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The ruins of the Regina Telephone Exchange
1912
Regina, Saskatchewan

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As the tornado moved to downtown, the Canadian Pacific Railway yards and the warehouse district, it encountered more multi-storey buildings made of brick, stone and concrete. There too, debris was strewn across the landscape and rubble remained. Neither brick nor stone buildings were spared. Here is what Frank W. Anderson writes about the destruction of the Telephone Exchange Building. According to him, eight operators were on duty that afternoon, as well as a service man and a janitor:

"The tornado wreaked terrible damage on the building, tearing the roof loose and caving in the south wall. The massive switchboard, estimated to weigh some 15 tons, crashed through the floor and into the basement, carrying three operators down with it still in their chairs with their headphones still over their ears. The rest of the girls were trapped in the basement under the collapsed roof and walls, but the three operators who came down with the switchboard managed to work their way out through a basement window with the help of the janitor. They made their way to the nearby Leader newspaper office."

He goes on:

"At first, their story was treated with jocular good humour and they were kidded about 'trying to get their names in the paper', but when the staff realized that the girls were serious they formed a rescue party and hurried to the telephone building. It was only then that they began to realize the enormous force of the storm."

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E.C. Rossie photograph showing the particular nature of a tornado's pattern of destruction.
1912
Regina, Saskatchewan

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It is interesting to note that even considering how close to the tornado they were, some people were unaware that a deadly tornado had hit.

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Text by Claude-Jean Harel, MA, MAHI
Presient and Founder of the Great Excursions Company
www.greatexcursions.com