The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-15
STORM INCIDENTS.
Graphic Description of Jefferson
jackson County Cyclone.

Valley Falls, May 15.-Following are
some incidents of the storm in Jeffer-
son and Jackson counties late Satur-
day:
The first damage done in the path of
the tornado was at the farm residence
of Benz. Jones, five miles south of Den
ison. whose barn was unroofed.
Next the residence of Frank B1ailkie
was destroyed. This building was torn
in two pieces and the north side also
blown down, leaving only two sides of
the room standing which contained Mr.
Blake and his family, consisting of
wife and five children, the Oldest child
being 9 and the youngest years old.
Mr.. Blake said to the reporter: My
self and family were all in this room
when the cyclone struck and removed
these two sides of this room; it blew
that dinner table and those chairs" said
Mr.. Blake pointing to the broken frag-
ments near the house, right out Of
this room and my hat was blown from
my head and carried away but none of
us were hurt except myself being struck
on the hip by the table as it went out
of the room. Myself and family and the
stove still remained in the room.
Now" said Mr.. Blake, what saved
the other two sides of this room was
those tree tops and the chicken house
that you see blown up against them
About one-quarter of a mile further
the porches were torn from the resi-
eAOAASG VI 0Oil1 Alulll4ldA ana ABOUT one
haf of the roof of his fine barn taken
away, his large orchard being badly
torn up. Said Mr.. Mullinax: 1.-THE
strangest thing that happened here was
that 1t blew a drawer out of our kitchen
] SaIe and although we have made a
search we can't find it anywhere"
Your reporter then followed the path
! OF the storm northeast for about three
| miles where was found the residence of
/ William Merideth, with the porches and
] mart of the
The next one visited by the tornado
/ was the handsome home of J. B.
/ Strawns one-half mile north of North
/ Cedar station, whose fine residence was
/ party unroofed and one of the walls
/ blown out. The family took refuge in
/ the cellar and escaped without injury.
! The spacious barn near the residence
was unroofed and. badly damaged
None of the above parties had their
! property insured against tornado.
Daniel Martins barn and sheds were
blown down.
The next damage done was at Swa b
vile, where the school house roof was
} slightly injured and the residence of o
/ b Slusser was damaged and the root
/ partially blown off the barn being en-
tirely blown down, the carriage and
wagon blown in fragments a quarter OF
a mile across the fields
The large and handsome residence of
/ samuel Anderson was blown from the
foundation, all the plaster shaken off
the walls, the furniture broken up and
| the house, while standing, is wrecked
and ruined. Robert REYNOLDS. the hired
man. was injured here
The tw1ster next descended on the
| farm of A. H. Holbrook. five miles
north Of Valley Falls, whose fine large
/ barn was scattered to the four winds
| 20 COWS were in the basement Of +he
/ barn at the time but none uere Injured
The Evangelical Association or Ger
man Methodist church, at this point
was blown entirely down and is a totaI
wreck
The barn on John Corkadel.s farm
was ruined, as was also the harm of A
heener- These two farmers are located
near the destroyed church house. One
hait mile further northeast the cyclone
wrecked Spencer's barn West Of Nor.
tonvllIe the residence and barn of less
F'reeland were badly dana ged5 and Mrs
F'reeland and one of the boys were in
jured ~
The storm passed near the edge N
Nortonville and thence northeast intr
Atchison county.
Great damage was done to orchards
in the path of the storm. many fine
trees being carried a mile before touch.
ing the earth; hedges were blown o11t
OF the ground and hundreds of large
llees were broken and torn m in fbe
timber along the storms path v-bicF
extended from a point about 10 miles
north Of Topeka TO within three miles
southwest of Atchison. STRANGE M
j jure6. o'ie Al
The only property being insured
against tornado was that of Dan Mar.
! I'm and the church building north d
- Valley Falls.