The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-05-21
PAGE COUNTY CYCLONE
A Destructive Storm Ruins Much
Property, Kills Live Stock and
Injuries Several Persons.

Probably the most terrific cyclone in
the history of Page county swept away
nine homes, and left devastation in its
path in the vicinity of Coin and North
boro Tuesday evening at six o'clock
says the Clarinda Herald. The awful
roar of the big storm was distinctly
audible in Clarinda for nearly three
quarters of an hour, and great appre.
hension was felt here as to the probabil-
ity of the storm reaching this city. AS
it was, the storm lifted near Coin and
passed overhead within five miles of
Clarinda, leaving its last work of de-
vastation at the Fred Herzberg farm in
the northwest corner of this township
where it unroofed barn and did some
damage to the other outbuildiLgs.
The track of the storm extended from
a point in Fremont county some six or
eight miles west of Northboro, entering
Page county near the middle of the
west boundary OF Washington township
and thence in northeasterly direction
to point west of Coin, destroying the
Finley and Higgins homes and the Lone
Willow school house in Fremont county
and the farm homes of John Wieland
E. D. Benedict, Claus Myers, George
Dalbey, Tom Anderson and Cliff Carpen-
ter in Page county. The horrible work
of the storm has been viewed by thous-
ands of people since Tuesday night,
there having been fully one thousand
people from distance to see the storms
path Wednesday. We are able to give
in detail the work of the cyclone at
most of the places along it's route.
In Fremont county the Will Finley
home with it's outbuildings was com
pletely swept away and Mrs. Finley
was slightly hurt-not fatally as was
first reported. The Lone Willow school
house was utterly demolished, there not
even being enough debris left at the
place to show that building had ever
been there. At the Bert Higgins home
the house and buildings were carried
away and twisted into kindling wood,
and Mr.. Higgins and their little babe
were hurt, the baby probably fatally.
At John Wieland's the storm swept
with terrific fury directly through the
farm improvements, tearing away house
and barn and making ropes of the
woven wire and barbed wire fences.
Nobody was hurt here, the family hav-
ing taken refuge in the cave.
At E. L. Benedict's farm southwest of
Coin, new story and a half house was
totally destroyed, but no one was living
in the house, as Frank Chapman whose
house is nearby is farming the place
this year. At this place the path of the
storm was comparatively narrow, hav-
ing passed between the Alex Harris and
Frank Sherman homes without damag-
ing either. Probably the worst effects
of the storm are to be seen at the Claus
Myers, George Dalbey, Tom Anderson
and Cliff Carpenter homes.
At the Claus Myers home, the storm
showed terrific force. Mr.. Myers in
telling of it says that be and Mrs.
Myers saw the storm coming and he at
once sent Mrs. Myers and the children
to the cellar, remaining himself at the
cellar door to watch the oncoming cy-
clone. He saw the storm pick the Bene-
dict house from it's foundation like it
had been of paper, and hide it in the
whirling black mass in which all sorts
of debris from other homes was visible
Mr.. Myers waited and watched, hoping
against hope, that the storm would miss
his home, but it came directly on and
he lodged into the cellar just as the
first of the storm reached the home
He says he ran to his wife and children
and in a moment the house moved above
them and then settled back for a mo.
ment and then second later was
whisked away completely while bricks
and boards fell about the family huddled
in the corner of the cellar. When the
dust cleared away, Mr.. Myers says there
was one of his horses standing in the
cellar right beside them. None of the
family were injured.
The visitors at the Myers home dur.
ing the past two days have noticed
some startling effects of the storm. A
new farm wagon had been left in the
yard before the storm. The largest
pieces found of it were the front axle
and hubs in nearby field, the felloe
and tire of one wheel in hedge, and
the felloe and tire Of another wheel in
George Dalbey's cellar, the next place
visited by the storm. The southwest
side of big oak tree was found liter
ally bristling with hay, the end of eact
stem of hay having been driven fully q
quarter of an inch into the hard bark
of the tree. A huge rock weighing
probably 2400 pounds had been left on
sled where Mr.. Myers had hauled il
from his field some days before. This
rock, sled and all was moved backward
southwest fully fifty feet from where
it had been standing. The other horses
besides the one which had been dropped
into the cellar. were buried under the
hay which had been in the barn while
the barn itself was utterly destroyed
None of the horses were killed. The
piano at the Myers home was made into
kindling wood, about the largest piece
that has been found of it being one O
the hammers, which Mr.. T. II. Earhart
of this city fonnd several rods from the
site of the home all covered with mut
and twisted out of shape.
George Dalbey and family saw the
storm coming and took refuge in Tru
locks cellar short distance west
Their house was totally demolished anc
carried away. Their range and piano
both dropped into the cellar and were
found there next day, and Wednesday
the oven door was opened and the bread
was found undisturbed and came il
handy enough. At this place severa
hogs and one steer was killed. All o
the buildings We're swept completed,
away.