Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-14
MILLION DOLLAR
LOSS IS CAUSED.
. .BYW|NOST0RM
Strip of Wisconsin Territory
Thirty-ive Miles Long
and Quarter Mile Wide is
Swept; Nine Killed.

Swept; Nine Killed.
GAINESVILLE, Wis, Nov. 13.-With the
death of Albert Schmidt today, the
death list from Saturdays cyclone
will reach nine. Schmidt was found
buried under several tons Of hay Sat
urday afternoon, cut about the legs
and face. His father and two sisters
had been instantly killed. Reports
from the storm swept district esti'
mate the loss at $75O,0O0 to 81 100000.
The stricken families suffered in
tensly from cold Saturday night and
yesterday and while the majority OF
them found shelter in neighboring
farm houses, which escaped the
the storms fury, their condition is
pitiful. In some cases once prosper
GUS farmers today are penniless. The
intense cold which followed the cy-
clone increased the loss. The temp
perature dropped from IA to II de-
grees above zero in twelve hours.
The cyclone district extended from
Broadhead, twenty miles west of here
to point about four miles beyond
Milton, which is twelve miles east of
here, making a total distance Of about
thirty-four to thirty-flve miles and
about a. quarter Of a mile wide. 1t
swept entirely clear of all buildings.
An emergency committee is being or
relief.
Wisconsin Loss Near $1,000, 900.
GAINESVILLE, Wis, Nov. 13.-Splinter-
C,,S~v
bled rock and plaster, scattered farm
produce, and dead farm animals lit
tering the ground over an area of a
quarter of mile in width and twen-
ty miles in length indicate the tre-
mendous force with which southern
Wisconsin's worst cyclone swept a
path through Rock county, killing
eight persons, injuring many more,
and doing damage to the extent .of
nearly million dollars. 5.r.
Wire service was denolished Satur-
day night and It was not until Sunday
that accurate details of the catas-
trophe were obtained A. steady
downpour Of rain added to the con
fusion Saturday night and made iden-
tification of the dead difficult. The
thermometer dropped nearly to zero
and 1t was fearful night for the grief
stricken survivors, many left without
a roof to cover their heads. Neigh
bors opened their homes and all day
yesterday those who had escaped
death huddled about the stoves relat-
ing details OF their experiences.
Turns and Misses JanesviIIe.
The cyclone was one Of the "twis-
ter" variety. It originated in the VIC
unity of Orfordville, twelve miles
southwest of Janesvllle, travelled
northeast for several miles, and then
turned to the east missing this city
by narrow margin. It's force, was
spent near Milton. The greatest dam
age was done near the point of origin
and at Milton.
The cyclone was accompanied by a
driving rain. There had been high
wind all day Saturday and this con-
tinued throughout the night. The
cyclone lasted only a few minutes
of the afternoon it was dark as night.
The binding downpour made search
for the dead and dying a terrible
task.
OF the Schmidt family, three-quar-
ters of mile east of Hanover, there
is only one survivor. He is Albert
Schmidt, the IA year old boy. Physi-
clans say he cannot recover. -
Alice Schmidt, who kept house for
her father and her younger sister,
were in the house when the cyclone
struck it. 1t is believed they threw
their arms about each other and died
together The bodies were blown
across the road. the house being de-
molished over their heads.
Bodies Driven Into Ground.
Their necks were broken, skulls
fractured, and it required two men to
pull the half buried bodies from the
ground. Anton Schmidt, the father,
and tramp, were in the barn. The
tramp, who was not injured. says Mr..
Schmidt was blown through the barn
door His body was found in the
debris and received internal injuries.
People in Hanover We're told of the
fate of the Schmidts by the tramp.
Search for the bodies were instituted
at once, lanterns being used The
bodies of the sisters We're found two
hours later The dead were taken
to the home of neighbor, Mrs. E. G.
Brown, the injured son being carried
there also.
Mrs. Elizabeth Proede, bride of a
few months, was instantly killed when
the house was carried. away. Her
husband stood in the born door and
saw the house carried away and dis
covered the body of his bride after
the cyclone passed. The Proedes liv-
ed near Orfordville. -
Loe Lentz, lG years old, was blown
from new tarn he was helping to
erect for James Little. six miles
northeast of Hanover. He was killed.
His father, Theodore Lentz, who was
also working on the Earn, was unin-
jured.
: Near Miltcn there was one death,
that of Helen Austin, flve years old,
daughter Of Alfred Austin, . rich
fArmok