USA > Iowa > Pocahontas County > The pioneer history of Pocahontas County, Iowa, from the time of its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 42
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During the night of Sabbath, May 21, 1893, a severe wind storm, accom- panied with rain and hail, passed in a southeasterly direction across portions of Marshall, Sherman, Center and Lin- coln townships. Those who sustained the loss of barns and outbuildings were Mr. Errick of Marshall, Frank Stacy, James Eral and Andrew Shades of Sherman, John Shimon, Herman Schmaing, Martin Eral, Mr. Borden and Mrs. Marden (house also) of Center, Wm. Boog, Chas. Travis and Ernest Peterson (house rebuilt after storm of April 11th ult.) of Lincoln township. The Jackson school house in Williams township, Calhoun county, was de- * R. M. Wright, at Pomeroy, July 6, 1891.
The fields of gently waving corn Dressed in living green, Did the brown earth with grace adorn,, A sight for any queen.
And then, as evening time drew near With faces glad and bright,
The people supped their tea with cheer, Nor thought of coming fright.
But look toward the northwest sky! See the evil omens come!
There riseth clouds of blackest dye That soon obscure the sun.
And nearer yet with silent tread Then lower, lower still, Until each heart is filled with dread And minds with terror thrill. That peaceful scene has vanished, now There's hurrying to and fro, And many are inquiring how They may to safety go.
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THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
But ere they find a sure retreat From wind and hail and rain, The awful cyclone bursts complete, Protection's sought in vain. In time more brief than can be told It has passed on its way; But what a scene the eyes behold, Left there that summer day.
5:00 p. m. thunder was first heard and it came from the bank of dark clouds in the west. About three-quarters of an hour later the lightning became continuous, the thunder incessant and a rumbling roar was heard somewhat different from the usual sound of dis- The homes of Pomeroy low are lain, tant thunder. At 6:20 there fell a But sadder far than all,
There's kindred dear among the slain The chains of death enthrall. What pen can paint that awful sight? What tongue can ever tell The agony of the coming night, The sorrow that befell.
Three scores of people are found dead And others wounded sore, Thus on the wires the message dread Now flew the country o'er. Sympathy filled the hearts of men For such a grief untold, And gifts were offered freely then; May they return a hundred fold.
MOLLIE NIGHT.
heavy rain lasting ten minutes and accompanied by a slight fall of hail. It was at this time the terrific wind- storm passed over the southwest cor- ner of this county a half mile south of Fonda. To persons living southwest of the town who witnessed its approach from a position just south of its course,. as it swept across the country from the Hersom school house to Cedar creek, it appeared as a dense black cloud with a greenish tint extending from above close to the ground, heavily charged with electricity and rapidly advancing with a swiftly rolling, surging and aw- fully destructive movement. It was a fearful sight to behold, for the air was filled with flying debris and the wild roar of the storm was one. never
The track of this storm was about 1,000 feet in width and 50 miles in length. Commencing at a point three miles northwest of Quimby, Cherokee county, it passed a little south of east, or nearly parallel with the Illinois to be forgotten. When it had passed, Central railroad, to a short distance the fearful evidences of its mighty east of Pomeroy, in Calhoun county. power were seen everywhere along its That day was a very sultry one path. Large trees were broken or up- and the approach of rain was indicated rooted and others, standing alone, by a light colored cloud appearing in were entirely stripped of their bark, the west that changed to a darker hue leaves and small branches. Houses, as it slowly rose higher and spread together with their inmates, barns over the entire western horizon. The and other outbuildings were lifted approach of the terrific windstorm from their foundations, carried con- was witnessed first by the people liy- siderable distances, overturned, ut- ing in the bluffs on the west side of terly crushed and their fragments the Little Sioux river, who saw two strewed in every direction. Passing through the center of the lake, at Storm Lake, it raised the water to the height of 100 feet.
angry looking clouds approach each other from the northwest and south- west. The convergence of these clouds was witnessed also at Storm Lake and Pomeroy.
At Pomeroy, in Calhoun county, a town of 600 inhabitants, itarrived at At Fonda the sight of light colored, 7 o'clock p, m. having been preceded capering clouds originating apparently by a gentle rain of five minutes. Here overhead and moving swiftly west- its path of total destruction was about ward, driven by a strong east wind 1,200 feet wide and of partial destruc- into the face of the storm, suggested tion 1,800 feet. In three to five min- the probability of a cyclone. About utes all of the buildings in the south
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PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
part of that town, which embraced stroyed the large new barn of Jesse nine-tenths of all in it, including about Allee south of Newell that cost $3,000, the one on the Gilmore farm occupied
one hundred houses, were completely demolished and their fragments were by Charles Peirie, and all the build- strewn promiscously in a southeasterly ings on the farms of Paul Winter, S. direction. Everything was absolutely V. Moore, Peter Larson, (Mack farm) flat on the ground-there was not a and of Mr. Shumway then occupied by building nor green tree to be seen, nor a newly married couple.
the movement of any living thing un-
About one mile west of the line til after the lapse of several minutes. of Pocahontas county the barns of W. Even the persons and animals that I. Lane, A. W. Eno and A. J. Ham-
were not seriously injured were appar- ilton, and the new and large build- pletely destroyed and serious injuries were sustained by Mrs. John Schlieman, three of her children, and by Mr. and Mrs. Schlieman, Sr., John's parents. were also seriously injured. ently stunned by the electric shock. ings of John Schlieman were com- Intense darkness prevailed for a short time after the tornado that hindered the work of immediate rescue and precluded the possibility of determin- ing to what extent life and property The buildings of John McDermott had been injured. It also rained and hailed terribly. The awful sudden- In its path across this county, all ness and completeness of the change the buildings were completely de- stroyed on the farms of E. I. Sar- gent, occupied by E. A.Shirley, of Sam- uel T. Hersom, Harry Hersom, on the one occupied by Amos H. Gorton, at the Hersom schoolhouse, of Mrs. Marshall occupied by John Detwiller, and on those of P. B. Shirley, G. W. of a pretty and prosperous town to a desolate waste produced an impression upon the minds of those who wit- nessed it that will never be forgotten. The loss of human life was appalling. Four days later the death roll in that vicinity contained 48 names, and 105 other persons were receiving treat- Ferguson, Moody & Davy occupied by ment in the hospital and homes, tem- W. I. Webb, of Benjamin Peach and porarily provided for the injured.
In crossing Cherokee and Buena Vista counties the movement of the black, whirling electric storm cloud was observed principally by those who were located south of its course, and it was distinctly seen as far south as Odebolt. Whilst its general course was a straight line it had an undula- tory movement, alternately rising and falling, that to some extent was be- lieved to be due to the ascent of high knolls and the obstruction presented by groves of large timber. These seemed to give it an upward tendency that carried it over long stretches of intervening and less elevated country.
Charles G. Perkins. The barns were destroyed on the farms of J. H. Stafford, Harvey Eaton, Geo. Sanborn (occupied by Jarvis Gates) and James Mercer. At the home of W. J. Busby the windmill was wrested from its moorings and left resting on the roof of the house.
It struck the south line of Pocahon- tas county first near the old Kephart grove and passing east to the crossing of the D. M. N. & W. railroad com- menced a zigzag movement that was continued to Pomeroy. It veered first northeast to the residence of P. B. Shirley, whose grove and buildings were completely destroyed. Here it was joined by a smaller twister and
The storm, after leaving the city of turned south to the county line where Storm Lake, where several large the buildings of G. W. Ferguson and buildings were injured, dropped and de- Joseph Becker, all rebuilt after the
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THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
April storm, and the outbuildings of fant, E. O. Davy-31, Ben L. Davy-20 John Woods were completely de- Mrs. Katie Davy-18, Ellen Dahlgren- stroyed. From that point it passed 28, Joseph DeMarr-25, Henry Dill- eastward along the county line, de- muth-63, Edward Doyle-27, Mrs. N. stroying all the buildings on the farms Fecht-38, Olive Frost-17, Henry of Moody & Davy (occupied by W. I. Geige-36, Mrs. Henry George-32, Webb) Benjamin Peach and August August Forche-38, N. S. Hulett-72, Weidaurf ("Chichago Johnson" farm). Mrs. N. S. Hulett-72, Roy Keifer-18, From this place it veered northward Lena Keifer-11, Mrs. F. Johnson-25, and destroyed all the buildings and J. P. Lundgren-58, Ollie Lundgren- grove of Charles G. Perkins, thence 12, S. N. Maxwell, Alexander Max- southeast, destroying the buildings well- 14, Herman Mellor-1, Mrs. and groves of John Dalton and MIs. B. J. Harlowe-68, August Meyer Fuller, thence east making similar -17, Henry Neiting-74, Mrs. Neiting havoc of the grove and buildings on -64, J. M. O'Brien-60, Mrs. D. L. the farm of W. D. Parker and resi- O'Brien-24, O'Brien infant, Mrs. dence of Jacob Foster, at the edge of Agnes Quinlan-21, Michael Quinlan Pomeroy. Here it made a slight cir- - 1, Silas Rushton-34, Mrs. Silas cular turn to the southeast across the Rushton - 28, Charles Rushton - 3, residence portion and south part of Betsey Talbot-68, Nina Thomas-4, the business blocks of Pomeroy. A. J. Wilkinson-65, Mrs. H.Geige-36.
Those that were injured in this county were Mrs. John Detwiller, Harry Hersom and two children of Amos H. Gorton.
ROLL OF THE DEAD.
The list of the persons that were killed by this storm or died soon after
RECAPITULATION.
Pocahontas county 4
Buena Vista
5
Cherokee 12
49
Pomeroy and vicinity Total. 70.
On the night of July 14th the fol- from injuries received is as follows, lowing injured persons were taken the numbers at the right denoting their ages. from the temporary hospital at Pom- eroy to the Samaritan Home and St. POCAHONTAS COUNTY. Joseph Hospital in Sioux City: J. W.
John Detwiller-29, Mrs. Amos H. Black, Mrs. J. W. Black, three Black Gorton-33, Jessie Gorton-11, Jennie children, Mrs. Andrew G. Blomberg, Gorton-9.
BUENA VISTA COUNTY.
W. R. Clemons, Bernard Johnson, Jacob Breecher, Miss Breecher, C. N. Totman.
CHEROKEE COUNTY.
Mrs. O. M. Lester, Frank Lord, Mrs. Molyneaux, Frank Johnson, Marion Johnson, Lula Slater, Samuel Burg, wife and four children.
POMEROY AND VICINITY.
Evelyn Blomberg, Dina Blomberg Jos- eph DeMarr, Edward Doyle, Mr. Fitz- gerald, Mrs. Fitzgerald, Frank Forche, Arthur Forche, Henry Geige, Jr., Mrs. Henry Geige, Mrs. Gilbert, Mrs. Helen George, Arthur George, George-baby, George Guy, Mrs. George Guy, Addie Guy, Thomas Harmon, Emma Har- mon, August Helm, Lottie Helm, Roy Keifer, John Koklantz, Mrs. Koklantz Koklantz-baby, Mrs. A. Lindblad, Mrs. Gus Linder, two Linder children,
Maria Adams-67, Wat Arnold-64, Mr. Lull, Mrs. S. N. Maxwell, James Mrs. Sarah Arnold-66, Mrs. J. F. Mellor, Mrs. James Mellor. Linda Ole- Anderson-65, Bessie Banks-14, Ray son, Jacob Paap, Mrs. Jacob Paap, Banks- 8, John Beckley's two child- Jesse Pruden, Michael Quinlan, Mrs. ren, Grover Black-8, Black-in- Silas Rushton, Mary Soderstrom, Mr.
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PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
Thomas, Mrs. Thomas, Henry Wegraffe, comfort the women of Pomeroy by the Total, 49. Edward Doyle died as the presence of a company of women train arrived at the depot in Sioux whose hearts and hands were in lively City, and Joseph DeMar, Mrs. Geige, co-operation, came as an inspiration", Roy Keifer and Mrs. Rushton a few and in response to an appeal twenty- days later. At the end of two months three women signified their willing- the others had so improved they were ness to render service in this way if able to return to their own homes. summoned.
On the day after this storm Gov-
As soon as C. S. Gilmore, superin- ernor Boies visited the scene at Pom- tendent of the Rock Island railroad eroy and issuing a proclamation an- heard of this project he very promptly nouncing the greatness and appalling placed two cars-a passenger coach character of the disaster, called upon `and baggage car-at Mrs. Wyman's the citizens of the state to cooperate disposal, together with a sufficient generously in the work of immediate number of cots for sleeping accommo- relief. This relief work was organized dations during their stay at Pomeroy.
by the appointment of the following persons as a relief committee, viz: They arrived at Pomeroy Tuesday evening, July, 11th, the fifth day after Mayor M. F. Stadtmueller of Pom- the storm, and, reporting at head- eroy, chairman; Mayor C. A. Whittle- quarters for duty they were warmly sey of Manson; Senator Edgar E. Mack welcomed by officials and citizens and of Storm Lake; Messrs. E. C. Steven- the freedom of the village was ac- son of Rockwell City, J. B. Bollard of corded to them. In three days they Fonda, J. H. Lowrey, Thomas Miller, had accomplished the object of their R. A. Stewart, Ray C. Brownell and special errand. Two hours previous C. W. Alexander, of Pomeroy. This to their departure they were unex- committee on Oct. 12, 1893, reported that they had to that date received and disbursed $69,761, 23 .. pectedly called upon and made 37 stretchers to be used that evening in carrying the injured ones to and from "Then dawned humanity's bright the train while making the trip to morn, Gifts and good cheer were speedily borne ;. Sioux City. "Thi's work of love for humanity's sake, bringing out the best that was in their nature, cemented And women's hearts were moved to friendships never to be forgotten." show FONDA AND VICINITY.
Such wealth of love as sisters know." -ADDIE B. BILLINGTON.
On the day after the storm the pas- tor of the Presbyterian church, who was one of the first to arrive at the
A very beautiful and comforting feature of the ministry of relief was scene of destruction where John Det- the part rendered by the women of willer lay unconsciously breathing his Des Moines. When the appeal of life away, began to solicit voluntary Gov. Boies was read, Mrs. John Wy- offerings for the immediate relief of man, a noble hearted woman of that the pressing wants of the sufferers in city, conceived the idea of organizing the vicinity of Fonda. The next day a circle of ready workers, to go to the an arrangement was made by the pas- scene of the disaster supplied with tors of the Fonda churches for the ap- sewing machines, materials and all pointment of a local relief committee necessary accompaniments and thus to consist of a representative from by their personal knowledge render each congregation and another to be gifts sent doubly valuable to the needy. selected by them. The committee ' This thought, born of a desire to thus selected consisted of Hon. James
325
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
Mercer who was chosen chairman,
This exhibit shows that all sections Wm. Bott, J. R. Johnson, Ed. O'Don- of the country are alike subject to nell and R. F. Beswick who was chosen them and that the percentage in Iowa secretary and treasurer. The report is much lower than in many other of this committee rendered Aug. 10, states. The two most destructive 1893, showed that in addition to a car- storms in Iowa were those at Grinnell load of flour from the Pomeroy relief in 1882 and at Pomeroy in 1893, but the committee and other donations of loss of life and property, appalling as it clothing and provisions it received was, is comparatively insignificant to and disbursed the following amounts of money.
Individual gifts, Fonda and vi- cinity $ 618.24
From Rolfe.
Pocahontas. 278.52
154.50
Laurens. 64.09
66 County Relief Fund. 1250.00 Total $2,365.26.
On the day appointed for the appor- tionment of this amount among the sufferers Alex. McEwen, Alex Peter- son and F. A. Thompson, members of the board of county supervisors, were present to co-operate with the com- mittee
The following statement of the re- lief sent from Rolfe and vicinity was made Aug. 3, 1893:
Rec'd by Mesdames J. Carroll,
M. W. Coffin, M. Fawcett,
A. Malcolm and S. A. Car- son, solicitors. $139.87
Collection at church 204.05
Clothing contributed. 30.00
From a friend to relatives in
Pomeroy
129.90
Total $503.82.
The comparative frequency of tor- nadoes in different sections of the when they strike, but they are not United States may be seen in the fol- nearly so liable to strike as many peo- lowing table prepared by the Signal ple think. This common misappre- Service Bureau at Washington in 1884 hension has grown out of the fact that for the preceding period of ten years. the newspapers publish such graphic Connecticut. 40 per cent. accounts of tornadoes when they occur. New York. 53 66 66
Iowa. .58
66 66 Georgia 62 66
New Jersey . 75
Missouri. 77
Kansas. 88
Indiana 88
66
the awful wreck at St. Louis, the great metropolis of Missouri, when it was visited by the storm of May 27, 1896, and fully 500 persons perished includ- ing fifty school children at Drake, Illinois.
If one hundred men were asked which destroys the most property, cy- clones or hailstorms, in all probability ninety-nine of them would unhesita- tingly answer that cyclones are the most destructive. So far as loss of life is concerned they would be right, but the estimated value of the loss sustained from a single hailstorm in midsummer is usually ten times that of all the tornadoes in any state in an ordinary year.
A tornado inspires terror because of its fierce destruction of whatever comes in its path, but fortunately its path is very narrow so that its width, on any ordinary map, is correctly in- dicated by a mere pencil mark. This illustration serves to show that it would take a great many years to- cover a state and that the danger from cyclones is vastly exaggerated in the popular mind. They make bad work
The hailstorm does not destroy life, but coming at a time when crops are maturing, it wipes out the harvest of a township, worth one hundred thou- sand dollars or more, and the event often passes without note or comment. In this state, the records of the in-
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PIONEER HISTORY OF POCAHONTAS COUNTY, IOWA.
surance companies have established repeated midsummer droughts of the the fact that the loss from hail alone four previous years had their culmina- is five times as great as that from tion of severity in the long continued tornadoes, fire and lightning com- drought of this year throughout the bined.
1894-MULCT LAW-DROUGHT.
Mississippi Valley, that caused fam- ine and want in central and western
On March 20, 1894, the Martin mulct Nebraska, and terminated in terrible law was enacted by the legislature of forest fires in northern Minnesota, Iowa that provides for a state tax of Wisconsin and Michigan, that were as $600 to be assessed against every one destructive as the cyclones and floods engaged in the sale of intoxicating of other years, five hundred lives be- liquors except registered pharmacists ing lost by one of them at Hinkley, holding permits; and thirty days later Minnesota. a consent petition was circulated in The large lakes in Marshall and Swan Lake townships, this county, became dry for the first time in the memory of man, and during the fol- lowing summer these lake bottoms were planted with corn and other cereals. this county for the establishment of a saloon at Fonda. New jury and game laws were enacted. The women of Iowa were granted the right to vote at any election for the purpose of issuing bonds for municipal or school purpos- es, or for the purpose of increasing a tax levy. It was also made unlawful to sell or give tobacco or cigarettes to minors under sixteen years of age.
Labor Day, first observed by the Knights of Labor in New York City, September 5, 1882, was in June, 1894, made a legal holiday by our national congress.
Amid the general disappointment and gloom, caused by the loss of crops from the drought, the people of Poca- hontas County were highly favored. A couple of light showers passed over this section in August that revived the pastures and growing crops. Well fed thoroughbreds continued to graze contentedly upon hill and dale, great fields of corn lifted their rejoicing
The financial depression was deeply felt throughout the country and two heads and the crops, when garnered, armies of the unemployed were organ- though not so large in quantity were ized to march to Washington for the superlatively fine in quality. The purpose of demanding relief from con- husbandman perceived anew, and more gress. The army of J. S. Coxey, con- strikingly than ever before, the su- sisting of 122 persons, left Massillon, periority of this section as regards its Ohio, April 1, 1894, and arrived at ability to survive the direful effects
Washington May 1st, following. At this latter date Kelley's industrial ar- my, consisting originally of 1300 men from the country west of the Missouri river, arrived at Des Moines and passed down the Des Moines river on 150 flat-boats constructed for their spe- cial use.
of long continued drought.
The cause of this period of drought wasattributed to the fact that the prevailing winds, that usually bring the hot air charged with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to this sec- tion, were blown against the Rockies where they were met by a counter
The year of 1894 was one that tried current of cold air from the north and men's souls. It opened with a gen- the barren sides of the old mountains eral financial depression that para- were literally flooded, while the air lyzed every branch of industry and that was carried over the Mississippi caused more business failures than valley lacked moisture. All know the any year of that decade. Then the effect of cold air on steam, it con-
i.
327
THIRD PERIOD, 1883-1899.
denses it. When a cold current of the fall, while the latter grow early in air from the north or northwest the spring and late in the fall. If comes in contact with warmer cur- the tame grasses rest during a mid- rents from the gulf charged with summer drought a good substitute is moisture, the latter is condensed and readily found in winter rye or some there is a fall of rain. The winds other rapidly growing crop.
from the gulf, however, do not always reach this section direct, but fre- quently from the southwest making a
1895-NEBRASKA RELIEF.
On February 9, 1895, C. C. Gardner, treasurer of the relief committee of circuit over Texas, Oklahoma and Sargent, Custer county, Neb., arrived Kansas. If there is moisture in the in Fonda and after a conference with currents of air it may be condensed, the pastors of the several churches it but if there is none there can be no was decided to put forth an effort to condensation, or fall of rain. This is secure a carload of grain and provis- the reason why the rainmakers who, ions for the needy sufferers in the at this period in Iowa, Texas and drought-stricken district represented other places, endeavoring to produce by him. For this car there were con- rain by the use of explosives in mid- tributed 330 bushels of corn, of which air, could accomplish nothing when 30 had been selected for seed; 47 bush- circumstances were not favorable.
The rich soil of this section never bakes like the clays of other regions and from the time of its first settle- ment to this date there has never been a failure of the corn crop from any cause, least of all from drought. Nev- ertheless the drought had its lessons for the observing farmer and one of them was, that the capacity of this black soil of our prairies to hold moist- ure and support plant life in times of drought depends to a great extent on
els of oats, 65 sacks of flour, 460 pounds of cornmeal, 60 pounds of oatmeal, 200 pounds of meat, a lot of hay, grocer- ies, bedding and clothing, that, in- cluding the cash contributed, $93.76, was estimated to be worth $400.00. This car was loaded February 16, and left Fonda six days later, when the deficit ($51.72) on a freight bill of $112.69 was advanced by Rev. R. E. Flickinger, who accompanied it to its destination.
About two weeks later an addition- the fineness of its particles and the- al half car load of grain and provisions depth of its cultivation. Its thorough solicited by C. F. Bockenoogen, was pulverization, wherever properly contributed by the people in the vi- drained, increases its capacity to hold cinity of Laurens, Havelock and Rolfe, moisture and lessens the downward and sent to the same needy district.
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