The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-13


Augustus Erickson. south of Belvue. bruis-
ed and injured.
Hoffener. slightly injured.
HEAVY PROPERTY LOSSES.
House and buildings farm of late
Andrew Erickson. south of Beivue. totally
demolished.
Manrey school. district 81 totally wreck
Paul Miller oil derrick and equipment
Hoffener farm home between WamegO
Mrs George Gave residence, between
WamegO and BeIvue. wrecked.
Payne school house completely wrecked
Charles Hoover residence near Wamego,
Russell Crane barns near wameeo
Barns and farm buildings belonging to
=. r. ROwles, Joe Miller and Frank
Hutchinson farms. The houses these
farms were not wrecked
Thanked by terrific electric dis
plays. with thunder crashing, and ac-
companied with a deluge of rain. two
tornadoes swept paths of ruin thru
the fertile farming country near st.
Marys, Wamego and northward short
~ after sunset Tuesday night. Both.
according to reports received in To-
peka today, formed on or just south
swaths of wrecked homes uprooted
trees. destitute families and farm
lands stripped of growing crops
that besides doing slight damage in
several towns.
one twister, the largest of the two
swept just east of Wamego, cutting a
two-miIe path. This morning the
Union Pacific reported two miles of
telegraph wire down there. The poles
were broken and manw snapped off at
the ground. Their pieces and tne
wires We're wrapped and tangled in
mass of wreckage Train crews com
ing into Topeka today on trains that
run thru the district reported build
ings leveled to the ground.
No One Killed.
Shortly befor- noon today the
Southwestern Bell Telephone company
opened a line of communication be-
tween Wamego and Topeka for the
State Journal by detouring the call
around the devastated district and
coming into the former city from the
west 1t was verified that no one was
killed, altho three or four persons liv-
ing between Wamego and Belvue We're
badly injured. WamegO was not dam
aged other than the destruction of
small buildings and trees. The great
path of damage, it was stated, lies
about two miles this side of the city.
The fine farm residence of Charles
Hoover was totally destroyed. 1t is To-
Gated a few miles this side of WamegO
AItho it is impossible to communicate
with the entire tornado district from
Wamego, it was said that the tornado
proper did not travel more than three
or four miles north from the place it
started. From there it merged into a
violent wind and spread out fan-Hke
over the country to the nOrthward
State Journal reporters, travelling
into the tornado district from St.
Marys, easily verified statements that
the damage was heavy. The eastern
edge of the damaged district is near
Belvue or about five or six miles west
of st. Marys.
The John Mullen place was totally
wrecked both house and barn being
blown down. No one was injured and
horses that were in the wrecked barn
were not hurt The Manrey school
house was totally demolished. The
Paul Miller oil we'll derrick and
equipment were strewn to the ground.
At the Heffener place every building
was wrecked. The family took refuge
in a celler and escaped injury with
the exception of Mr. Heffener. who
tween Belvue and Wamego. The
house was hurled twenty feet and
wrecked.
The Mrs. George Gave place. be-
tween Belvue and Wamego, was
wrecked, but no one was injured. The
Payne school house was completely
demolished. 1t was laid as fiat as was
the Wallace school near Menoken.
One Man May Be Paralyzed.
Near Louisville. man named
Baehmer was badly injured. His first
name could not be learned. In Wa
mego, p. Mackinthaler was seriously
injured by flying live wire. Physi-
clans say if he lives he may be para
lived.
A lumber of fine orchards in be-
tween st. Marys and Wamego were
damaged and some We're mostly de-
stroyed. Crops suffered cor siderably
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