Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-05-15
.CALMAR HIT BY
TERRIFIC TORNADO
Many Homes Wrecked and ThOus~
ands of Dollars Damage Done
Last Thursday Evening Be-
tween Five and Six
O'clock.
ONE PERSON KILLED
IN CALMAR, TWO INJURED
Top of High Water Tank Sailed
Two Blocks and Crashed
Into Roof of D. r. Ode
Home.

Last Thursday evening our sister
town of Calmar twelve miles south
of Decorah suffered terrible dis
aster from a terrific cyclone that
swept over the city bringing death
and destruction in its path. 1t
came from the southwest and
swept toward the northeastern por-
tion Of the town. The wind first
struck the Milwaukee round house
a large building and leveled it to
the ground, then swept on and level
ed the Peter Anderson home. Mr..
Anderson and his wife were in the
house. The latter went into the
cellar, but Mr.. Anderson remained
up stairs. The house was blown
to pieces and he was found about
100 feet away, dead. The wife was
badly injured and is not expected
to live. The other death was that Of
Mrs. Peter Sandager living about
two miles from Calmar.
The storm extended from quite
distance the other side of New
Hampton and hundreds of farm
homes suffered in its path.
A peculiar coincident happened
on the julius Olson farm on the
East Calmar road. Last spring
his big silo was moved foot or
two from the foundation, and he
was just getting ready to get teams
and men and get it back, when the
tornado come along and moved 1t
back perfect on the foundation
where it belonged.
The damage at CalmAr jwill
mount up into the thousands, more
than a 100000 it is said. Sunday
about 1000 automobiles brought
thousands of visitors to view the
disaster.
Yesterday large number of high
school boys went over to help the
good people Of Calmar get the
wreckage cleaned up, and today we
understand a number of Luther
college and city firemen will go
over and render what assistance
they can.
The storm didn't do any damage
in Decorah. 1t rained hard here
for about an hour and that was all.
John Longstreet went over to
Calmar and took a lot of pictures
and he has been kept busy turning
them out since, having already dis
posed of over 5000.
The good people of Calmar have
the sympathy Of everybody in their
misfortune. Decorah stands ready
to aid in any way possible. The
following write up of the disaster
is taken from the Calmar Courier
and will give an idea of the awful
loss.
Our beautiful town was visited
Thursday evening at about five o.
clock by a terrible wind and rain
storm, causing two deaths, injur-
ing several other people, and leav-
ing wreckage of buildings, and
trees strewn over the whole town.
Those who lost their lives are
Peter Anderson, living near the
round house. The house was torn
to pieces AMI the wreckage of 1t
was blocking the street. Mrs.
Anderson was so badly hurt that
she possibly will die, and their
daughter. Mrs. Bergeson is badly
hurt, also granddaughter, Mabel
Bergeson.
Mrs. Peter Sandager living on a
farm just east of town was killed
when the barn in which she was
in was blown down.
The residence portion on the
North side suffered the most.
There is scarcely place of resi-
dence on that side that did not
sustain more or less damage.
North street was blocked from
one end to the other with wreck
age of buildings, lumber and
tangle of telephone and electric
poles and wire. The town was left
in total darkness.
1t is utterly impossible to enum-
crate each and describe in detail
the losses created, only some of
the worst we have noted.
The railroad company sustained
the heaviest single loss. The round
house is q total wreck with four
engines buried in the wreckage.
Three cars loaded with hogs were
rolled from the yards here onto
the main track and out into the
country two miles where they col
lided with freight train coming
into town causing smashup. the
engineer and fireman saving their
lives by jumping. The bunk cars
occupied by some of the railroad
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