130 years ago on this day (1894): a tornado struck N. Wichita at 5:45 p.m.; it touched down at about 10th street, went southwest of the Missouri Pacific Railroad’s 12th Street depot, traveling to the northeast, then east from Main to Market, northeast from Market to Lawrence, then north to 13th and on to the northeast.
The cyclone left much destruction, but remarkably, no one was hurt. The roof was torn completely off the depot, but a dozen men inside were unhurt.
During the storm about 6:00 p.m., a bolt of lightening struck the street-car barn and stables, on the corner of 15th & Mead avenue, and the timber flashed up like gunpowder. That building was outside the water limits, so the fire department could do nothing and it burned to the ground, along with two old motor engines, “Lizzie” and “Maria”, which used to run on the ‘dummy line’ between Wichita & Valley Center.