USA > Iowa > Calhoun County > Pomeroy > The story of a storm, a history of the great tornado at Pomeroy, Calhoun County, Iowa, July 6, 1893 > Part 11
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At first the rescuing parties were guided quite often by cries for help from the injured, but these died out as many were removed from the ruins and others became“ exhausted or their life went out altogether, and as the night wore on few sounds could be heard above that of the raging storm. Until after the arrival of the second relief train from Manson the work of rescuing the wounded was greatly retarded because of there being so few lanterns at hand. This was rendered something less of a calamity than it otherwise would have been by an unexplainable power of nocturnal vision which seemed to have been given L. W. Moody, one of the leaders in searching for the injured. The persons who composed his party all attest to his possession of this peculiar power
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during the time they were working with him on this night. He would say : "There lies someone else over yonder," when to the others it was simply the blackness of night in the direction he indicated, but they found that he always led them aright. Mr. Moody himself says that he could see perfectly well a reasonable distance over the ruins ; that it seemed no darker to him than ordinary evening twilight.
CARING FOR THE WOUNDED AND DEAD.
The greatest difficulty encountered in caring for the victims of the storm in Pomeroy was the scarcity of buildings where the wounded could be properly cared for, so few houses were left habitable in the town. People whose homes were left threw thein open for the reception of those who were less fortunate, but every available place was sadly crowded, especially during that first awful night. It was made a point to care first for those who were yet alive, and these were all housed by 11 o'clock that night. Temporary hospitals were established wher- ever the room for one could be obtained, and the follow- ing day found the seriously wounded patients distributed about as follows: Hotel Richards, 19; opera hall, 12 ; Solomon Johnson's, 8 ; Wood's hotel, 6 ; L. W. Moody's, 5 ; Mrs. Wells', 6 ; in tents, 25 ; and from one to three at the houses of Messrs. Prange, Peterson, Hodds, Sisco, Gutz, Dangerfield, W. J. Smith, Terrill, Masterson, Wal- lace, Barnhardt, Lempke, Myers, and perhaps a few others. While there were a great many terrible sights of mangled human beings at these places, yet there were not the evidences of intense pain that one would expect to see. In most cases the wounded were apparently stunned or dazed, or else bore their suffering with remarkable forti- tude and bravery.
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The dead were cared for as rapidly as possible under the circumstances, but some of the bodies were necessa- rily left on the ground until early daylight came to assist the searchers. It could not be otherwise. A place where the dead could be taken for identification and for preparation for burial was a necessity, and accordingly a morgue was improvised out of the old post office building, more recently used as a billiard hall. The scenes here were such as not all would care to gaze upon. One description of the place, given by the reporter for the Sioux City Tribune, is as follows : "Two pool tables, one with the cushions removed, the other untouched, together with two long tables made of rough planks, held the dead, or rather a portion of them, for others had been placed in coffins and taken to the cemetery. The bodies on the tables, each enveloped in a muslin cloth and with great pieces of ice between them, represented nearly the seven ages of man. There was a tiny baby, perhaps eight months old, a boy in knickerbockers, a girl a few years older, a youth, a young man just past his majority, a middle-aged woman, and an old man. The baby had not a mark on it, but was as clean as if it had just come from the bath. The others were battered and torn and bleeding. The water from the melting ice mingled with the blood and ran onto the floor, where it stood several inches deep. It was a ghastly place, yet there were people who had no possible business there, who passed through the building when the guard would permit them, pulled back the bloody draperies and viewed the mangled bodies with a morbid curiosity which passes understand- ing."
During the next two days after the storm thirty-one new graves were filled, in the Pomeroy cemeteries alone, and many of the dead were taken to other points for
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burial. Load after load of coffined bodies - the remains of those who but yesterday were well and strong and happy - were taken to the little graveyard on the hill, some with a few mourners accompanying them, others whose friends had all shared a like fate- to be interred there with a few brief words and a prayer for their soul's welfare from one of the several clergymen who were kept busy with this kind of work. Although there was notli- ing but sorrow and sadness everywhere about the stricken city at this time, yet the cemeteries were undoubtedly the saddest places of all for one to visit. At relief head- quarters, at the hospitals and among the ruins, there was bustle and activity -even though it was of a subdued sort - and the excitement and the work at hand kept one from taking in a realizing sense of the awfulness of his surroundings, but it was not so when one stepped over into the city of the dead. There thie very quietude was depressing, for no sounds were heard save the occasional click of a spade in the gravel, the voice of the ininister pronouncing the last sad rites for a poor unfortunate, or the sobs and moans of someone whose heart wounds were torn afresh when the clods rolled in over all that was earthily of a loved one. Then there was necessarily a hurried, business air about the burial proceedings which had a tendency to impress one sadly with the little conse- quence of one human life.
BEGINNING OF SYSTEMATIC RELIEF.
The wires soon spread broadcast the news of the Pom- eroy disaster, and every train coming into the town that night and the following day was loaded with people and supplies from neighboring towns. Most of the people who came during the night came to work, but the next day thousands of sightseers flocked in from every
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direction, although many willing workers continued to come from Lake City, Rockwell City, Fonda, Storm Lake, Lohrville and other neighboring towns.
Early in the morning an attempt at organization for relief work was made and matters. were systematized as far as was possible, Hon. M. D. O'Connell, of Fort Dodge, being placed at the head of affairs. Surgical headquarters was established at the office of the Wiscon- sin Lumber Company, and the Pomeroy State Bank was made general relief headquarters. The latter place was the supply depot for both provisions and clothing sent in, and was where the vast crowds of nurses, doctors, attend- ants and laborers were fed for several days afterward. Mayor Stadtmueller, City Clerk Masterson, and the various officials connected with the relief committee, also had their offices here, so it may be imagined that it was a very busy place. No attempt was made to do any banking business until six days later.
The supplies received on Friday, coming mainly from Manson, Fort Dodge and other near towns on the Illinois Central Railroad, consisted of bedding, clothing, bandages, medicines and eatables, and there was enough of these to. supply immediate demands. During the day fifty state tents were sent in to be placed at the disposal of the relief committee. Several of these were utilized as hospitals for the wounded and the rest were occupied as sleeping and living apartments until better quarters could be provided.
At 4 o'clock, Friday afternoon, Governor Boies ap- peared on the scene and made a personal inspection of the grounds. The governor was greatly affected by what he saw, and is quoted by a reporter as having said: “I can do nothing officially to help these people. The statutes are such that I cannot order the disbursement of one cent from the state treasury, although the whole
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populace should die. It is not right and it is not sane. There ought to be some provision under which some fund could be left accessible for occasions like this, but there is not. All I can do is to appeal by proclamation to the people, and I trust in this case that I may not do it in vain."
The following appeal to the people of Iowa was given to the press within a very short time after Governor Boies' arrival at Pomeroy :
" To the People of Iowa : From a personal examina- tion of the ruin wrought by the storm of last evening I find that forty-two are already dead, and upwards of one hundred seriously injured in this town, which had a population of 1,000 souls. The great bulk of the resi- dence portion of the town is completely destroyed, and hundreds of families are homeless and destitute. In at least one town west of here eight or ten are said to have been killed and many injured. The necessity for aid is imperative.
" The good people in the towns adjacent to Pomeroy have supplied immediate wants for board and clothing, but it is impossible for them to supply all that will be needed in the future. Money, however, is the great necessity of the hour. We must not only help these people to live, but we must aid them to rebuild their destroyed homes. Permit me to recommend that in every city and town of the state immediate steps should be insti- tuted by the mayors and municipal officers to organize relief committees and promptly proceed to collect and forward aid. This may be directed to the " Relief Com- mittee of Pomeroy, Iowa," which will consist of thor- oughly responsible persons of this and other towns, so that aid will be fairly and equally divided to all who are in want.
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" Citizens of Iowa, it is no exaggeration for me to say that no more deserving appeal was ever made to you for aid. Be sure that you are both prompt and liberal.
" HORACE BOIES, " Governor of Iowa."
The governor was escorted by Lieuts. W. T. Chant- land and E. M. Londeen, of Company G, 4th Reg- iment I. N. G., this company, under command of Captain King, of Fort Dodge, having arrived several hours earlier and been placed on regular guard duty over the wrecked property. The town was virtually under military rule for the two weeks following, Company C, of Webster City, being also on duty a part of that time.
Friday evening a meeting was held looking to more thorough organization for relief work, at which Governor Boies was chosen to preside. At this meeting the gov- ernor was authorized to appoint a committee of five to arrange for the receipt of contributions for sufferers by the tornado, and also with power to name the persons who should constitute and act as a general and perma- nent relief committee. Messrs. C. A. Finkbine, E. J. Masterson, M. D. O'Connell, E. C. Herrick and Thomas Miller were named as the temporary committee, and they appointed the following-named gentlemen to act as per- manent relief committee :
M. F. Stadtmueller, mayor of Pomeroy, chairman.
J. H. Lowrey, cashier Pomeroy State Bank, Pomeroy.
R. C. Brownell, president Pomeroy Exchange Bank, Pomeroy.
Thomas Miller, member Board of Supervisors, Pome- roy.
R. A. Stewart, manager Wisconsin Lumber Company, Pomeroy.
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C. W. Alexander, manager Woodford & Wheeler Lum- ber Company, Pomeroy.
C. A. Whittlesey, mayor of Manson, Iowa.
E. C. Stevenson, county attorney, Rockwell City, Iowa.
J. B. Ballard, merchant, Fonda, Iowa.
E. E. Mack, state senator, Storm Lake, Iowa.
C. L. Granger, mayor, Fort Dodge, Iowa.
This committee was soon in excellent working order, and, although meeting with many of the difficulties which naturally arise in all such cases, administered the affairs coming under its jurisdiction with uniform fairness and justice to all concerned. Soon after the committee's organization it appointed T. B. Hotchkiss, of Lake City, general superintendent of all relief work, with authority to solicit, in the name of the committee, such aid as might be needed, and to perform the duties that might devolve upon a chief of police while the city was under military rule.
Mr. Hotchkiss had been one of the foremost workers from the start, and his superior executive ability and untiring energy proved an invaluable aid in carrying on the important work at hand. During the most critical period of the committee's régime, Charles H. Wise, of Lohrville, did valiant service - working day and night for a week or more - as secretary to the superintendent. After affairs were straightened out and gotten to run- ning smoothly, Mr. Wise had to give up the work from sheer exhaustion. From this time on the position was - creditably filled by J. F. Parker, of Pomeroy.
During the first two weeks after the storm the superin- tendent's office was open both day and night, and the superintendent himself was on duty continuously. What little sleeping he did was done at his desk, so that he was
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always ready when anything was wanted. This gives something of an idea of the intense interest taken, and required, in the work, by those who had it in charge.
WORK OF THE COMMITTEE.
During the first ten days after the storm the relief committee was in session almost continuously. To gain an adequate idea of the volume of work on the commit- tee's hands during this time one must remember that in · the town of Pomeroy alone there were eight hundred people homeless, many with hardly enough clothing to cover their nakedness and no means at hand of pro- viding themselves with food. Then one hundred and fifty of these people were rendered at least temporarily helpless by wounds of a more or less serious nature. The committee knew not to what extent means would be pro- vided for the relief of these people, but it decided at the start to err in excess of liberality rather than in undue® frugality. No expense was spared, therefore, in making the sick and wounded as comfortable as possible, and the wants of others who were needy were then supplied as unsparingly as circumstances would allow. At first. the enormous amount of business connected with this work was done from one building - that of the Pomeroy State Bank - as general headquarters, but it was soon found necessary to establish the heads of various departments in other quarters, and consequently the eye was greeted throughout the business part of town by such signs as " Relief Fund Headquarters," "Surgical Headquarters," " Timekeeper's Office," " Cleaning-up Gang Headquar- ters," "Superintendent's Office," etc.
The department of dry goods and clothing supplies was the first to be crowded out of the general headquar- ters. This was taken first to G. W. Smith's warehouse,
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but still more room was soon needed, and it was removed to the German Lutheran church, which was literally packed with these goods. Owing to the rush and hurry incident to such times, 110 account could be kept of the amount of goods received, but F. P. McKee, of Fonda, the manager of this department, estimated the one item of ladies' dresses at one thousand or more, while of men's white shirts not less than two thousand were received. Then there were shoes, hats, underclothes, suits, bedclothes, etc., in much the same proportion. These goods were, of course, mainly secondhand. A box of new shoes, from Guthrie Center, was one notable exception. The committee found it unnecessary to make any purchases in the dry goods department, but of gro- · ceries and provisions about $1,500 worth was bought. For the grocery department the committee erected a frame building on railroad ground, on First street, and this store was ably managed by H. A. Morse, of Lake City, during the busiest season. It soon became necessary to provide other quarters than the church for the immense amount of dry goods and clothing on hand, and accordingly the com- mittee ordered another building erected adjoining the one used as a grocery supply house. This second building was inade 22 by 60 feet in size, with twelve feet posts, and Superintendent Hotchkiss got together a gang of inen who were occupied less than forty-eight hours in its construction.
HELP FROM SYMPATHETIC TOWNS.
As soon as relief work could be organized, there was 110 lack of help from neighboring towns. The Sioux City Tribune of July II, said :
" Since the telegram of appeal sent out by the mayor to neighboring cities was received by them, money and
VIEW OF POMEROY RUINED DISTRICT, FROM THE SOUTHEAST.
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supplies have rolled in. Most of the towns have sent food and clothing and some money. Each donation is accom- panied by a request to tell what is needed and it will be sent. Des Moines has already sent $1,000 and $1,500 more will come today. Dubuque, Davenport and Sioux City have sent over $1,000 each, besides supplies. And yet with all this, food ran short Sunday night, and urgent telegrams were sent to nearest points. Up to today $6,500 in cash has been subscribed, and word has been received that much more is on the way. Of course, all the towns along the Illinois Central have sent help in the way of nurses, and delegations of men helpers have come from Lake City, Fort Dodge, Storm Lake, Fonda, Rockwell City, Cherokee, Rolfe, Des Moines and Sioux City, and have helped to get order out of chaos.
"Among the most useful delegations are a force of sewers from Des Moines and scrubbers from Lake City. Twenty-five ladies are here in a special car from the cap- ital city, provided with sewing machines, screwed to the floor of the car, which is sidetracked. They are busily engaged making garments for the destitute. The force of scrubbers has been put to work on the Richards hotel and other larger buildings, and they will soon be habita- ble. Storm Lake sent twenty-five men Saturday, and they did splendid work as guards for forty-eight hours. The commissary department has been almost exclusively in charge of Fort Dodge men, with D. K. Lincoln and Will Merrill at the head. All the departments of work are in competent hands and systematically run. Numer- ous delegations of carpenters came in this morning and are at work putting up sheds and fixing up the buildings that are worth repairing. Each gang of six is in charge of a foreman, who directs the work. Presiding Elder Brown, of the Methodist church, has been appointed 11
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superintendent of nurses, and C. W. Alexander is at the head of the carpenters."
During the first few weeks after the storm the relief committee made it a part of its business to look up the needy and bestow such temporary relief as seemed to be required, but, after immediate necessities were provided for and the receipts of moneys and commodities indicated that much would be left over for the permanent relief of the homeless and destitute, the adoption of more system- atic methods was required. Each and every case where losses had occurred was then considered carefully, and permanent relief administered - not so much according to the amount, in value, of the loss sustained, as to the condition in which it left the loser. As an aid to the committee in determining the comparative needs of the sufferers, a list of printed questions was prepared, the answers to be written out and sworn to by prospective recipients of aid. Following is the list of questions :
What is your age ?
Are you married or single ?
What is your occupation ?
How long have you resided in the town of Pomeroy, Iowa ? What real estate do you own in said town?
What other real estate do you own ?
What improvements were there on this real estate in the town of Pomeroy on July 6, 1893, prior to the damage to the same by cyclone ? (Describe tlie house and all buildings and improve- · ments.)
How much did you pay for this property? (Give buildings separately and also lot.)
Were there any improvements on this real estate when you purchased it, and if so, what ?
When were the buildings on this real estate built, and by whom ?
What incumbrance, if any, is there upon this property, and to whom and when is it due ?
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What incumbrance, if any, is there upon your other real estate ?
What other personal property did you own on July 6 last, and of what did it consist? (Give character of same and value, and if you had any cash, give amount.)
What tornado insurance did you have upon this Pomeroy property, including personal property ? In what company was it insured ?
Has this loss been adjusted, and how much cash did you receive therefor ?
What household goods did you lose by reason of the cyclone of July 6, 1893 ? (Give a general statement here with total value and attach a complete list hereto.)
What live stock, if any, did you lose by the cyclone of July 6? (Describe same and give value.)
Were the buildings destroyed, as stated hereinbefore, totally destroyed, or is any part, including foundation, in shape to use in rebuilding the property ?
Do you intend to rebuild this property ?
Were there any improvements on this real estate when you purchased it, and if so, what ?
What family did you have at the time of this cyclone? (Give number of children, ages, and whether boys or girls.)
Was any of your family killed or injured by this cyclone on July 6? (Be careful to state each case of death or injury, and give manner of or extent of injury.)
What aid have you received from all sources since July 6, 1893, and from whom did you receive it ?
This may seem to some a very business-like prelim- inary to the bestowal of free gifts, but some such method was essential to enable the committee to administer the aid in proportions that would be at all equitable. Some families lost a great deal, and yet had enough left to make them comfortable, and such as they were not given so much aid as others who might have lost a less amount of this world's goods, but lost all they had.
One of the sub-committee appointed from the relief committee was a building committee, composed of Messrs. Stadtmueller, Brownell and Whittlesey. It was the spe-
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cial business of these gentlemen to look after the building of homes for the wholly destitute. They superintended the erecting of some fifteen or sixteen buildings entire, and altogether provided not less than thirty-five families with funds for building houses, whose average cost was about $400 - this besides the inany appropriations of from $50 to $300 for building purposes to many who had some means of their own. Seven carloads of lumber were do- nated by various lumber companies. After the building of homes had been attended to there was left on the coin- mittee's hands a large quantity of rough lumber, and this was divided into sixty-three separate bills, suitable for coal houses, which were dispensed where they would do the most good. Complete outfits of household furniture were provided where needed, and contributions of stoves to the number of thirty-five proved a great aid in this department of the work. Several new wagons, corn plows, pumps, and other like articles were received from manufacturers, and four carloads of coal were sent in by mine-owners. Paint firms donated a total of one hundred and eight gallons of paint, while the milling firms of Topeka, Kansas, made a highly appreciated offering in the form of a carload of flour, and Iowa mills contributed another carload. Preserved fruits and delicacies for the sick were received in abundance, and the laundries of Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Sioux City did their full share of the good work in performing laundry work for the sufferers free of charge. The Northwestern Manufac- turing Company, of Atkinson, Wisconsin, contributed ten dozen chairs, including twenty-eight comfortable rockers, and the latter just went around among the wounded ladies of Pomeroy.
These few examples of the practical charity displayed, saying nothing of the numerous cash contributions which
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came in from every quarter, swelling into an aggregate of very large proportions, serve well to illustrate the free- heartedness and open-handedness of our people when their sympathies are touched by genuine suffering on the part of their fellow-men. The readiness with which calls for help are responded to in such cases of dire disaster are certainly calculated to give one renewed faith in the brotherhood of man, and is refreshing evidence that the greed for gain in this rapid age has by no means smoth- ered the finer feelings which should mark the being made in the image of his Creator.
SCENES AFTER THE STORM.
There were strange scenes in Pomeroy for many days and nights after the great storm. On July 7 a scorching sun beat down upon the thoroughly soaked earth, and the heat and sultriness were almost unbearable ; yet swarms of people front every walk of life trudged up and down the streets all day long, examining the ruins, searching for relics, some idly watching the progress of relief work or peering curiously into the windows of hospitals where the mangled and dying lay ; others, anxious to do some- thing, but too badly excited to know what to do, everyone quiet and orderly and inclined to talk in a subdued tone of voice, and an unmistakable air of sadness over all. There were women in the hospitals and at relief head- quarters, but few were to be seen in the crowds of sight-seers. Occasionally, on the street, a tear-stained face was seen, and the crowd instinctively fell back a lit- tle to let the mourner pass. The railroad trains made little noise as they came and went. At not infrequent intervals the comparative stillness was broken by one of the leaders of relief work making an appeal for men to dig graves or to assist in the work of disposing of the
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