The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-05-08
DEADLY TORNADO.
ELEVEN PEOPLE KILLED
AND MANY INJURED.
Farm Houses About CLIFTON Swept Away by
the wind and tine Occupants Killed or
Badly Iniured-some Strange Freaks Of
the Storm.

twenty miles, killing eleven persons
and iniuring twenty-five others, passed
northeast through the northern part
of Clay and southern edge of Wash
ington counties and was then dissi-
pated. Beyond the village of St.
Joseph it struck no settlements, but
it did great damage to farms in the
rich Republican valley, destroying at
least twenty farm houses, but killing
no one SO far as known.
The list of dead so far as known now
is as follows:
Mrs. FRANK PETERSON.
MISS PETERSON.
JOHN ANDERSON.
MRS. OLA HALvERsoN.
JESSE HALL.
ELI BELDEzoUR
Mrs. ELI BELDEzoUR
JULIAN TRlMBLY.
j. S. HAYNES.
Two Children whose bodies have not
yet been found.
THE TORM NOT EXPECTED.
The day had been a very warm one
and in the early evening there were
signs of rain, and these disappeared
almost entirely at dusk and the people
retired to rest as usual. In conse-
quence. few were prepared for the
tornado. It seems to have formed
just below the house of Eli Beldezour,
a mile southeast of st. Joseph. The
family were just preparing to seek
refuge in the cellar when the building
was swept away. Beldezour and his
wife were killed and their six children
were all injured, two probably IA
tally.
The home of Julian Trimbly was
next struck and demolished and he
was killed.
Peter Anderson's farm house was
next in the line of the storm. The
building was demolished and everv
member of the family injured. 4
grandchild, John Anderson, was car
ried half a mile and left dead in a
~
Then the storm swept onward, pass
ing near the town of Clifton and caus-
ing the greatest alarm, for the sound
OF the wind could be heard plainly.
Farm after farm vas swept bare in
the course of the storm and twenty
families were rendered homeless.
AS soon as possible ~couriers were
sent to Clifton, Morganville and Clay
Center for relief, and at daybreak
many were on the Gene. Then it was
found that many of the injured had
lain all night, pinned down BY debris,
while a fierce rain and hail, which
followed the tornado, beat Cd them.
In consequence of this it is feared that
several will die.
In the track of the storm everything
was leveled as clearly as if a roller
had passed over it. Trees, barns,
houses, fences and, in fact, everything
sta hiding was swept away
IN several instances people were
lifted into the air and carried for a
distance and then suddenly dropped.
The buildings, it seems, also were
lifted up and then hurled 10 the
ground with force enough to d~eraolish
them.
II STORY OF AN NJURED MAN.
Following is Mr.. Gardeners account
of the storm: "About twenty minutes
past 9 we were sitting in the house. 1t
ha d been raining for some time. Sud
denly we heard a roaring coming from
the southwest, and before l had time
to max e any preparations the house
was lifted off the foundation. | saw
my wife pick up the baby and a great
crash came. l remembered nothing
more till | felt the rain falling on my
face. / arose and looked around. The
house had disappeared. I called to
my wife. she answered and going
toward her l found her with the baby
in her arms amid the fragments Of the
house. She vas uninjured and the
baby was safe. One OF my boys was
under a part of the wall Of one side of
the house. One of his legs was broken
below the knee; ! took a stick and
pried him loose. My boy S years old
had disappeared, but after some search
| found him sixty rods from the house
in the mud, not seriously injured. His
eyes were full of mud and SO was his
mouth. gathered my family together
and went to the neighbors for assist
Rnce."
For a distance of four or five miles
2 space a quarter of a mile wide is
covered with wreckage. pieces of all
kinds of furniture, shingles, pieces of
boards and timber, clothing, carpets,
wagon wheels. ears Of corn from the
demolished cribs of the farmers, and,
in fact, everything which goes to
make up a well fitted home. In this
strip ten houses were demolished, six
people killed and two fatally injured
and many bones broken. This sec
ton OF the country is a first-class
farming community and the people
are well-to-do. Some were insured
and some were not.