(The following article appeared in the Malone Franklin Gazette on Friday, August 14, 1885).

 

 

A terrific tornado accompanied with hail, struck the village of Norwood, Wednesday afternoon at 4:40 o'clock and in the short time which it lasted did immense damage to life and property.

Two persons, Mrs. Fitzgibbons and Michael Morgan, were killed outright and Mina Ormsby, Wm. Hathaway, Mr. Reynolds, R. McCormick and Mr. Leslie were seriously injured the former probably fatally. Several others received minor injuries, about twenty persons in all being hurt more or less.

The storm came from the south-west and passed in nearly a north-easterly direction, demolishing buildings and whatever was in its path. The long railroad bridge over the Racquette river was thrown down and is a total loss, with the great consequent loss to the railroad company. About one third of the north side of the roof of the O. & L.C. R.R. freight depot was lifted off. The spire of the Presbyterian church was blown off. All the stagings and the bell tower of the new school house went overboard. Three wind mills were demolished. Roofs from the Ducolin and Holbrook block was torn off, also from Wells & Gibb's sash and door factory, from the Norwood Lumber Co's saw mills, and door and blind factory, besides razing to the ground two large, new barns and all of the lumber sheds of the lumber company and scattering their contents. Rodees' grist mill lost its roof. Pearson's broom handle factory is a pile of ruins. Medore Cardinell's new house just finished lies in an adjoining lot upside down a complete wreck. A great many other buildings were injured, but want of space precludes the enumeration. Hail to the size of a hen's egg fell during the tornado and caused the running away of about twenty teams.

A funeral procession a short distance outside of the village had just passed a piece of woods when the tornado appeared and leveled the woods, throwing the trees across the road and taking two of the teams up and carrying them bodily into an adjoining field.

It is estimated that the damage to property will exceed $50,000. The storm seemed to have spent its fury by the time it reached Knapp's Station where it partially wrecked one house.

 

From the Wednesday, August 17, 1949 edition of the Potsdam Herald newspaper..

August 12, 1885 is a date that several north country residents will remember, especially the residents of Norwood and vicinity.

It was just sixty-five years ago that the hurricane hit Norwood. This was the worst storm catastrophe which has hit this part of the country.

Two people were killed, several injured and thousands of dollars of damage to homes, business buildings and lumber yards was recorded.

The fatal storm occurred in the mid afternoon. The weather was very hot and sultry. Everything was at a standstill, not a twig, branch or leaf was moving. People were in the main part of the homes, with shades down trying to keep cool.

There were only two clouds in the sky. People were looking for some kind of a storm. "When the two clouds came together we got it," stated one of the persons who went through it.

The storm coming from the West struck in Norwood first. It did its worst damage near the Norwood Lumber company yards. One woman who was in her home was killed and a young man who sought to get away from the storm crawled under a barn and was killed when the barn was torn from its foundation.

Accompanying the hurricane was a rain and hail storm. Hail stones, the size of quarters, battered windows in nearly every home in Norwood.

The McGill homestead was situated about a half mile from the village of Norwood. The kitchen roof was blown off, and the barn was moved from its foundation about a foot and a half. The house down the road from them was destroyed completely.

The storm lasted for about two minutes. The weather following was cool. No fires started during the storm and residents got busy soon after and the village was readied back in shape.

Another mild hurricane hit that section approximately four years later with little if no damage.

 

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