in the hall were carried away. The chimney was also blown off.

The next house north was that of John H. Van Emburgh. He was standing on the stoop of his house when his wife asked what made such a roaring in the stove. He answered by saying that perhaps it was one of "meteorologist DeVoe's cyclones;" and so it was, for immediately the barn fell in, covering a horse in the ruins. The tin roof and chimneys of the dwelling were torn off, and the weather-boarding on the southeast side showed holes made by flying boards. The damage was estimated at $1,000.

Every house in the path of the wind suffered. Some of them were unroofed, in others doors and windows were blown off, and in several instances the houses were moved from their foundations.

The most serious loss was C. S. DeBaun's Park Hotel. The building was a large two-and-a-half story and basement wooden structure, with a two-story addition on the west containing ball and dining rooms. In the rear was a distillery with valuable engine and machinery; two immense tanks contained 13,000 gallons of cider.

Mrs. DeBaun was in the second story about passing from the main part of the house to the extension to close the windows, when Mr. DeBaun, who was down stairs, heard the roar of the storm and called to her to come down. She had her hand on the door about to step through, when the blast struck the building, and she was carried down amid the debris of the extension, which was twisted and scattered about the yard. Mrs. DeBaun was not bruised, but was seriously injured internally, from which she suffered a great deal.

The main building was left standing, but so shattered that it had to be propped with heavy timbers to keep it from falling to pieces. Doors and windows were torn out, and the whole place nearly gutted; the front was caved in and the rear bulged out, as though it had received a terrible blow in the centre. The roof
was carried away, some of it a distance of three hundred feet. The remnant of the building was taken down two days later. A portion of the distillery roof was ripped off and landed on the railroad track. Roofs on the barn and outhouses went the same way. The machinery was misplaced and slightly broken. Mr.

DeBaun's loss was very heavy, and was estimated to be in the $8,000-$10,000 range.

From here the current changed its course to a more easterly direction. Passing across the railroad, it took up the barn of Jacob Van Buskirk and lifted it into an adjoining field, leaving the horse uninjured in his place. A window of the house was blown in and considerable damage was done to trees, fences, etc.

A. B. Bogert's house was moved out of plumb, the walls cracked, chimneys wrecked, barn partly destroyed, fences and fruit trees blown down. Mr. Bogert's horse was found in a field near by, while a large roll of tin roofing from somebody's house was deposited in the box stall. The damage was estimated at about $800.

Jasper Westervelt's house, occupied by A. Van Wagoner, was moved about ten feet north from its foundation, and was so badly damaged that the repair cost was estimated to be at least $1,000. A member of the family had a very narrow escape. She was about to go to the cellar, the entrance to which was by steps on the north side, just as the building moved. A few seconds later she would have been on the steps crushed to death.

The chimneys were blown from the houses of H. B. Van Riper, T. E. Brickell, John Blauvelt, J. B. McNulty, J. M. Bogert, and others. J. B. Speth's Westwood House Hotel lost its tin roof and chimneys. Van Emburgh & Bogert's lumber shed was damaged, and a portion of their coal shed could not be found. The chimney was torn from the depot and the slate roof damaged. The residence of Aaron Tuers was damaged. A hat of Mr. William Vanderveer, which was hanging in the hall, was carried a distance of two miles and landed in the River Vale nursery.

The storm spent itself near River Vale, where it scattered ten acres of corn on the farm of ex-Sheriff Herring. It is a great wonder, considering the destruction of property, that there was no loss of life, and but one person injured. Everybody was busy Monday morning putting their grounds in order, and there wasn't an idle laborer in the vicinity who was willing to work.

A contant stream of visitors passed over the line of the storm, which appeared to be from 100 to 300 feet wide. They drove in from all sections, and came by rail, to see the terrible novelty
of a cyclone' work. About 8,000 people visited Westwood the following Sunday, October 11th.

A Signal Service officer who visited the scene said the tornado was occasioned by a current of cold air striking a current of warm air.