Nodaway County, Missouri - Chapter 34: Tornadoes, 1882

Chapter 34: Tornadoes

Nodaway County, like all prairie countries, is occasionally subject to high winds. Destructive winds, however, are less frequent here than elsewhere, on account of the native growth of timber, which still fringes the banks of the numerous streams in great abundance.

A Destructive Tornado

We clip from the Nodaway Democrat the following account of the disastrous tornado that swept through the southern portion of Nodaway County, May 29, 1879, as given originally by a reporter of the St. Joseph Herald :

Yesterday morning the Herald gave an account of the disastrous tornado in Nodaway and Andrew Counties, but the details as to the amount of damage done and the number of casualties could not be ascertained at the time of writing. Accordingly the news man boarded the six o'clock train Friday morning, and was soon speeding away on his mission. He arrived in Barnard in time for breakfast, and before he had finished his repast Dr. J. W. Heath, hearing of his arrival, had harnessed up his span of dashing blacks, and was in waiting at the door of the hotel to convey him to the field of destruction. The representative was only too glad to accept of the doctor's hospitality, and in a short time they were spinning away in a southwesterly course, toward the Nodaway River, where the storm first started. On the way Dr. Heath gave a description of its appearance when first seen by him

The cloud was first noticed at about 4 o'clock, and resembled a dense volume of smoke arising from a burning building, and such it was at the time thought to be. It did not appear to be over two or three rods in width, having the shape of a funnel, spreading out to larger dimensions at the top. Afterwards, it seemed to spread, until it finally covered a strip of territory kalf a mile wide.

was at the farm of Dudley Messick, about nine miles northeast of Fillmore, in Andrew County, where it destroyed an orchard of bearing apple trees and blew down the fences over which it passed.

From there the whirlwind went to the farm of David Maginnis, about three-quarters of a mile further on, where it literally tore a lumber wagon to pieces, but not injuring any of the buildings. The next farm in the track of the storm was that of James Wade, whose fences were completely wrecked, the pieces being scattered far and wide over the farm. From there the storm passed on to the farm of Mr. Lemaster near that of Mr. Maginnis. Here it unroofed the cow-sheds belonging to the place, scattering the pieces in every direction, but strange to say, leaving the stock unharmed in their stalls. From here the tornado seemed to increase in strength, its velocity becoming greater, and the whirling motion growing more powerful. Sweeping at the rate of nearly sixty miles an hour, it passed a short distance north of the house occupied by Mr. Charles Schmidt, on .the farm of George R. Montgomery, when it turned suddenly to the southwest and struck Mr. Schmidt's house.

This was a small frame building, and it was totally demolished. The frame work seemed to have been mashed down by some heavy weight, and the roof rested on the top of this pile of ruins. The weatherboarding and shingles were scattered in every direction for several hundred yards. Mr. Schmidt was not in the house at the time the storm struck it, but his wife was, and when her husband made search for her in the ruins, he found her in a very perilous position, in a sitting posture, with a part of the roof bearing heavily upon the back of her neck and holding her to the ground. The fallen timbers surrounded her in such a manner that she could not extricate herself, and it was some little time before her husband could relieve her. She was then taken to the house of a Mr. Davis near by, where she was cared for by Dr. B. P. Williamson as soon as he could be called. She was seriously bruised in various parts of the body, and perhaps injured internally. Her injuries .are serious, but not supposed to be iatal.

A team on the farm being attached to a plow a few rods from the house, was unhitched by the driver when the storm was seen approaching. They were picked up bodily and carried a distance of three-quarters of a mile, and set down on the ground uninjured, and in a short .time returned to the farm.

From Mr. Schmidt's house the storm swept around a little further to the southwest, and then" turned to the northwest again, circling around the barn of Thomas E. Smith, of Bolckow, occupied by Mr. H. Wilson, striking the house and demolishing it. Mr. Wilson saw the storm approaching and nailed the door shut, but when the house was struck the nails were broken like little splinters, and the door blown open and the room filled with the surging element. One of Mr. Wilson's little boys started to leave the house, when the door was forced open, and was blown against the fence, to which he caught and held bravely on till the storm was over, being found completely covered with the debris. In a few seconds the building, a story and a half house, was turned over on its side without breaking it, and then torn to splinters and the pieces strewn in every direction. Mr. Wilson had caught hold of a door casing and was thus carried a distance of a hundred feet to the north, where he was landed, receiving several painful bruises about the head and shoulders. Mrs. Wilson and the children were found in the ruins, the lady being bruised somewhat about the head and arms. A little girl, about eight years old, was severely burned by the fire from the stove and scalded by boiling water. A little boy was hurt about the face and heda.

Norton Geary, a young man employed by Mr. Wilson, received a few slight bruises. Mr. Wilson estimates the damage to his personal property at $250. The damage to the house will amount to about $400.

From here the current seemed to raise from the ground, and traveled a distance of two miles and a half before doing any further damage. Then it dipped to the earth again, swooping down with terrific force upon the old Sixteen-Mile House, on the Savannah and Maryville road. The building was owned by Al. Dearing, of Barnard, and was occupied bv John W. Phelps. It was also completely demolished, and the material of which it was composed was more scattered than any of the former buildings. The house was completely blotted out of existence, not one stone being left upon another. On every side, timbers, boards and splinters were strewn, covering fully forty acres of territory. There was not a whole piece of furniture left. Stoves were broken, a sewing machine was torn to pieces, chairs, bedsteads, teacups, plates, saucers, all shared one common lot of demolition. The stable was struck alongsides and turned over, leaving three horses standing completely uncovered, while a mule, tied to the running gears of a wagon, was blown 200 feet over a high board fence, and set down unharmed. The wagon box belonging to these running gears was carried off in a northwesterly direction over a quarter of a mile. The orchard, one of the finest in Nodaway County, was totally destroyed, trees a foot in diameter being twisted off at the ground and literally torn to pieces.

The orchard of Mrs. Jackson, opposite, together with her house, was somewhat damaged. John Richardson, a son-in-law of Mrs. Jackson, was living in the same house with his wife and two children, and Miss Inez. Jackson. When they saw the storm coming they ran into the Sixteen Mile House, and Mr. Phelps hurried them off down the road with his own family, and hid them under a large hedge, and thus saved them from annihilation.

The next farm in the track was that of Mr. A. J. Turner, upon which was situated a new frame house, a story and a-half high, costing $800. This was picked up and carried to the east a distance of about fifty feet, where it was set down and literally torn to atoms. Not a whole piece of furniture was left in the house. The storm was seen approaching, and the family escaped to an old one story house, formerly occupied as a dwelling, and were not injured. Mr. Turner estimates his loss at $1,500.

Here the destructive monster reached its most tremendous strength, sweeping on from the farm of Mr. Turner to that of Mr. Henry M. Harmon, sixty rods to the northeast. The destruction at this place simply beggars description. Mr. Harmon's barn, a large, substantial structure, was first struck and shivered to pieces. The whole place was covered with boards, shingles and timbers. One large sill was carried a distance of half a mile and driven eleven feet into the ground. Mr. Harmon's house, a story and a-half structure, was also wiped out of existence. Pieces of the house and barn were strewn along the path of the tornado for three miles. Harmon's orchard was destroyed, together with fences, granaries, etc. One wagon was carried high in the air across the One Hundred and Two River, over three miles, and landed a total wreck. The family retreated into the old part of the house and escaped with their lives. Two of the boys were in the new barn, and one in the barn lot, but in some way escaped with only a few bruises. Several hogs were killed and one horse will die.

At Harmon's farm the track of the storm was about fifty yards wide, but it spread out to a width of half a mile, and next vented its fury on the farm of Mrs. Goforth, tearing its way through the timber and orchard, and from there a mile east the timber was a mass of limbs, trees and saplings blown in every conceivable shape.

The next farm visited was that of Uncle Frank Conlin. A large story and a-half house, built at a cost of $1,000, was wrecked, although not blown entirely down. Its walls stand at an angle of about forty-five degrees. None of the family were injured. A large granary, containing a large quantity of wheat and provisions, was entirely blowiraway, and the contents were a total loss. The contents of the house were badly damaged. Mr. Conlin's fine apple orchard was ruined, and the corn crib blown away, scattering the corn all over the place. Fence posts were pulled from the ground, and fencing and all carried away, no one knows where. His timber was also badly damaged.

A few rods from here was a small tenement house, occupied by William Bowman, and it was unroofed, the damage being about fifty dollars. Mrs. Bowman is said to be insane from the fright given her by the occurrence.

completely destroyed, nothing being leit within twenty yards of the foundation. The contents were also destroyed. The family were absent at a wool picking. They are left entirely destitute. The carpet was left hanging in an oak tree, eighty rods from the site of the house, and forty feet from the ground. Five hogs were killed, one being torn in two behind the shoulders. The stabling was all blown away, and a large amount of corn damaged. Mr. Richards' dog was picked up by the storm and carried over the tops of the trees for nearly a mile, where he was let gently down, without material injury.

Right in this neighborhood a vest belonging to Mr. Phelps was picked up, with some private papers in the pocket, having been carried fully ten miles by the wind.

From here the storm kept on through the timber for a distance of two miles, where the damage stopped and the cloud disappeared, having spent its force. This was within about two miles of Guilford. It was probably the most violent tornado that has ever visited this section, and it was fortunate that its course was not over any of the towns in that region, else there might have been great destruction of human life.

The Hopkins Tornado

Last Sunday, June 12, 1881, will long be remembered by many on account of the terrible wind-storms which occurred. The day throughout all this part of the country was very warm, the atmosphere being somewhat sultry and oppressive. In fact, it was just such a day as tornadoes might be expected. Along in the afternoon, clouds began to darken the horizon in different directions, the deep mutterings of thunder were distinctly heard, and vivid lightning flashed back and forth from cloud to cloud in such a manner as to portend a much more than an unusual disturbed condition of the elements.

At about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, at Maryville, after quite a severe gale of wind, the rain began to fall, and we were favored with quite'a heavy shower. About the same time, however, in different localities, and not many miles on either side of us, were being enacted quite different scenes. The winds gathered together, and with tremendous power passed through scopes or strips of country in regular tornado fashion, carrying death and destruction in their pathway.

From reporters who visited the course of the storm in the north part of the county on the day subsequent to its occurring, we are enabled to lay before our readers the following sad intelligence of the fearful havoc made by the storm king.

The tornado occurred between four and five o'clock in the afternoon. It had its origin or starting point near the Lone Elm school house, in Atchison Township, some six miles nearly due west of Hopkins. Those living in the vicinity, who witnessed the storm, are of the opinion that there were, near this point, four different branches or wings of the tornado, each acting within a scope of its own, and doing some damage before all of them were drawn to one immense funnel-shaped current, after which everything within its course was moved with such violence and force as is seldom exhibited even in these great storms. These currents seemed to unite near the Jeffrey farm, some half mile east of the Lone Elm school house. One of the strands, however, before the union, struck down on the school house, entirely demolishing it. Another strand started out southwest of the place where they united. This strand passed just to the north of A. C. Miller's house, the edge just reaching to the house, tearing down the flues ar.d his outbuildings and some of his fencing. As before remarked, the general course of the tornado, after the uniting of the different currents near the Jeffrey farm, was from northwest to southeast. There were, however, some variations. From Miller's the next place was that of Scott Bland. Mr. Bland himself was away from home in Kansas, and the sole occupants of the house were his aged mother and sister, who reside with him. His sister saw the storm coming, and told her mother that they had better get into a cave just by the house. The old lady rather objected, but in a moment yielded to the persuasions of her daughter, and they were no sooner in the cave than the house was carried away, twisted up and jammed to pieces. Everything in its sweep, orchard, fences, outbuildings, here as elsewhere, was entirely swept away.

Continuing on in a southeast direction, it next struck the place of Zach Davidson. His house shared the fate of others mentioned, but, before the general falling to pieces, was blown some ten rods across a ravine. He and his wife, two boys and a hired hand were in the house. Mr. Davidson told our reporter that about the only impression he remembers having while the house was being carried away, was that he thought he was still alive. As soon as that part of the house in which the members of the family were, came down, Mr. Davison remembers looking about to see if all were there, and the feelings of all, on learning that not one of their number was missing or seriously hurt, can better be imagined than described. It was almost a miracle, and probably could not occur again in one case out of a thousand. His stable was blown all to pieces, and two horses were lifted and carried by the storm nearly a quarter of a mile, one of them being blown through a wire fence, still remaining attached by a halter to the log of the stable to which he had been tied while in the stable. Strange to relate, the horses received but little injury. Mrs Davidson was quite painfully bruised.

The tornado next passed over a part of the farm of- Frank Morehouse, removing fences and doing other damages, as in the instances before mentioned. Frank went to work the following day to rebuild the fence.

Its course from here was due east for half a mile down a lane. The north fence of the lane was entirely destroyed, not a rail or post being left. The south fence - wire and rail fence - was badly scattered, the rails being nearly all carried away and the wire badly twisted. Half a mile down this lane, from the point last mentioned, to the north side, stands a tenant house belonging to Sam. Wood, around which there' is a large orchard, to the west and north of which is a beautiful willow fence, which the storm did not hurt. A strange feature of the storm to be seen here is that while this willow fence remained intact, the orchard and house which it inclosed on the west and north, were ruined. Fine, noble looking trees in the orchard and some shade trees were torn out by the roots, limbs and branches twisted off, the house demolished, and the fence to the south blown away, and yet the willow fence was left apparently without injury.

Its course from here was southeast down a hollow or draw for about half a mile. It took the stable and barn of Sam. Wood in its sweep, and made a fearful pathway through about thirty acres of splendid timber. His house was just without the south edge of the storm, and the principal injury it sustained was the blowing down of flues.

Less than half a mile east from here is the farm and residence of John Graybill. The house was destroyed, orchard, fencing and everything within the scope of the all-powerful whirling wind. At this point a stone which would have made a good lift for three men was carried a distance of some thirty feet. Mr. Graybill's family were badly injured, as will be seen in the list of the injured.

From here the tornado bore rather southeast. While the portrayal so far is sad and most gloomy, yet we now come to the point where death outright was wrought. Mr. James Young and wife, a couple somewhat aged, together with their family, lived probably a half mile from Mr. Graybill. The family were absent with the exception of the aged pair. Here the tornado struck in all its force and fury, seemingly determined to even outdo all it had previously done. The house was demolished, the old gentleman and lady being blown away some distance. Mr. Young was found some fifty yards from the house in a patch of brush. The wind snatched from the poor old body every shred of clothing except a little piece of one pant leg. Both legs were broken, both arms broken, a gash cut across his forehead, and something struck him so that his entrails protruded. In the sudden fury and unrelenting violence of the storm, while his mortal frame was being thus badly mutilated, his spirit, let us trust, passed tranquilly into the presence of its Maker, where storms never come. What a sight it must have been to those who first discovered his body. Mrs. Young was blown in a somewhat different direction, and was severely injured, probably fatally.

The next work of destruction, so far as buildings were concerned, was the McMackin Mill, on the One Hundred and Two River. This was formerly the Jones Mill. It was made an entire wreck. Three young men were in the upper story at the time, and how they escaped is a mystery to themselves as well as to others.

Crossing the river, its course was still southeast, and while it did great damage to timber, fences, etc., it seems not to have struck any houses.

As showing the tremendous power of the wind, it is only necessary to allude to the fact that on its course it was noticed in several places that posts were twisted right out of the ground and carried away. Iron beam plows were seen with the beams terribly twisted. Fearful and terrible indeed are such storms, not only because of the destruction of property, but on account of the loss of human life. All who saw the course of this one agreed on the fact that its width was not uniform, but that it spread out at some points in its course much wider than at others. The edges were well defined, and the indications point to the greatest severity in the center. Its track was from one hundred yards to a quarter of a mile in width, and its length west of the One Hundred and Two some three or four miles. East of that stream it also continued two or three miles, but with less force, and from the situation and surface of the country, with much less damage, according to all reports which we have been able to gain.

One feature noticeable along the track of the wind was that almost everything that was left was bedaubed with mud. It doubtless gathered up the mud made by the rain off of the ground and hurled it through the air, thus sending it against everything in its way.

This is probably the severest storm which ever passed over any part of our county, as it is thought to surpass the one in the south part a year or two ago, and we hope it will never devolve on us again to chronicle another so dreadful and destructive in its consequsnces.

The following physicians were in attendance on Monday, and did all in their power to alleviate the sufferers : Drs. Hackedorn and E. T. Moore, of Maryville ; Drs. Gerard, Hughes and Sergeant, of Hopkins, and Dr. Wallis, of Pickering.

The general meteorological disturbance of June 12, 1881, resulted in several other tornadoes, one at Rosendale, Andrew County, and three in Gentry and DeKalb Counties.

The following letter written by C. P. Smith, formerly of Maryville, but now residing near Rosendale, to his brother, Lawrence Smith, of Maryville, gives the paiticulars of the havoc done in that locality, with some account also of the appearance of the storm. The following is the letter:

Brother Lazvrence : As this Sunday evening will be memorable on account of the cyclone which passed near us, and as I was an eye witness to it, I thought I would write you some of the particulars. About 4:30 Father and Mother Rush, my wife and I, were standing on our front porch when we saw the storm coming. It passed within a hundred yards of us, filling the air with fence rails, tops of trees and parts of buildings. The sufferers in our neighborhood are as follows : Kellogg's large brick house, west of the One Hundred and Two River, two stories high, the upper story was entirely torn off, and the barn and outbuildings were swept away. Jerry Holt's large two story house was thrown from its foundation and turned about one-third round. It tore off the roof and demolished the whole inside of the house. Those of the family at home took refuge in the cave. Miss Cornelia Holt was at my house. The next were two small houses owned by the Masons, and occupied by families by the name of Cook and King. These buildings were swept away, wounding Mrs. King and a young man named Sypse. The houses of John Parker and Joseph Bradford were next, which were swept away. Several hogs were here killed in a pasture. The next sufferer is William Jones, living on John McLaughlin's farm. Everything here was swept clean, and nothing saved but two horses. The family took refuge about one hundred yards from the house. A large bridge was here torn up. By the way, the Parker and Bradford families took refuge in their cellars. The next place was that of William Roberts, where everything was swept clean. Family not at home. It actually sucked the water out of his well, which is fifty feet deep. The next place it came to was George Roberts. It swept off his buildings, killing his wife and two children. This is through a scope of country of about seven miles. The cyclone was about thirty rods wide, and everything in its track is demolished. No rain fell. We could feel a terrible heat. In the center of the funnel was a large ball of fire. CHARLES P. SMITH.

As tornadoes would be robbed of much of their terror if people were generally better informed in regard to them, we give a concise statement of the laws governing their movements. Both tornadoes and cyclones find their origin in the cosmical conditions of the globe, but are modified by secondary causes. A tornado is a storm on the land which has three movements, a linear, circulatory and vibratory or swaying movement. A cyclone is a similar storm on the ocean, originating in the torrid zone, and has a linear and circulatory movement, and passes on a parabolic curve, probably caused by the trade winds. A tornado will average from a few rods to half a mile in width, and expend its forces, and run its course in a brief period of time, often doing its damage in a few minutes, and seldom exceeding an hour. A cyclone will average from a few miles to five hundred miles in width, and pass from the neighborhood of the West Indies northwesterly, near the east Atlantic coast, and bending eastward in its course sweep on for several days, sometimes over a path three thousand miles in length. The laws and movements of cyclones have been thoroughly studied, and directions are now given by enlightened countries so that ships avoid them. Tornadoes are not exceptional in their nature, and when thoroughly understood will be rendered comparatively harmless. Tornadoes, when not deflected by surface currents from their course, move eastward by about twenty degrees north - a fact to be remembered by every one who values his life.

In northern latitudes tornadoes revolve in a direction contrary to the hands of a watch, in southern latitudes in the opposite direction. The swaying or vibratory movement is due to obstacles in the path, like hills and forests, which oppose and deflect the storm north of the equator. Currents from the north rushing in toward a center, passing over parallels of latitude constantly increasing in diameter, fall behind and pour into the revolving storm west of the center ; currents from the south for a similar reason, pour into the storm east of the center. These two forces cause the whirl or circulatory movement. The linear movement is probably caused by the tornado being constantly fed by the northwest current from the regions of the upper air flowing downward into the tornado.

Now, if tornadoes move east by about twenty degrees north, one can escape when they approach by running north or south, as the case may be. Some persons not knowing this fact have run directly into the tornado and been killed. It is well also to remember tornadoes occur late in the afternoon, when the atmosphere is sultry, and in this latitude on the last few days of May, or the first few days of June, being drawn backward or forward, as the season is early or late, and that they are increased in intensity proportionally as the season is dry. Tornado caves are a safeguard in prairie countries. The only effectual remedy for tornadoes is found in planting forests, which dfrive these terrible storms into the upper air. Tornadoes seldom do much damage in forest states.