The Boone News-Republican from Boone, Iowa • Page 20

orna Several Injured Those whose memories stretch back to 1918 will remember the brief, though seemingly endless, minutes when, the cyclone of May 21st struck in the east section of Boone. Until that day Boone residents had thought a cyclone would never hit the city. That was the old belief. The location of Boone east of the Des Moines river was thought to protect it from cyclones, since they usually run from southwest to northeast. But the tornado of 1918 was an jumped the river.

The big wind that struck Boone May 21, 1918 has always been called the As a matter of fact, it a tornado, but in 1918 the two terms were used interchangeably. The tornado which struck on that May day killed nine, maimed scores and- caused over a million dollars of property dam- age. A special storm edition was published by the News-Republi- can on June 1, giving a detailed! account of the destruction caus- ed by the tornado. I Following is the account which! describes the storm, the damage done in the county and a list ofj the casualties: i Victim List James Bills, C. N.

W. fore-: man, 1403 Marshall Street. Charles Kilborn, 1533 Fourth Street. Mrs. Frank (Frenchie) Roberts, 1713 Fourth Ernest Linquist, car repairer, 1532 Crawford Street.

oone on May 21,1918 Leaving Nine Dead THIS OLD PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE TORNADO. IT WAS TAKEN AT THE SITE OF THE CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN SHOPS. Daniels, 1707 Third -Knezvik, 1739 Third Albert Street. Mikie Street. Severed Larson, farmer, near Gilbert.

Nic Karasiles, C. N. W. laborer. The storm had its inception in Peoples township at the B.

M. Porter farm, where the barn was damaged. From there it passed on to the Maria M. Wolber farm, occupied by Ray Healy. where the barn and other buildings were destroyed.

The first great damage was to the N. H. McFarland home in Peoples township. Mr. McFarlanc had just completed a beautiful home on this site, and the havoc there was complete.

Not a stick of wood was left on the cement foundation. It was about 14 years after the Spanish American war that 23 veterans formed Eddie Nelson Camp No. 15, United Spanish War Veterans in Boone, on May 22, 1913. Otto the first commander and served in that can acity from 1913 to 1921. Other commanders included F.

Wheeler, L. 0. Mesnard, John Reid, E. B. Cordell, S.

A Koppenhaver, M. P. McCrack en, Andrew Peterson, S. Bass, C. W.

Winslow, R. Brown, B. Cantlin, J. W. Delander, J.

F. Buttolph, C. 0 Hill, A. V. Smith, I.

E. Parmenter, Charles Otis, W. E. Durreil, H. H.

Canfield, T. J. Mahoney, Charles E. Fleming, George S. Mott and C.

B. Sherman. There were about 50 who belonged to the camp at the peak of its membership. At the pre-j sent time there are but fivej living 0. Sherman i and I.

E. Parmenter of Boone; J. B. Grouse, Marshalltown Soldiers Home; W. B.

Durrell, Ames and Gilbert Mathers of Madrid. The camp was honored in having Frank D. Wheeler as de- partment commander in 1938-i 39. T. J.

Mahoney served as department judge advocate during! Wheeler's term of office, and served in other offices as well. -The auxiliary was instituted Nov. 4, 1922, with a charter list of 40 members, consisting of mothers, wives, sisters and daughters. Mrs. Frank Wheeler was installed as 'the first president and held that- office for two terms.

Other auxiliary presidents included Alida Roth, Carrie Koppenhaver, Dorothy; Peterson, El inor Cordell, Dee Mott, Blanche McCracken, Leora Morton, An na Cline, Esther Wheeler-Koppenhaver, Grace Harris Reid Maude Hill, Hannah Buttolph, Emma Hile, Addie Hockensmith, Anzeletta Smith, Lulu Peters, Mary Reed, Fannie Durrell, Cora Ringland, Pearl Brown, Gail Peterson, Gretchen Wheeler Chadwick, Fannie Peacock, Violet Johnson, and Addie Miller. Two members of the auxiliary mve served at department prss- Frank Wheeler in 1934-35, and Mrs. Esther Wheeler Koppenhaver in 1947-48. rretchen Chadwick was named Junior Vice President this past year. Mrs.

A. V. Smith and her six daughters all There are ng 22 members today, includ- seven widows of veterans and the wife of C. B. Sherman.

Some damage was done between McFarlaiid's and Bethel, hi Marcy township, for which the tornado made, a beeline. The ruin at Bethel covered the destruction of 'the beautiful church and the-routing of cemetery headstones, which added to the gruesomeness of the plight. Route Traced From there the cyclone struck northeast to Boone, leaving many destroyed farm houses and other buildings in its wake. From Boone northeast and a little northerly, it seemed to do little damage, until it struck the Sturtz farms, which were-totally destroyed. From there" on the tornado passed almost due north between the two lines of road, doing some damage farther north, but ending real in Boone county.

Evidence showed there were three distinct tornadoes in Boone county, two of them at the same time and the other a little laer. The one that touched Boone was not the same one that wrought havoc near Story City. The tornado which struck the eastern portion of Boone, took nine lives, injured sixty or more, wrecked scores of fine dwelling houses, placed the North Western shops, round house, power plant, saw mill and coal chutes out of commission, ruined scores of North'Western freight cars, leveled off great groves of trees, killed livestock, wrecked, and hi some instaces carried away whole school houses, damaged churches, ruined many fine fact, there was nothing under the classification of havoc which -the 'twister did not accomplish. The storm broke with a great roar which could be heard over the city and for miles through the country. It could be seen forming, great masses of black, then grey, and at times almost fiery red clouds appearing in the sky, churning themselves the fury which was spent Dec.

16, 1927 B. has returned to his home from a trip to Washington, D. C. While there he attended the ses- i sion of the U. S.

Senate as the! guest of Senator S.W. Brobkhart of Iowa, and heard the debate over the admission of Senator Vare of Pennsylvania into' the upper house. Boone News-Republican Monday, September IS, 1985 B-r- BODY WORKS 915 6fh St. (Rear) CALL 432-2285 the Job Above Is Owner Jim HEADQUARTERS IN BOONE FOR Taking Dents Out of Car Bodies for 26 Years Congratulates Our City On Its 100th Birthday! Jim Godwin, Owner since 1959 and with'Company for About 12 Years. the people of this city and vicinity.

-Misses Business District People in the city proper, noticed the peculiar looking clouds at 3:45 and watched them for about ten minutes. All-felt, that the storm coming from the southwest could not pass without sweeping directly through the business portion of the city. Suddenly, the storm seemed to veer off. to the east and instead of coming up: Boone and Story streets as threatened, passed east and then started north through the D. H.

Latham farm Just northeast of the Country club. The storm then struck the city proper at First: street, just east, of the hospital: It swept up Jaqkson street and took everything in its wake from First and Delaware, east and north. Houses were tossed about as Mrs. Mary Rocho and son, pilie of Boone, left for a month's visit in Rockford, III, where they will visit the former's daughter, Mrs. Sinderson, and with relatives in Detroit, and other points in Michigan.

Mrs. Rocho will visit two brothers she has not seen for 30 years, years. though they were doll houses. sheds were carried thrpuglr the air, and people'were picked up hundreds of feet from their homes. Rallied Quickly Boone citizens rallied nobly, to the call for help following the disaster.

The needs and wants of the survivors were cared for, thousands of dollars being raised by subscription for this work. Donations of clothing, shoes and furniture were received and men even 'turned over vacant houses, rooms, 'and other unoccupied buildings for the people to oc- -cupy until houses were secured for, them. The city also showed universal sympathy for the families of the victims. Merchants closed their places of business to attend last rites for the deceased, friends gathered from near and far, flowers were everywhere in abundance, and numerous offers of assistance came from relief agencies throughout the state. And thus Boone found the silver lining in those black clouds, and with the cooperation of the entire community managed to remove the storm's scars hi the days that followed.

From a Former Boone Business oone on Your Centennial Anniversary E. J. ALLERS Box 25 BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA OH THE GULF OF MEXICO Agents for And on the Occasion of Your 100111 Anniversary TRANSFER STORAGE BOONE, IOWA.