Agenda - Public Works Committee - 03/20/2018

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7avtadet 'c 4 Raoteteey Taken from the Anoka County Union, Wednesday, May 20, 1942 A great whirling, twisting, squirming, bouncing funnel -shaped black cloud caused great damage in Anoka county Wednesday afternoon. At three o'clock it was oppressively sultry and unusually dark, although the morn- ing had opened cool, but cloudy. The telephone rang and Will McFall, at the power house, said a tornado was passing about five miles west of Anoka. The top of the great cloud covered an almost unbelieveable area. Lightning, not the chain definite flashes, but flashes more like heat lightning were noted as they kept up an in- cessant flash. Debris in the vortex of the funnel was carried high into the air to be spewed out along the path of the tornado. The storm started in Hennepin county, and leveled a barn on the Ralph Lahn farm. It grew in force and a swirling mass near the ground gradually increased in size and grew higher and higher till it met the almost black cloud overhead. The tornado followed the direction all of them take, from the southwest to the northeast. It crossed the Mississippi at the Harry Warneke farm this side of Dayton, tore massive willow trees on the east bank of the river out by the roots, pulled water and mud fifty feet into the air; and swept directly towards the Warneke house. Mr. Warneke was ill, recovering from a recent major operation. Outbuildings, garage, etc., were smashed to kindling wood. The great barn, an un- usually heavy one, well constructed, was lifted from the foundation and warped out of shape nearly thirty feet from where it was. It was practically destroyed. All livestock was in the fields. If the horses and cattle had been inside they would have been killed. The barn fell on an automobile and crushed it. It didn't seriously damage the house. Nearby, in the same yard, was a smaller white house which had been occupied by Mr. Warneke's parents. Fortunately they were in Seattle at this time. It then swept across the double highway, strewing trees and wreckage along the way. It passed across the railroad tracks, leveling the wires. Warnekes Not Hurt Mrs. Warneke went to help Mr. Warneke, but the storm passed before they could get down the cellar. Across the railroad tracks at Howard Warneke's, a cousin, the storm make kindling of the barn, carrying great sections into the air. A. Blais of Dayton 50