Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-04
Boys Narrowly Escape Injury.

J SSASs \
Boys Narrowly Escape Injury.
Blakesburg, July 1.-(SpeciaD The
tornado crossed Little Soap creek be.
tween the farms of Henry Ahee and
Lewis Swain, doing much damage to
growing crops and orchards on the
way. On tho farm belonging to John
Hoover, south Of Blakesburg, trees
were uprooted and hurled through the
air. The young sons of Mr.. Hoover
narrowly escaped injury from the fly
ing branches, so quickly did the storm
break The barn on the Abe Overturf
and the Mute farms were demolished
and smaller outbuildings were blown
to pieces.
Take Refuge In Cave.
clayton Smith and family took ref
uge in a cave and thus escaped prob
ably fatal injury. for their house was
badly damaged and moved from It's
foundations, and their barn was liter
ally blown away Seven horses, which
were in the barn escaped injury. On
the Charles Harlan farm, where
Charles Babcock now lives, the barn
and shed were blown down and several
large trees were uprooted. The barn
on Peter Abraham's farm was blown
down. All the big trees in the orchard
were broken and uprooted at the farm
of Peter Wagner and the wind blew
down the picket fence all around the
house, but aside from little damage
to one corner the house was left un-
touched. On Amos Proctor's farm the
house was struck and the porch and
summer kitchen were blown away.
Church Blown Away.
Amador, July 1.-(SpeciaD. Mt.
Zion church, located between Blakes-
burg and Ottumwa, was blown entire
ly away by the storm of yesterday aft
ernoon and parts of the building were
found half mile from it's former To-
cation. The wind at this point reached
a high velocity and the big black
cloud was most threatening. Every
tomb stone but one in the little burial
plot next the church site was blown
over. Amador escaped damage ex-
cept from the heavy rain.
Rain Heavy at BldweII.
Bidwell, July 1.-(SpeciaD dam
age was sustained at Bidwell by the
storm yesterday. The wind was not
high, but the rain fell in torrents,
causing considerable damage to crops.
The barn on Soda Blake's farm, near
Hazel Dell, was blown away.
Big Damage Near Fremont.
Fremont, July L. Especially =
Though there is little trace of yester-
days's tornado at points between OF
tumwa and Fremont, it seems to have
turned almost directly to the north of
at that city and pursued straight
course, hikh in the air toward Fre1
mont. One house on farm near Ere
mont was blown down and several
barns were destroyed. Sheds and 9TH
err smaller buildings were demolished,
chickens were killed by the hundred
and several valuable horses were kill
ed when the barns were blown down.
Little damage was done right in Ere
mont, but in the vicinity hundreds of
dollars worth of damage was sus-
tanned. No one was injured, so far
as can be learned. The report that the
Wapello county farm was damaged
was untrue and a telephone message
from there last night brought the
news that the wind was not even high
there during the whole afternoon.
sigourney Escapes Damage.
Sigourney, July 1.-(Special) "A
fierce storm ragged here between 8 and
o'clock yesterday afternoon. Rain
began about 80 a. M and continued
until 5 p. M, part Of the time coming
in torrents. About three and one
half miles east of town a cyclone de-
stroyed some property, though SO far
as heard from no one was hurt. A
barn and several small outbuildings
on the Yerger farm occupied by Mr..
| and Mrs. Frank Yerger was COM
pletely destroyed. These buildings
| stood not far from the house but the
house was not damaged. The build
ings stand on high grounl and are
unprotected by trees for the most
part. Diagonally across northeast
from this location and about a half
mile nearer town the Wyllie farm,
rented by a man named Feaster, was
struck by the storm. The buildings
here are low and we'll protected by
trees. The cyclone cloud swooped
over the house, tearing the trees and
burylng the building under big limbs,
SO as to almost hide it completely
from view, though not damaging the
| building at all. The barn standing
about sixty feet cast of the house,
was struck and completely demolished
Across country in northeastcrly di.
rection, a distance of about two and
one-half miles, the barn Of Thomas
Noller was blown down. TIE wind
mill followed and the storm over.
turned vehicles and outbuildings
Many of the people mere saw the wind
cloud in the west and anxiously
watched Its progress, fearing it might
come this way, but the town proper
had the good fortune to escape and
not particle of damage was done Sc
far as has been learned. Nothing can
be learned regarding the storm be-
yond this point.
No Storm at Hedrick.
| Hedrick, July 1-(speciaD Though
Hedrick was near the path of 4 the
storm yesterday afternoon there was
no damage here nor in the vicinity
The wind cloud passed several miles
to the west Of Hedrick, striking near