The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1915-06-30
AWFUL DESTRUCTION
A Regular Tornado Sweeps Southwest
Portion of Lamar Territory Leav-
ing Desolation in Its Track

The most terrible ana destructive
wind storm ever known in this sec
ton of the country swept through the
Cat and Mud creek settlements south
west of Lamar Tuesday afternoon late
and left trail of wrecked homes and
destroyed crops besides a host of dis
abled people The terror of the wind
was added to by terrific hail that
pounded down what the wind had left
and fell with merciless force on the
poor people who had been forced out
into the storm.
The storm passed from northwest to
southeast, its full force being first in
evidence at Caddoa about o'clock
when the local passenger was reaching
there. All the windows on the north
side of the train were broken out as
well as all in the town. Trees were
stripped Of their foliage and left as
bare and desolate looking as in mid
winter.
South of Caddoa the storm gathered
fury and struck the homes of the new
settlers on Cat and Mud creeks with
its full force. Over u section about
four miles wide and fifteen miles long
extending to the Jesse Tanner ranch
it carried everything before it. Houses
were hurled in every direction and in
every way. Some were torn board
from board and strewn over the prair-
les while others were raised off the
foundation and carried as far as
fifty feet without being much injured
Wagon wheels were torn to pieces,
the spokes being twisted out of the
hub and thrown around in every di-
rection from the places where they
were broken up. Even the most ter
rible stories have some humorous fea-
lures and it is vouched for that at
one ranch everything was torn up,
house, sheds, barn, corrals and the
garage torn board from board and
carried out on the prairie but the Ford
car was untouched.
AS soon as word reached Lamar of
the calamity the city government and
business men raised funds hastily and
volunteers were quickly in the field
to lend help to the injured and fur
nish supplies to the needy. DR.. N.
NJ. Burnett was in the field early on
Wednesday and owing to the emer-
gency of the cases only took time to
furnish medical and surgical aid to
the seriously injured leaving minor
cases for later aid. He did a noble
work all day long through the Mud
creek section and gave aid to twenty
two cases where bones were broken
and patients were in serious condi-
ton.
DIR. f. E Bartlett went to Cat creek
and spent all day yesterday and to-
day. Drs. Knuckey and Likes went
through the Mud creek section today
with later party and rendered fur
Their aid. A number of business men
including Mayor C. F. Cook, R. L.
Christy, C. P. Adams, Night Marshal
Herwig, f. G. Henkins, f. r. Jones,
Fred Williams, Dick Creaghe, Allan
Robinson and others went over the
territory taking provisions along to
distribute to all who might be in need
as many had lost everything in the
storm.
One of the most pitiful cases was
that of Mr.. L. Barker and family. Mr..
Barker had gone the day before to
the cedars to get posts leaving his
wife, and daughter ten years old, and
son four years at home. The storm
tore the roof off and wrecked the
home seriously injuring Mrs. Barker,
her arm and collar bone being broken
and internal injuries besides. She
told the children to crawl under the
bed to escape the hail ond lost con-
seriousness after that. She knows moth
ing that happened after, but neigh
bors found her in the morning and on
searching found the children a consid-