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The Kansas City Times from Kansas City, Missouri • 1

Location:
Kansas City, Missouri
Issue Date:
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1
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

(THE Morning KANSAS CITY STAR) ns Citti PRICE 7 CENTS KANSAS CITY MAY 21 TUESDAY-36 PAGES VOL 120 NO 121 fORNADO KILLS ItHUSItES Rescue Workers Probe for Other Victims Property Damage Is Enormous as Twister Rips a Path Through Populous Suburbs in South Metropolitan Area MARTIAL LAW DECLARED Tornado Casualty List Many Persons Floe as Warnings Ara Heard Cars Clog the Reads Blair SHOPS CENTER WRECKED Vehicles Are Tossed About by Wind Many Buildings Only Rubble SOME Calls Out National Guard Troops and Many Othar Rescuq Forces Are Mobilized STILL BURIED IN DEBRIS The Funnel Strikes Hardest at Spring Hill and Jumps to the Ruskin Heights Hickman Mills Area THE DEAD An unidentified bey about 10 years old died at the St Joseph hospital early today He suffered a fractured skull and ruptured spleen The boy was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and it was believed he had been found in a home in the Ruskin Heights area Mr and Mrs Henry Gabert Bannister and Raytown roads Bodies taken to Langsford Funeral Home Summit Found at Ruskin Heights Oral Glenn Hower 35 of 11411 Greenwood Hickman Mills Margery Wackernagle 11411 Greenwood Hickman Mills Charles Johnson 10912 Bristol Hickman Mills IHwif were killed at Ruskin Heights identified through papers they carried) at southern RELATED STORIES ON PAGES 1A 2 8 AND 9 PICTURES ON PAGES 1A AND 2A At least 31 persons were reported killed least 200 persons were injured and many were made homeless by a tornado which struck the part of the metropolitan area shortly after 7 last night Damage was expected to run into many thousands of dollars as the tornado funnels cut swath northeastward through Spring Hill Martin City Grandview Ruskin Heights Hickman part of Raytown Everywhere there were scenes of jumbled de- 10610 Richmond street Rus kin Heights a Mills and VOLUNTEERS SEARCHED THE WRECKAGE of the A store in the Ruskin Heights shopping center for victims of the tornado which cut a wide path of destruction last night through Southwestern Jackson County More than 15 persons were pulled from the wreckage The rear of the store and the roof crumbled under the bris force of the tornado Steel girders behind the men had supported the roof Dead at Spring Hill Isham Davis killed at his new home northwest of Spring Hill Mrs Barbara Davis 31 his wife found with her two daughters in a field a quarter of a mile northwest of the home Pamela Davis 7 their daughter Tamera Davis 5 another! daughter Dead at Martin City Lowell Atkinson operator of a grocery at Martin City At the Richards-Gebaur Air Force base it was reported that eight persons were dead None identified apparently not Air Force personnel Dead at St Joseph Hospital Mrs Katherine Armon about 25 of 10610 Rich-mond Ruskin Heights Dead at Menorah Hospital A woman A girl A boy LIST OF INJURED AT HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER Frank Barricklow 55 Paola back injury Mrs Nora Wilson 68 Stanley Kas left leg injury REECE HOSPITAL Mr and Mrs Dickey who live about five miles north of Spring Hill bruises and lacerations RESEARCH HOSPITAL Mrs Wanda Schumacher two daughters Miss Lorna Schumacher 25 and Miss Marta Schumacher 27 and Miss Irma Kuech 52 a sister of Mrs Schumacher all of 11238 Orchard road minor injuries Mrs Edith Schmidt 39 (Continued on Page 2) Charles Johnston 10912 Bristol Hickman Mills Margery Wackernagle 11411 Greenwood road Hick man Mills Oral Glen Hower 11411 Greenwood road General confusion and darkness led rescue workers to express fear that many more dead may be discovered in the wreckage and debris of houses and public buildings An estimated 12000 persons live in the devastated area The bodies of two persons identified as Mr and Mrs Henry Gabert were found in field behind a wrecked house about a block south of Bannister and Raytown roads near Summit The bodies wefe taken to the Langsford funeral home The Injured to Hospitals Glenn Rapp director of the American Red Cross disaster unit in Jackson County said hospitals in the metropolitan area had reported more than 200 injured and efforts were being made to compile the names as rapidly as possible there are many critically injured who have been brought into hos Rapp said More than 1300 disaster workers were working in the area to bring order out the eerie scene These includ ed 1000 Air Force personne from Richards Gebaur 350 national guardsmen 150 Red Cross workers and a large number of policemen The tornado first struck 7:15 at Spring Hill in Johnson County For the next 45 minutes it moved in a northeasterly direction into Jackson County and then east of the city The Ruskin Heights shop- (Continued on Page 1A) Bulletin Martial law went into effect in the disaster areas at 12:05 this morning Mayor Bartle announced it over short wave radio loudspeakers to the various areas simultaneously Sightseers and curiosity seekers were ordered from the areas Lt Col Willard Howard of tbe llOtb Engineers was named provost marshal and Maj Don Bishop of the Kansas City police department was appointed assistant provost marshal A headquarters was set up in Ruskin Heights About 150 off-duty city firemen reported for service to Mayor Bartle More than 250 off-duty policemen and 80 police reserves reported to Chief Brannon Thirty-five auxiliary civil defense policemen reported to Thrasher civil defense director of Kansas City Late last night members of the 110th Engineers and personnel from the Rich-ards-Gebaur Air Force base up a military patrol of the Ruskin shopping center Engineers with heavy equipment continued to dig at the debris An emergency generator was set up to furnish lights Soldiers patrolled with carbines Bartle warned the areas over the loudspeaker: area is under martial law There is live ammunition in these guns If the men order you to halt for sake do so If you go on it is at your own A woman killed was identified at St hospital as Mrs Maxine Nehring 30 wife of Marvin Nehring 7105 East One Hundred Eleventh terrace Hickman Mills Ruskin Heights was a scene of ruin and seconds after the black twister struck last night Steve Underwood a member of The staff watched the as he stood in the garage door of his home at 6702 East Ninty-eighth street Undemood said he had heard the warnings on radio and had already sent his wife and four children to the basement was an enormous broad black cloud and I could see it distinctly against a band of clear sky to the he said could see it churning and 1 saw debris flying But I thought it was far out in the country possibly five miles In a Wide Swath Underwood learned soon afterward that the twister had sliced from the southwest across the shopping center and then had continued northeast cutting a swath several hundred yards wide through the thickly populated development Underwood drove to the scene soon afterward and found the roads to the shopping center at One Hundred and Eleventh and Blue Ridge blocked with traffic He reported the shopping center leveled as though over by a Rescuers were working frantically bucket-brigade fashion amid the ruins of the A supermarket removing overturned produce racks and litter in an effort to dig out trapped persons Cars that had been parked nearby Underwood said had been tossed around some smashed and others with an Imost sandblasted effect where paint had been removed by the wind Warnings on the Air Because of the advance warnings on radio and TV many Ruskin Heights residents took refuge in the homes of those neighbors who had basements Arthur Buchanan 7403 East One Hundred-tenth street took his wife and four children to the home of Bill Beav-er 7409 East One Hundred-tenth least 50 of us were in the basement laying on top of one another three and four Buchanan related He said the roof of home was blown away and some debris fell in but no one was injured Janice Tribble 36 of 10801 Blue Ridge an employee of the Crown Drug store in the shopping center had a graphic account of her experience: lights went out and everybody started running toward the back of the she said Then the roof and everything fell in It was Adolph Angotti 34 of 7100 East One Hundred Seventh street stood dazed and bleeding in the middle of the ruined shopping center a few minutes after the twister passed He said that he and his wife and five children hurried toward the Ruskin Heights Hardware store after he saw the twister wife took two of the children and got inside the Angotti said had Judith 9 and Marcia 2 Vz holding them with one arm and 3-year-old Jennifer in th other arm the wind was-blow-ing so Holds His Daughter Angotti said had to clutch hair to keep (Continued on Page 31 set death and chaos as rescue workers struggled in the darkness to rescue the injured and maintain some semblance of emergency aid Communications Are Hit The heaviest part of the damage appeared to be centered in the Ruskin Heights-Hickman Mills area Interrupted communications hampered Red Cross disaster units in determining th6 extent of the damage Gov James Blair jr ordered martial law in the Hickman Mills-Ruskin Heights-Martin City-Grandview area and ordered the 110th engineers of the National Guard mobilized to help in the rescue and cleanup operations Mayor Roe Bartle ordered off-duty police and firemen and auxiliary police into the area after requesting the governor to declare martial law and mobilize the guard Work Under a Handicap Observers at the disaster scene in Ruskin Heights said there could be no count of the number killed missing or in jured until daylight Rescue workers had only flashlights and motor car lights to search through the wreckage With roads blocked with debris and motor cars workers were doing well to get ambulances out of the disaster area In an early estimate Sheriff Arvid Owsley said about four square miles had been affected About 10:30 a blaze broke out in the wrecked Ben Franklin store in the Ruskin Heights shopping center It was under control immediately Maj Don Bishop of the police department said he had chased looters out of the shopping center drugstore find the survivors in the said John Coyne a deputy coroner they started running be scattered away from the homes The dead included: Eight victims who had been taken from the disaster area to the base hospital at Rich ards-Gebaur Air Force base Three dead at Hickman Mills fire department No 1 Three dead at the Russell Franks chapel in Hickman Mills Four in the Isham Davis family killed at Spring Hill Three dead the Wornall funeral home Seven dead at hospitals here Two dead at the Langsford funeral home in Summit One dead at Martin City The immediately identified dead included: Mr and Mrs Isham Davis and their two children Pamela 7 and Tamera 5 all of Spring Hill Mr and Mrs Gerald Rucker of 11800 Lawndale avenue Hickman Mills Mrs Catherine Mae Armon INJURED AND FRIGHTENED 3-year-xdd Sheryl Jeppsen is carried from a area near One Hundred Thirty-fifth and Oak streets by Oran accompanied by two women DEATH AND ft SURRENDER Robert Polk Alias Injun Joe Walker an Escapee From the Jackson County Jail Dies Shooting It Out With Detectives THE COOLER Partly -cloudy and cooler here today high in lower 70s Partly cloudy and cooler tonight low near 50 Cloudy and coo) tomorrow I Weather map and detailed observations on page 22 The temperature readings yesterday: 1 78 8 77 2 82 9 75 3 82H0 74 4 821 11 74 5 82 12 midnight 73 8 80 1 a 71 7 781 2 a 69 Partly cloudy and cooler today and tomorrow A few light showers in extreme northwest and north central tonight Highs today 55 northwest 75 to 80 southeast Missouri Scattered thunderstorms cast partlv cloudv west todav and tonight Showers and thunderstorms southeast cloudy northwest tomorrow Cooler extreme northwest today and tonight Cooler over west and north tomorrow' Highs todav 70 to 75 north and west to 80 extreme southeast ONE GIVES UP OTM ST imanuei Andrews 28 Telephones Minister end Arranges to Meet Police A girl who could supply only her first name Debbie when she was taken to St for treatment of lacerations was identified as Debbie Burns daughter of Mr and Mrs John Burns 10805 Bristol avenue Hickman Mills The girl who said she was 4 was treated and released to relatives 1WTK ST Lose Mound Duel to Baltimore The still plagued by hitting troubles lost last night to Baltimore 2-0 Connie Johnson outpitched Ned Garver and Virgil Trucks by allowing only two hits The move to Washington for a 2-game series starting tonight Other results: AMERICAN IEAGrr Washington 2 Detroit 1 Chicago at Boaton postponed rain Cleveland at New York postponed rain NATIONAL I EAGLE Brooklyn 10 St Loots 4 Only game scheduled (Details on Sports Pages) gu Hint Kb All the five men who escaped Sunday from the Jackson County jail were in custody last night all except Robert Polk 25 Polk was killed in an exchange of shots with detectives The last escapee to be accounted for Emanuel Andrew's 23 surrendered to police last night Hit by Two Shots Polk was killed when two 38-caliber revolver bullets truck his head in a battle with Harold Dickerson a rob-(Continued on Fourth Page) PARTLY CLOUDY AND COOL The Forecast Is for a High Today in the Lower 70s Cooler weather is forecast for today in the wake of the tornado and Robert Babb forecaster said no additional moisture was expected The high today will be in the lower 70s and the low tonight near 50 he said The sky will be partly cloudy today with clouds increasing tomorrow he said NEW ROYAL TRIP TALK Queen Mother or Margaret May Visit Paper Says London (Tuesday) May 21 (AP) The Daily Express pre-dieted today that Princess Margaret or Queen Mother Elizabeth will visit the United States this year as a stand-in for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip TO CHANUTE CITY POST Hayes Now Serving at Augusta Named Manager Chanute Kas May 20(AP) Hayes city manager of Augusta Kas today was named Chanute city manager THIS WAS THE PATH OF THE TORNADO The storm moved northeastward from the Martin City area along the path shown by arrows The crosses indicate the places where the funnel did the most damage These included the area of One Hundred Fourteenth street and 71 the Raskin Heights area Hickman Mills and the vicinity of Eighty-seventh street and Raytown road Save 5 cents a line per day bv ordering vour star Want Ads for 8 or more consecutive days Dial BA AdT Newcomer's prearranged Funeral Plan saves you money! 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Pages Available:
1,147,760
Years Available:
1871-1990