Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-06-17
FATAL TORNADO
IN NORTHERN IOWA
Two Persons Killed and Several
Badly Hurt Near the
Town of SaIix.
NUMBER OF HOUSES DESTROYED
Almost Every Member OF the Fam
lily OF John Mallory Killed
or Injurcd--Property
Damage.

Sioux City, Ia, June 12.-John Nal
10y and his wife, Kate, were instantly
killed by a tornado near Salix, a small
at $3.50 Sunday afternoon. Their 10
year old son., Harry, was so badly in
jured that he died within half an hour.
Bessie, their daughter, aged 10, sus-
tanned n fractured skull and cannot
live. Thomas Malloy, an 1S-year-old
son, had a leg crushed and received in
ternal injuries which may prove fatal.
Fred Malloy, aged 26, was seriously
hurt in the back and leg. Jack Nal
10y, aged "a, sustained a cut on the
arm and severe bruises all over the
Patrick, IA years old, is suffering from
n broken collar bone and a badly
strained back, but will also recover.
Dick, another son, was the only mem
Der of the family who escaped injury.
The home Of Albert DeNin was par
TALLY demolished, as were his barn
and all outbuildings on the place. The
houses of the Malloy family, Mrs. NJ.
{. lIassell, Philip Berger, Joseph Ber-
nard, formerly of Morningside, and a
farmer named Doherty were COM
pletely demolished. Pat O'Neill and
Lucien Pillotte lost their barns and
outbuildings and O'Neill's house is
minus a chimney and two windows.
j. G. Curriers' barn was badly twisted
and his sheds and windmill blown
down. Several head of horses were
also killed and DeVjn lost the greater
Other live stock was probably killed,
crops were more or less damaged and
many small buildings were tor to
pieces or badly racked.
The storm continued for some dis
lance beyond Salix, but does not seem
TO have caused serious loss either of
life or properly except in that vicinity.
IL narrowly missed sweeping through
the town itself. Had il struck there
it would have killed many people. The
1iassell, Bernard, Malloy and Berger
residences are not more than q half
mile from the village.
COURSE OF TIE STORM.
Residents of Salix think the storm
must have originated in Nebraska.
They saw it northwest of town, NOV
ing toward the southeast. 1t was
about forty rods wide and travelled
about as fast as a man could run. Da-
vid Mcdowell was the first loser. His
house vas Out Of the path of the
twister, but a number of sheds on his
premises were demolished. The DeNin
residence is almost directly west of
town. At hat point, after tearing
down half of DeNin's house and all the
out buildings about it, it veered to the
east and moved almost directly toward
Salix. Everyone who saw il made a
rush for the cellar. Juse before the
settlement was reached, however, it
swung again To the southeast, passed
along the edge Of the Currier place and
struck the Hassell, Malloy, Bernard
and Berger homes. The four stood in
n group close together and were RACED
at almost the same moment. \ short
distance farther on the Dohertv place
was blown To pieces. Then the storm
seemed TO divide. One-half branched
off toward the northeast, the other to-
ward the southeast. II probably lost
its force about this time and no fur
Their damage is reported.
JUST MISSED IT.
A south-bound freight on the Sioux
City and Pacific road was Just pulling
into SaliX as the storm crossed the
track south of town. The train was
moving directly toward the cloud and
would undoubtedly have passed under
it had not Conductor Pollock stopped
il. When the storm had passed he ran
on as far as the Malloy place. John
Malloy and his wife were already dead
and Harry had evidently but n few
minutes to live. Bessie seemed TO be
badly injured, but Pat and Tom were
lifted into the caboose aud a start
made for Sioux City. Their brother
Dick and George Sauer and George
Story, of SaliN, accompanied them. At
the station here the ambulance and
police patrol wagon were both waiting
for them and both sufferers were re-
moved TO st. JOseph's hospital.
Later in the evening il was deemed
best to remove Bessie also TO the city.
The 9:30 train in this direction was
accordingly tagged. the girl was lifted
ol bodIh anu brought mere III tIuIBS
of DIR. James +. Taylor, of SaliX. She
was unconscious from the time she re-
ceived her injuries, and no hope is en-
tertained of her recovery. 1t was even
feared she would die i'm the ambulance
on the way from the railroad station
10 the hospital.
THE MALLOY HOME.
The Malloys had just finished supper
when the storm struck their house,
and most of the family were sitting on
the porch when the tornado cloud APP
peared. The cellar was obviously the
safest place, and TO that refuge they
all repaired with the exception of Dick,
who hurried over TO the Hassell place
to warn the family. 1t was this move
which probably saved his life, as he
and the Hassells were all safely in the
cellar when the house was demolished.
The elder Malloy, it appears,
changed his mind after reaching a
place Of refuge, declared that he didn't
think the storm was likely to prove a
serious one and laughed the family
into returning with him To the upper
floor. They had been there but an in
slant before their house was literally
torn 10 pieces.
Jack Malloy says he was trying TO
close the front door at the last mo-
ment. The force of the wind had
dashed il i'm and he was struggling
with it when, as he describes it, every