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Saturday, April 29, 2023

Tornado Swept Northern End of Durham County Saturday Night, April 29, 1923

Cyclone Sweeps Northern End of County Saturday. . . Considerable Damage Done by Wind Storm in Lebanon Saturday Afternoon. . . Nobody Injured. . . Houses and Barns Were Blown Down and Fruit Trees Destroyed. . . Swept a Wide Area. . . Pathway Over 300 Yards Wide Was Cut by Winds of Tornado Intensity—Not Felt in the City

Swooping down with startling swiftness, a cyclone which swept through the northern end of Durham county Saturday afternoon did damage accounting to thousands of dollars and played many freakish pranks with the property of the people in the section affected. A pathway between 300 and 400 yards was swept by the wind of great velocity through a large section.

Houses were blown down, trees were twisted as though some giant hand in a moment of fun had taken hold of them. Fences were blown down, stock was turned loose, and telephone poles and trees lined the road into Lebanon township. The actual damage done could not be determined yesterday. As far as could be learned last night, no one was injured.

While the area swept by the high winds Saturday was not as wide as was that in the tornado of several weeks ago, the damage done was just as great, considering the size of the area visited. The wind was not accompanied by any great rainfall. Nothing was known of the storm the city until night when reports were received of the damage done. The wind in the city, while of March propensity, did not reach very high velocity and nobody dreamed that within 12 miles of the city the people were in the midst of a tornado.

The storm swept down upon part of Lebanon township shortly after 1:30 o’clock and passed over it from the Lebanon church to beyond the Roxboro road, and up the river. The storm was witnessed by Deputies Belvin and King, who were just emerging from the woods with an illicit still they had just captured. They were not in the range of the storm and were able to watch its progress.

The house rented and occupied by Dave Ellis and his family was blown from its foundation and approximately 30 steps away. Mrs. Davis was sick in bed but was uninjured when the house was blown from its pillars. She was none the worse from her experience, it was stated. The house, itself, was not damaged to any great extent. The buggy shed on the same property was blown down as was the smoke house, the contents of which including real smoked country hams, were blown about the lot. The damage done was estimated to be about $1,500. [Article says house occupied by Dave Ellis and Mrs. Davis was sick in bed. Maybe Mrs. Ellis??] Damage approximating $1,000 was done to the house and barn of J.D. Regan while the barn and porch to the residence of J.B. Andrews were damaged to the extent of about $1,500. Damage of about $2,000 was done to the house and barn of Will Holt. Dishes were smashed in some of the houses and considerable damage was done to the orchards.

The known damage, estimated above, amounts to about $6,000 but this, it is thought, does not represent all of the damage. The destruction wrought to the fruit trees and in fences blown down will amount to a considerable figure, it is thought.

Reports were received to the effect that Roxboro had been visited by the cyclone and that considerable damage had been done to part of the town. Investigation proved them to be false. The chief of police of Roxboro was communicated with and he stated that the storm did not strike his town but came almost to the Person county line.

From the front page of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, April 29, 1923

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