A recent visit to the Midwest served as a reminder that people in that part of the country live in fear not only of floods like the ones that ravaged so many communities in Iowa and Missouri recently, but of the killer tornadoes that are a constant threat at this time of year.
Our region of Massachusetts, unlike the Worcester area, has had little experience over the centuries with the terrifying weather events known as tornadoes. But there have been exceptions; and in the 19th and 18th centuries, folks living in the Merrimack Valley experienced a pair of devastating twisters.
One such storm wreaked havoc in Lawrence on a Saturday morning in late July 1890. Residents of the bustling textile city were scrambling indoors to escape what they assumed was just a torrential rainstorm when a twister, measuring 300 feet at its widest point, came roaring down the Merrimack River. The accompanying winds blew in a violent, swirling manner, turning some buildings around on their foundations and reducing others to pieces of flying timber. A bridge tender and his hut were carried by the tornado a distance of some 100 feet, and the impact of the landing killed him.
The tornado passed through the city in less than a minute, but left in its wake tremendous devastation. Seventy buildings in the southern part of Lawrence, especially in the area of Union, Salem, Portland and Springfield streets, were destroyed, and a number of bridges were damaged. Eight people perished during the storm and several others would later die from their injuries.
There were a number of miraculous escapes. One infant was saved by her dead mother's body; another was found blowing down the street in what appeared to be a pile of rags.
An estimated 50,000 people descended on the ravaged neighborhood the following day to view the destruction caused by the killer storm.
Another, earlier tornado ravaged portions of the Merrimack River communities of Salisbury, Amesbury and Haverhill. Early in the morning of Aug. 14, 1773, the storm organized near Deer Island and the famous Chain Bridge in Newburyport and began moving in a westerly direction up the Merrimack. As it roared up the river, the funnel created a tidal wave along the north bank, terrifying people nearby.
But the water would prove to be the least of area residents' worries. The tornado winds filled the sky near Salisbury Point, Amesbury, and the Powow River with tons of flying timber, century-old trees, and even an occasional person. As it passed through the area, it leveled dozens of homes, barns and businesses in Salisbury and many others in Amesbury.
While many of those caught in the tornado's path were injured, there was, amazingly, no loss of life. Most residents had had time to take refuge in their cellars. Upon being dug out, however, many found the rest of their houses, and in some cases their entire orchards as well, destroyed.
The luckiest man that terrifying day was a Capt. Smith of Beverly. According to Sidney Perley in his "Historic Storms of New England" (1891), Smith was visiting a friend whose warehouse and sail loft were leveled by the tornado. Smith himself landed almost 100 feet away on the banks of the Powow River. Unlike the unfortunate bridge tender in the 1890 Lawrence tornado, Smith escaped with just a few broken bones.
The tornado continued on to Haverhill, a few miles upstream from Salisbury Point and Amesbury. It hit the community in the shape of violent swirling winds and hovered there for nearly three minutes before losing its energy.
At Haverhill the tornado turned inland, doing most of its damage in the Mt. Washington area. As it had downriver, the storm destroyed many homes and barns, uprooted trees and ravaged fields.
One family, feeling their house begin to shake, made a split-second decision to make a dash for their barn where they could take refuge under the tons of hay stored there. But as they headed out the door, they noticed that the barn was already gone. Luckily, all members of the family managed to avoid being killed or maimed by the debris that rained on them in the unprotected barnyard. Even their horse survived, saved by the piles of hay that surrounded it.
In fact, despite all the flying "missles" (sic) and collapsing structures, not a single Haverhill resident, even those who were tossed in the air by the tornado, suffered as much as a broken bone.
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Jim McAllister of Salem writes a weekly column on the region's history. Contact him at jim@nii.net
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