Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-27
TWO KILLED IN DIES MONIES.
Tornado in South Part Of Des Moines
Causes Terrible Destruction.


Causes Terrible Destruction.
Des Moines, May 27.-Two persons
were killed and a half dozen injured
| by tornado which swept thru South
Des Moines at 6 O'clock last evening.
The killed were:
Russell Andrew Knouf, aged 80 years.
Floyd knouf, his S-months' old son.
The injured included Mary Knouf,
who was painfully bruised and cut:
Mrs. Margaret Boston. who suffered 4
skull wound from flying debris; Charles
McNutt, who was hurt by falling tree
limbs, and Mrs. John Mccoy. whose
breast and head We're cut with broken
glass.
The Knouf home was demolished by
the tornado. the Christian church of
South Des Moines was destroyed and
the office of DR.. j. +. Irwin was wreck
ed, the home of William Jones was
made uninhabitable, and several Eher
buildings We're badly damaged. A num-
Der We're more or less injured All OF
the telephone wires were blown down
and the telephone poles for four blocks
were twisted off about six feet from
the ground. A hundred fine trees.
mans body, were twisted and torn from
their roots. Few houses in the track
Of the storm escaped losses OF windows
and many roofs were damaged, while
outhuildings We're entirely destroyed.
The storm did damage south of the
city, blowing down the upper walls of
two army post buildings and moving
the Winters home near Proctor mine.
It also damaged the Capital City MUIR
sery. Two houses at the Great West
ern yards We're blown over In South
east Des Moines several small build
ings were destroyed.
The tornado had done its awful work
at the Knouf home before it did much
other damage. 1t seemed TO come from
the south and dipped over the Des
Moines hill into the valley circling
north and east on Jefferson street and
back on Madison to Eighth, and thence
southeast to the Christian church, ann
out of the city by way of East Des
Moines.
The knouf house was located two or
three numbers south of Madison street
on Eighth. Next to it was the Office
of Dr. Irwin. Both were utterly de-
1
cred together in a triangular or cone
sha ped pile. just off their foundations.
1t was within this house that the young
father and his babe met their horrible
death.
Mrs. Knouf told the story. She had
just prepared the supper for the family
and her husband was playing with the
baby. When she called hi nfor supper
he placed the little one in chair and
asked his wife TO take care of 1t as he
was very hungry, and made for the
table He had worked for the Steel
Roofing and Stamping company, when
was hard labor and he was both tired
and hungry, but in excellent spirits, his
wife said:
Just as he sat down at the table"
she told sobbiug, II noticed that it sud-
denly grew dark. and looking out of the
window, l saw the trees turning and
twisting up on the hill. 1 called his
attention to ii and told him that we
had better go over to his fathers. He
said we would get wet If we attempted
it, and that we'd better remain at home.
1t already was pouring down in tor
rents. Then the wind grew more strong
and our little home began to rock.
My husband became alarmed. We
better CO. he said l took the baby
and started for the door. Let me have
the baby he said and took him out of
my arms He was crying now ] put
out my hand and took hold of the door
knob. 1t was so dark that / could not
see the knob. l opened the door ana
| then I remember nothing more"
| She was lying under the house as i,
| had blown over, but the walls We're so
| interlaced that she was not pinned I'M
| der them. He took her out. She held
| the door knob in her hand" he said.
| "The first thing she did was to cali
to her husband. He groaned, as if in
recognition OF her voice, but said moth