Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-05-17
Toraudo Causes Death and Destruction

Torando Causes Death and Desuuetion
A most destructive tornado visited
a section several miles to the south of
Cresco on Thursday last at about five
o'clock in the afternoon. The path of
the storm was from point in Chicka-
saw county, near Pearl Rock, a little
village nearly wiped out by the storm,
northeast to Calmar. Seven fatalities
occurred, two at Nashua, three near
New Hampton and two at Calmar.
Two persons severely injured at CAL
mar may not survive.
The closest approach of the storm to
this immediate vicinity was at Little
Turkey where their fine new church is
practically q wreck, and store building
and school demolished.
At Calmar. the work of the storm is
written up as follows in the Calmar
Courier:
"Our beautiful town was visited
evening et about five O'Clock
by terrible wind and rain storm, caus-
ing two deaths, injuring several other
people, and leaving wreckage of build
ings, and trees strewn over the whole
town. @2
Those who lost their lives are Peter
Anderson, living near the round house.
The house was torn to pieces and the
wreckags of it was blocking the street.
Mrs. Anderson was so badly hurt that
she possibly will die. and their daugh-
ter, Mrs. Berguson is badly hurt, also
granddaughter Mabel Bergeson.
1 Mrs. Peter Sandager living on farm
just east of town was killed when the
barn in which she was, was blown
down.
The residence portion on the north
side suffered the most. There is scarce
ly place of residence on that side that
did not sustain more or less damage.
North street was blocked from one end
to the other with wreckage of build
ings, lumber. and tangle of telephone
and electric poles und wire.
The railroad company sustained the
heaviest single loss.' The round house
isa total wreck with four engines hur-
led III the wreckage. Three cars load
ed with hogs were rolled from the
yards here onto the main track and out
into the country two miles where they
.collided with freight train coming in.
70 b3n ca0stng smash up. the engis
neer and fireman saving their lives BY
jumping. The bunk cars. occupied by
some of the railroad workers in the
coal chutes and round house were
wrecked and several occupants sus-
tanned injuries. =
From the New Hampton Tribune we
quote as follows: - ~
"The worst tornado ever experienced
in this section of Iowa struck Chicka-
saw county, Thursday. May 9th. be-
tween 4 and 6 o'clock in the afternoon.
causing the death of FIVE people and
destroying property conservatively es-
timated at least $3.50, 900. The awful
wind accompanied by heavy rain and
hail entered the county in the south
west corner at Pearl Rock and swept
northeastward leaving the county again
east Of Little Turkey. Its greatest
damage began at Pearl Rock where the
entire village was wiped out. In the
Nashus section two people were killed
Mrs. A. Carpenter and Mr.. Roy Hus.
band, both probably killed by falling
timbers. 1t again dealt terror south
west of New Hampton whe-e it de-
stroyed the entire homestead build
ings on the Thomas Dowd place where
it also killed Mrs. Thomas Dowd, Sr.
The entire set of buildings on the Al
bert Smith place were destroyed and
the home wreck fell upon MIR. and Mrs.
Smith and the little girl. Mr.. Smith
was probably instantly killed by the
falling chimney. At the Priebe home
just south of New Hampton it destroy
ed the buildings and killed Theodore
Krieger, Jr., who with his father,
Theodore Krieger, Sr., had turned in
for protection from the storm. Tim
bers from the barn struck young Theo-
dore and some fell on his body. ,.
The storm swept through the south
edge of New Hampton destroying small
buildings and tearing the shingles from
several roofs. The superstructure on
the city septic tank was torn away.
The heavy new viaduct over the c. G.
w. Railway to the Fankhauser house
was destroyed and two of the steel sig