York County, Nebraska and its people : together with a condensed history of the state, Vol. I, Part 43

Author: Sedgwick, T. E. (Theron E.), 1852-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, [Ill.] : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 636

USA > Nebraska > York County > York County, Nebraska and its people : together with a condensed history of the state, Vol. I > Part 43

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341

HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

Arborville Township; the boy was trying to carry a sack of corn from the barn to the house, missed the house and was not found until the storm was over; the other two deaths occurred in Henderson Township. A Mr. Frank Kailey had built a log house, but had not had time to chink it up when the storm came, and the first night of the storm the house drifted half full of snow. The stove and beds were under snow; they thought they must go to one of the neighbors and they started, Mr. and Mrs. Kailey and their baby boy. Mrs. Kailey soon gave ont in the deep snow and awful storm, and Mr. Kailey tried to carry his wife and baby on his back but only went a short distance and gave up exhausted. He then left his wife and baby and went for help, but never found them till he found their dead bodies in the snow drift where he had left them when he went for help. His homestead was the S. W. 1/4 of section 30, township 9, range 4."

THE BLIZZARD OF 1888

The next great landmark in the climatical history of Nebraska was the terrible storm of January 2, 1888. That came in the middle of a winter of unusual inten- sity, when Nebraska and South Dakota were visited with storms of unusual ferocity. This storm is recounted to have broken with unusual suddenness and fury, and many were there who did not live to tell of its ravages. A mist had fallen through the preceding night, and just a gentle wind from the south. Before noon the frost had disappeared and an early clearing of the sky was evident. But suddenly came a terrific storm blast bearing down upon the open prairies. The thermometer soon went down to twenty-five degrees below and the snow came so fast and drifted so swiftly that those people who were caught away from home were unable to make their return. In many instances it was days and days before they could return to their homes, or if fortunate to be there at the fateful moment, to venture away from the place.

This storm was made notable by three heroic stories that stood out among the many incidents of fatalities, Of the innumerable stories standing out from this tragic event, while none of them affected York County locally, the stories of three Nebraska country school teachers-Loie Royce of Plainfield, Etta Shat- tuck of Holt County, and Minnie Freeman of Valley County were the subject of much newspaper record and worthy of a place in these annals.

Minnie Freeman Penney in "Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences" has told these three stories in such compact form that we can well afford to record them here, in her words :

"Miss Royce had nine pupils. Six went home for luncheon and remained on account of the storm. The three remaining pupils with the teacher stayed in the schoolhouse until three o'clock. Their fuel gave out, and as her boarding house was but fifteen rods away, the teacher decided to take the children home with her.

"In the fury of the storm they wandered and were lost. Darkness came, and with it death. One little boy sank into eternal silence. The brave little teacher stretched herself out on the cold ground and cuddled the two remaining ones closer. Then the other little boy died and at daylight the spirit of the little girl, aged seven, fluttered away, leaving the young teacher frozen and numb with agony. Loie Royce 'hath done what she could : angels can do no better.' Miss Royce lost both feet by amputation.

HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

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313

HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

Storm Starts in Fillmore County

Grafton, in Fillmore County, is about ten miles due south of Lushton, The storm is believed to have formed in the territory lying between the two towns. H. traveled northeast across York and Seward counties, working havoc on farm properties and trees, threatening the village of MeCool, but doing harm only on the northern edge of the town. As it proceeded eastward it evidently gained in fury and the city of Seward felt the effects of the worst. York was untouched save for a terrible downpour of rain and hail accompanied by a severe electrical storm. Telephone and telegraph service was interrupted on all lines of wire running south and east and several hours passed before any accurate news was received concerning the damage wrought by the storm. Messages which came round by Hastings were responsible for the belief that MeCool was in ruins and that Waco had been struck. The community of Blue Vale was reported devastated. The utmost anxiety was felt by York people for relatives and friends in the territory over which the storm was thought to have passed. In the meantime people living in the south part of the county, who knew that the cyclone cloud had moved north- east, were feeling similar alarm for the safety of York people and those in the towns farther northeast. Telephone operators made a record for patience and kindness in their efforts to establish communication between worried people and to obtain news from apparently inaccessible places. Late in the evening accurate information began to reach York through the medium of persons who drove across country in the darkness and mud; but until a late hour telephone calls were keeping the wires busy in all directions. Train service on the Burlington was not disabled and though telegraph wires were out of commission the evening trains came through on time bringing the story of wrecked homes and many dead and injured in Seward. Thursday morning brought fuller information : but most York people went to bed Wednesday night with more accurate knowledge of conditions in Seward, thirty miles away, than they had concerning points ton and twelve miles distant in their own county.

Mcl'ool Feels the Wind

Residents of south York County and of MeCool had the great advantage of seeing the approaching storm in ample time to seek shelter. Had the clouds worked under cover of darkness there might have been greater loss of life. la MeCool many barns were blown over, and small ont buildings wrecked, but the little home of Thomas Reardon was the only one carried away. The members of the family, including the father, mother and several children, were all more or less bruised ; but with the exception of one child will, it is thought, recover rapidly from the effects of their hard experience, Their lost household goods and clothing have been replaced through the kindness of neighbors and the people of MeCool will see to it that they have a chance to start life over. Not far from the spot where the Reardon residence used to stand is the big farm house of Joe Culbertson. That it is still there is one of the unexplainable things for the windows are broken, shingles are torn from the roof in patches and porches are wrecked. Every barn and building on the place, with the numerous trees, show the ravages of the storm. Mr. Culbertson lost valuable stock. Theodore Lantz, living a mile

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

west of the Culbertson place, took refuge with his family in a cellar under the house. The building was lifted and the foundation stones rolled into the basement, but the refugees were untouched.

Timber Devastated

Down the river for several miles below McCool the twister can be traced by uprooted and broken trees. The growth of many decades was destroyed or stunted in a few seconds. Sometimes the very leaves were stripped from the twigs and the bark from the limbs. It will take nature a long time to undo the work of her fit of ill temper. Twisted and broken trees, damaged houses, shattered wind mills and wrecked barns mark the path of the wind across the country. The house of Ercie Weingert, one half mile north of Blue Vale, was lifted from the foundation, carried across the road over two fences and spread out in the pasture much as one would take a bunch of cards and scatter them. Visitors to the farm of William Blum, a mile east of the Weingert place, might well question whether either house or barn or granary had ever been on the place, so entirely obliterated are all traces of human habitation. Only the splintered remains of a new wagon, some twisted pieces of iron from what was once farm machinery, split boards and leafless trees remain on the plot of ground which was the site of the farm home. The cyclone cave, as was the case at the Weingert home. saved the lives of the family. There are chickens walking about the Blum farm from which the feathers were blown by the wind. Any attempt to describe the tricks played by the cyclone would lead to endless stories, but the evidences of manifestations of awful power are more wonderful than any of the freakish results of that power.

Paut Geyser's Story

A quarter of a mile east of the Blum farm lives Paul Geyser. Mr. Geyser was in the field at work when he saw the cloud approaching. He started for home, noting that his neighbor Blum who was in an adjoining field did the same thing. Having housed his team Mr. Geyser, who was alone on his place made for his cyclone cellar. As he stood in the door of the cave watching the approach of the cloud he looked across the ravine to the Blum farm and wondered if Mr. Blum had gotten in from the field. Mr. Geyser realized perfectly that a tornado was upon him but was so fascinated by the appearance of the cloud that he could not leave off looking to hide in the cave. While he stood thus he saw the home of his neighbor rise in the air, windows unbroken, porches intact and chimney pointing straight np. For what seemed a distance of forty feet upwards Mr. Geyser saw the house as plainly as he had ever seen it. Then suddenly it seemed to disappear in a cloud of dust and almost instantly broken timbers and splintered boards began to rain about him. Then he started down the steps to the cave. still looking upwards. The last sight to greet his eyes was that of his own spotted shetland pony sailing through the air. in an upright position. After the storm Mr. Geyser found the shetland, alive and sound. in a pasture three or four hundred feet on the other side of the house. The animal was badly scratched as if it had been belabored with some sharp instrument. but otherwise shows no signs of its unusual experience. When the wind had passed by Mr. Geyser hastened to his neighbor's cave, for that

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

was all that was left of the comfortable Blum homestead. Hle found that the family had all taken refuge in the cave with the exception of a little daughter who had not returned from school. The mother was frantic with grief until the child was found at the house of a neighbor where she had taken refuge on her way home. The buildings on the Geyser place were shaken and damaged but are all there.

Anxious Moments

The stories of those who watched the strange and terrible eloud approaching do not differ greatly. There was time, which is often denied to dwellers in towns and cities under similar circumstances, to prepare for the worst so far as possible. Men and women gathered their children about them, in some instances taking time to gather valuables and supply the family with heavy wraps, before seeking safety. In other cases fathers and mothers thought only of the welfare of their children and did not try to secure papers, money or jewelry. Those who lost their earthly possessions, but still have their loved ones are not doing much complaining. "Black" is the word used most by those who attempt to describe the appearance of the cloud. The familiar funnel shape was not visible to many. The death deal- ing cloud had rather the form of a heavy, dark curtain extending from sky to earth and moving in the center of other lighter clouds. The fearful roar of the storm was heard by persons at a distance of several miles. There was little wind before it passed over, though rain and hail fell plentifully. From southeast of Waro huge hailstones are reported which had spikes of ice as adjuncts. Some of the heaviest sufferers from the tornado in York County are Elias Baker, Clark llendricks. Theodore Lantz, Natt Graham, Joe Culbertson, Tom. Reardon, Geo. McFadden, Mrs. Clara Prest, Mrs. Thomas Pence, Ned Rea, Win. Blum, Ercie Wein- gert, and Paul Geyser. The Woingert farm is owned by Oden Gilmore, of Exeter.

The tornado exceeded in destructive power the Bradshaw cyclone, which has long been known as the worst storm York County ever saw. Had the wind of May 14th wreaked its fury on a town, as in the case of Bradshaw, there is little doubt that the horrors of the first storm would have been surpassed.

The Storm of August 8, 1917

The heaviest and most destructive hail storm in the history of central Nebraska swept over York at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon. The Democrat was forced to press too early to make any adequate report of the storm. The damage wrought in the city of York will reach well above a hundred thousand dollars. Every window on the north side of all buildings were shattered, the electroliers are minus either lamps or globes, and flat roofs were punctured until they resemble sieves. The damage to merchandise alone will reach into the thousands. Hailstones as large as tennis balls fell with a force that punctured auto tops, and there are reports of many young cattle and hogs killed. Chickens were slaughtered by the hundreds. The streets were literally clogged with small branches stripped from the trees and hurled before the wind. Probably the heaviest damage to any single building in the city was visited upon the Congregational church. The hugh stained glass windows, costing hundreds of dollars were ruined beyond repair.

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

The hail havoc started just north of Arborville and swept to the south with a slight eastern slant. It seems to have covered a strip about four miles wide and from seven to nine miles long. Within that area the corn is utterly devastated, and shocked oats were beaten into the ground and fairly threshed. It is impossible to estimate the loss of crops, but it will be well above the half-million mark. The hailstorm was followed by a terrific downpour of rain.

People caught out in their autos were in deadly peril, for the huge hailstones. propelled by a fierce wind, had the effect of shrapnel. It is impossible that the storm passed without seriously if not fatally injuring a number of people. It is safe to assert that the storm caused a loss of three-quarters of a million dollars in the shape of growing erops, live stock, buildings and merchandise. In future all hail storms in central Nebraska will be measured by the awful storm of August 8, 1917.

In the city of York the damage wrought will mount well towards the hundred thousand dollar mark. Few indeed are the north windows that escaped destruction. The huge hailstones, propelled by a fierce wind that blew upwards of sixty miles an hour, had the force of bullets, and they ripped through shingles and flat roofs like shot through a paper hoop. Scarcely a roof in town escaped damage. The skylight in the Coob store building and the one in the Meehan building were smashed to bits, and the resultant leakage worked heavy damage to stocks. The same thing happened to a lesser extent to other store buildings and stocks. The M. E. Smith Co. sustained a heavy damage. Their manufacturing plant was full of ent goods waiting for the machines. The roof was punched as full of holes as a colander, and costly sewing machines and valuable material were damaged. This is probably the heaviest single damage to stock in the city. Doubtless the heaviest damage to any one building was that at the Congregational Church. Every pane in the beautiful stained glass windows on the north side was shattered to bits, and the lead work battered beyond hope of repair. It will cost upwards of $2,000 to restore these windows in the original designing. The front of the Nobes block was a sight. Just one pane of glass was left intact. Most of York's display windows face the east and west, and for this reason only the loss of plate glass was held down comparatively low. But several big plate glass windows were wrecked on the South Side. Russ Williams and Mrs. Chapman suffered considerable loss to goods that were water soaked when display windows were wrecked.

Every electrolier on the north and south streets was wrecked. There was not a single white globe left, and only here and there could one find an incandescent lamp that had escaped. Immediately after the storm the Public Service Co. got busy, and before noon the next day every globe and lamp had been replaced.

The hail was accompanied by a terriffie downpour of rain, and this rain covered a vastly greater area than the hail. Thus the storm that worked destrue- tion in one section proved a blessing in others.

The Storm of April 21, 1920

Northwest York County and portions of Polk County were swept by a cyclone Wednesday afternoon. April 21, 1920. The territory covered was not large but the mischief wrought was according to the rule when a storm of that kind is abroad. and had the cloud not lifted as it reached the town of Polk the tale of disaster would certainly have been longer and more terrible. As it is the loss of

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

property is by no means inconsiderable. The storm was first noticed in the neigh- borhood southeast of Arborville whence it traveled northwest to the Platte. The testimony of observers is that a funnel shaped cloud which alternately dipped toward the ground and then raised again as it moved swiftly through the air was the visible sign of trouble and that a terrible roaring heralded its approach by the time it reached Arborville. The storm appeared about three o'clock and after it passed wind, rain and some hail followed in its wake. York people did not see the eloud but noted the sudden drop in temperature in the late afternoon.

Miss Cassie Baugh, who is teaching in the Arborville school, tells of the fright which overtook the occupants of the school house as the storm was approach- ing. The children were in great terror and many of them were weeping as the teachers closed all doors and windows tightly and then led the pupils to the base- ment of the building where they remained until the storm passed. Luckily the school house was not touched though the town hall was lifted from its founda- tions and turned halt around, the front of a store building blown in and the blacksmith shop and house belonging to Fred Smith badly damaged. Farm buildings in the path of the twisting cloud fared badly, some were torn to pieces, others unroofed or partly demolished. Windmills were blown down, window's broken in dwelling houses and sheds leveled with the ground.

Rev. S. Harvey, pastor of the Congregational Church at Arborville, tells the story of the storm as follows:

"Many and varied are the reports from Wednesday's storm. Perhaps all are true as viewed from different angles. For some time a cloud hung over the south- east part of town. At about three o'clock it dropped to the ground near 1. S. Fisher's, doing no damage except turning over a few chicken coops until it struek the Steve Rolls place, demolishing some out buildings. Passing over Clark Stouffer's place it pushed the barn from the foundation and badly twisted the windmill. His son Ralph, who was working in the field north of the house, did not see the storm until it was upon him and too late to escape ; he turned the team loose and dropped to the ground, holding to a fence post and escaped without injury. The report that his elothing was torn from him was false. One of the horses supposed to have been injured, died.

"The storm struck the house of Fred Smith, badly damaging it and tearing down his windmill and nearly all outbuildings except the barn. The property of Ray Smith, ocenpied by Mr. Ball, was completely demolished as well as all the outbuildings. Mrs. Ball and little boy were seriously bruised but not permanently injured. Veering in its course the storm struck the town hall a side swipe, push- ing it off the foundation and turning it about half-way round. Passing over the blacksmith shop and store it completely demolished the shop and pushed the stores out of plumb, tearing off shingles and otherwise damaging them.

"The cyclone seemed to gather in force as it moved. It passed over the Kisler farne occupied by Clarence Cockle and the farm of Cal Tewell, occupied by Lewis Goin. The ontbuildings were nearly all destroyed and the houses seriously damaged, especially the one where Mr. Goin lives. A calf was killed at Clarence Cockle's and one of Mr. Goin's breed sows had its shoulder broken. Many trees were broken down and some uprooted. On the Abe Wilcox place the Alvin Linquist and Newton farms, much damage was done to outbuildings. The places of Wm. MeDaniels and Wurtz were barely touched, some minor damage being done.

Vol. 1-23

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

Alex Jones' place was a wreck so far as the outbuildings were concerned. The storm passed over Polk high in the air, doing no damage.

"It is reported that Will Kruger's farm was hard hit and that the cyclone finished up at the Platte. The Fred Shockey and Julian Newton places were touched and outbuildings destroyed.

"Many anxious hearts prayed earnestly for the school children and it would be hard to make some mothers believe their prayers were not answered when the storm missed the school house though it seemed directly in the path. It is the consensus of opinion that the storm was serious enough, although it could have been worse. The teacher is to be complimented upon her quick wit in getting the children in the furnace room after one of the pupils notified her of the approach- ing storm. for if the force of the wind had not been sufficient to destroy the building. much damage would have been done by flying boards and glass. if the storm had struck it."

The most spectacular sight of the storm was probably the one viewed by the people of Polk as they watched the cloud when it struck the farm of Axel Jones one fourth of a mile southwest of town. The big barn on the farm was lifted intaet in the air for perhaps fifty feet. and then scattered to the four points of the compass. Most of the buildings on this farm were blown down. but the dwelling house was not molested. Residents of Polk who watched this manifesta- tion of freakish power expected to see their own homes demolished next. but hap- pily the twister passed them by, though a furious storm of wind and rain broke a little later. Mrs. Ed Johnson of York went to Polk to visit on the afternoon of the storm and reached there about six in the evening. Friends took her to the Jones farm to see the wreck left by the wind and she found people from miles around marveling at the work of the storm. Among the stories of the afternoon was one which credited the wind with breaking the glass in one window of a farm house, stripping a quilt from a bed in the room and dropping it uninjured outside the window, while the spread remained on the bed. No other harm was wrought at this farm except to the windmill. where the pump rod was lifted out of its place.

The Polk Progress says of the storm :

"Wednesday afternoon about three o'clock the denizens of this locality were frightened into caves and every other place of refuge by a furious looking cyclone cloud that formed about one and a half miles southeast of Arborville. Our people are rejoicing over the fact that it did not dip down on Polk and render many of us homeless, also cansing deaths."

Telephone service with Arborville and the country near by has not yet been restored since the storm. Several miles of wire are down. Connection with that part of York County is made by means of the Polk Exchange and while Polk central responds, the office is unable to give connections desired in the storm stricken region. For this reason the reports have been rather meagre for the condition of the roads has interfered with the usual modes of travel.

Supervisor J. L. Dorsey and members of his family watched the cloud forming before it started on its mission of destruction, though the storm did not come within three miles of the Dorsey farm. Mr. Dorsey has visited part of the stricken district and is of the opinion that the path of the cyclone was not more than twenty or thirty rods wide.

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY

THE GROWTH OF YORK COUNTY

But the main product of York County is the wonderful inhabitants, and before we begin the story of human endeavor, we may well pause and examine the record of growth of the county in population as furnished by the Federal Department of Commerce, Bureau of C'ensus, in December, 1920.

YORK COUNTY, NEBRASKA

Minor civil division

1920

1910

1900

York County .

12,146

18.121

18,205

Arborville township

583

672

818

Baker township

:18

627

655

Beaver township

658

675

440

Bradshaw

township, including

923

955

1,043

Brown township

610

6441

713

Hays township, including part of MeCool Junction village.

489

655

648

Henderson township, including Hen- derson and Lushton villages

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York County, Nebraska and its people : together with a condensed history of the state, Vol. I, Part 43

Author: Sedgwick, T. E. (Theron E.), 1852- Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, [Ill.] : S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 636

Author: Sedgwick, T. E. (Theron E.), 1852-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, [Ill.] : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 636