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


north, just before it reached Elmont
Wallace school, four and a half
miles west OF Topeka, is total wreck.
Trees surrounding the building were
snapped off close to the ground. The
school house was leveIled 10 the
ground and parts of it were found this
morning more than mile away.
Shed Saved Lives.
One of the most miraculous escapes
OF the entire storm was at this school
house. A. d. Hastings, West Tulsa,
okla, was passing the school house
with party of friends and relatives
who had been touring Kansas, Okla
hOma and Colorado, when he saw the
twister approaching. He drove his
car into the school house yard and the
party took refuge in a cob house. The
school house, torn to thousand
pieces, was hurled over the cob shed
and a building that stood beside it
cannot be found. Trees were snapped
off at the ground and hurled into an
adjoining wheat field. The Hastings
car was hurled about ten rods into the
field. The cob shed was not moved
en- inch from its foundation nor was a
shingle loosened.
Last night a party from Topeka IN
spected the ruins and someone found
the motor car half buried in the field,
a shapeless mass almost. A man press
ed the starter button. The engine re
sponded promptly and started without
a cylinder missing.
Into Missouri, Also.
The Santa Fe railway today report
ed that the roads depot at Eskrldge
had been damaged to the extent of all
the windows being blown out. Scores
of telegra phi poles were down between
Topeka and Pauline.
The railway company also reported
a tornado at Dean Lake, Mo. near
Carrollton, and also one at Whitam.
Fifteen persons were injured at Dean
Lax NJ
Santa Fe ran a relief train from Mar
celine
telegram received late Tuesday
night by Mrs George Rake, 614 JEFF
ferson street, asserted that disas-
trous twister had swept Richmond,
Mo. killing three persons. Mrs. Ger
aid Brown, her baby and Fannie Nc
Gaugh.
At Menokcn, Klro and EImont.
The twister struck just miles west If
Topeka Tuesday night shortly before
o'clock. leaving Menoken. Kiro and
Elmont practically wiped off the map
Nof Shawnee county. Orchards were
uprooted and pasture shelters scatter
ed for miles around the district.
Horses and cattle and pigs were hurl-
ed against the uprooted trees and
stumps and killed by falling barns.
houses, and debris.
The town of Menoken is practically
destroyed, with possibly only two
were completely wrecked by the wind
and piled in mountains of splintered
timber Whole orchards were torn
from the earth and carrie more than
100 yards by the twister. The twister
seemed to have used Menoken a
center and to have reeked its destruct-
ion in nearly a complete semi-circle,
covering a district of fifty square
miles.
At the Menoken station. the Union
arl ks nj folx
cred with mountains of debris, whole
trees thinkers from destroyed houses
and shattered outhouses and broken
telegraph wires. Train service on
both The Union Pacific and Rock Is
land lines was delayed for more than
two hours.
Big Grove Uprooted.
At the Union Pacific station az
Menoken, che tornado uprooted and
splintered practically the whole half
acre grove just west of the station, de-
posting whole tree trunks across the
railroad tracks and tearing wires
from the poles for miles.
one of the first aid parties to reach
the district was composed of DIR. NJ
A. Sloo. assistant company surgeon of
the Chicago, Rock Island q Pacific:
DIR. a. Fl. Marshall, surgeon for the
same road, and DR.. II. b. Hogeboom
company surgeon of the Union Pa
clfic. The party toured the stricken
tuSulcts not more than an hour after
the disaster was reported in Topeka
Two barns were completely de-
molished on the Kasse baum farm, Just
seven miles west of Topeka on the
lower Silver Lake road. while the
house not 200 feet away was left nm
scathed by the twister BaIed straw
from the east barn, just off the road
was carried as far as half a mile to
the east and north Whole bales were
deposited along the highway
la Of
send, farmer, formerly of Topeka.
were entirely destroyed but no in
Juries were reported.
The storm seemed to have wreaked
its havoc just west of Townsend's farm
destroying everything in its path. Just
two houses were left standing along
the road for two miles. The large ten
room house on the Schooley farm was
left untouched while every Clubhouse
on the farm was crushed to splinters
and carried away.
The other home not shattered be-
longs to j. w. Reamor. He and his
family of four were in the house dur
ing the storm and the twister missed
them by scarcely 100 yards.
Center of the Storm.
The center of the storm in this dis
trict was just half mile west Of Rea-
mor's land. picking up the two-story
eight room house of Tom +. Oliver,
isurseryman, and hurting it 100 feet to
the north. The wreckage was thu own
against concrete garage and heaped
nearly twenty feet high. A 1900
pound Oakland motor car was carried
from in front of the foundation and
dropped not 5 feet from the edge of
the wrecked house. The whole ia nily
escaped with only slight scratches and
bruises.
Oliver himself was caught out in
front of the house. When the twister
swept across the road not 100 feet
away, Oliver fell to the ground and
seized a three foot stump. His family
ran for the cellar while he chung to
the grass and stump. His car not Is
feet away was picked up blythe twister
carried directly over his head and
dropped again nearly 100 feet away.