The Alton Democrat from Alton, Iowa • Page 8

Page Eight THE ALTON (la.) DEMOCRAT, THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1944 MEN IN UNIFORM Writes from New Guinea Capt. W. S. Bowers writes his grandmother on June 6th from the South Pacific, the letter arriving on June 17th by air mail. He writes he would 'not pick New Guinea ''for a resort spot; however xve were fortunate in getting a good camp site and if we can hang on to it, everything will be fine." The voyage was uneventful except for the traditional ceremonies and celebration of cross- the equator.

"Food has been good, at least compared to what we expected. Refrigeration, of course, is a rare thing and makes feeding diffi- cult." We take it that Australian mutton is beginning to pall somewhat, since he writes: "Australia is noted for its mutton--I expect to hear the men start baa-ing any day." Fla. Now At Tampa, Cpl. Raymond Friedmann has been transferred from Denver to 3rd A. A.

R. F. D. 6th Det. Plaxt Park, Tampa, Fla.

Tornado Strips Hofmeyer Farm Here on. Leave Lieut Mildred Pottebaum of the Marine Corps is here on leave from Cherry Point, No and is spending her 15- day leave with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Pottebaum. She arrived home Thursday.

At Great Lakes A notice from the Navy says that two Alton boys, Howard Jay Brinkhuis, 18, son Mr. and Mrs. Sam Brinkhuis, and Edwin Karssen, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Karssen, are at the Great Lakes Training Station.

Howard's address was given last week. Edwin's is: Edwin Karssen, AjS Co. 1247, U. S. N.

T. Great Lakes, 111. At Gulfport Hospital Fred J. Kessler, S2C, former linotype operator for THE DEMOCRAT, contracted the mumps after arriving in Gulfport, for special training, having completed boot training at Farragut, Idaho. He has been in the hospital for two weeks and will be detained two weeks longer, in case "they break out on the other side." His address is: U.

S. N. Dispensary, U. S. N.

T. Ward 6, Gulfport, Miss. At Camp Butner Pfc. Robert. Henricksen who was home on leave after serving in the African and Italian campaigns for 27 months, left lest week to report at Camp Butner, S.

C. Lt. Martin in New Guinea Lieut. Loyal Martin has land- The trees above, on the Virgil Hofmeyer farm two and a half miles south of Hospers, are typical of the stripped area. The bodies of two horses are shown imbedded in debris, which piled up along fences, roadsand groves.

short visit with their mother, a baby boy born Monday, June killed some of the livestock. Roland Walgenbach and son, David, were tonsilectomy patients at St. Joseph's hospital in Sioux City Monday. Mr. and Mrs.

T. J. Riedmiller and Tommy were visitors in the parental J. N. Jungers home.

The lady's mother was able to return home again after a five month siege in a Sioux City hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Klein and family of Sibley were Sunday visitors in the Mrs. Elizabeth Klein home.

L. J. Selig of Sioux City spent Sunday with friends and relatives here. Mr. and Mrs.

Neal Schoep and family were visitors at Saturday to see the destruction on his brother's farm. Mrs. Ben Ver Hoef of Bellflower, who is visiting ler mother, Sirs. F. Vander 3eek, attended the Ver Hoef family reunion at Spencer on Sunday.

Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Miedema of Marion, N. are visiting Orange City Pvt. Lloyd Van Gorp Co.

D. 28th Bn. 8th Regt. A. G.

F. Repl. Depot No. 1, Fort George G. Meade, Md.

Pvt. Orville J. Oolman APO 121 P. New York, N. Y.

Pvt. Arie Drost Co. D. 57th Bn. 12th Tng Camp Fannin, Texas.

Albert De Haan of the U. S. Navy was home for a 5-day furlough from Farragut, Idaho. He has been transferred to San Francisco. He has recently been promoted from Seaman to Gunners Mate 31C.

Word was received here that Staff Sergeaut Lester Geels arrived at the home of his mother, Mrs. Chris Geels, at Bellingham, on a 30-dav fur- Bertha De Graaf. ed safely in New Guinea, ac- i ster cording to a V-mail letter dated June 1st and received this week by his parents here, Mr. and Mrs. N.

C. Martin. His APO No. is 322, care of P. San Francisco.

and The Presbyterian congregation held a meeting Sunday afternoon and extended a call to Rev. Henry Eggink of Sioux Center. Mr. and Mrs. C.

F. Sheels received an announcement of the marriage of Annette Jordan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Jordan, to Earnest G. Alexander of Long Beach.

The bride's mother is remembered as the former Helen Sheels, a former Hospers resident. Miss Hendrine Te Grotenhuis returned to her employment in Sioux City Monday after enjoying a week's vacation with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. W.

Grotenhuis, and her sister, Mrs. P. Bokhout of Long Beach who is also visiting here. C. F.

Sheels was a business caller in Ft. Dodge Thursday. Mrs. Doores Waanders and daughters of Orange City were Friday visitors in the Mrs. Jen- lough after his completion of nie Waanders home.

flying missions while in England, HOSPERS Neal Schoep and M. Oordt were business callers in St Paul Tuesday. Arie Steenhoven was taken to an Orange City hospital Fri- 12th. Pvt. Monson is now stationed in England.

Miss Lizzie Tromp. who was taken to the Doornink hospital at Orange City last week, is reported to be getting along well and will return home in the latter part of the week. Many business places hi Hospers were closed Monday afternoon as many of the business men went out to help clear the land on the devastated farms south of Hospers. Wm. Vander Ploeg was taken to a Sioux City hospital Saturday to undergo an examination.

Mr. Vander Ploeg has not been well the past several weeks. The American Legion Auxiliary met Tuesday afternoon at the home of Mrs. Geo. De Kruif.

New officers elected at the annual election were Mrs. O. H. Ward, Mrs. H.

De Haan, vice Mrs. Jerry Raak, Mrs. Tony Boone, Mrs. Elizabeth Klein, Sergeant at Arms. Tornado (Goatinoed from one) storm, as did the Arthur De Graaf Mrs.

De Graaf said the cloud as they watched from a safe distance, appeared to be on their place for ten minutes, it was moving so slowly. The roar of it resembled that of a moving freight train. It appeared at least half a mile wide and the center funnel looked like an upturned flower pot. Next the tornado turned southeast and completely wrecked the beautiful John Blom farmstead. Not a stick was left standing of any of the buildings.

Fine large shade trees which must have been sixty or sevently years old were leveled or left standing, stripped entirely of leaves, branches and bark. Clock Stops at 8:20 Pitiful cries of mortally injured livestock greeted the neighbors who hurried to the scene and it was necessary to shoot many of the horses and cattle. Chickens stripped of their feathers were observed f. j.v,.e*i.iiv-* vjujt-J. a Jpr medical treatment.

His the wreckage. A clock tossed condition is reported to ne basement" oTthe house 4.i Ha'zel De Jong ad Pped at 8:20 Clothes, of Rochester arrived Friday to forn to rags hung the spend a few days with her The Ladies League of the i arenTts JIr and Mrs Presbyterian church met Wednesday afternoon at the home of Mrs. C. Boeterhoek. Mr.

and Mrs. Wm. Pohlen Jr. and Billie Joe of Elk Point, Do Jong, and other relatives here. Present Flag At a special meeting held red branches of trees.

Mr. and Mrs. Blom and daughter, Alice, had driven away from the storm. Their loss appeared to be total, with the exception of a few head of livestock saved. A billfold S.

were Sunday visitors in in the Girl Scout rooms Wed- left in the house containing the parental Wm. Pohlen Sr.i esday afternoon the Legion! S131 was later found across home. The monthly county Legion meeting will be held in Hospers next Tuesday evening. June 27th, at the high school audi- Auxiliary presented the Girl Scouts with an American Flaa torium. Mike Reefe returned home Thursday from Seattle, where he has been employed for several months.

Sailor Jerome Jungers left Monday for Farragut, Idaho, after enoying a 15-day furlough with his wife and family here. Mrs. John Vander Pol and Bonna Jean of Primghar moved into their house here. Mr. Vander Pol is serving in the armed forces.

Misses Rose, Julia and Sara Dyke of Minneapolis stopped for a short visit with their mother, Mrs. R. Dyke, while enroute to California. Mrs. J.

C. McAllister and sons of Chicago also were here for a gram lunch was served. ho on a 21-day furlough after the road empty, its zipper pulled open. This could hardly tornado, and it was well that guards from the Sheldon Na- Guard arrived Saturday i to police the ruins of the spending the last two years in the Cpl. Frederick Bynes devastated farms.

Whose Horse? The Cornie Blom home less of than a quarter mile south of Camp Chaffee, arrived i the John Blom farm was not home Saturday to enjoy a fur- touched by the storm, but the lough with his mother, Mrs. family had driven south out of Nellie Bynes and family. its reac h. On their return they bgt. Henry De Vnes of Call- found a dead horse in the yard his mother, Mrs.

S. De Vries Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Stover spent the week end with their son, Mr.

and Mrs. Melvin Stover, near Clear Lake, S. Pvt. and Mrs. Clifford Manson are the proud parents of not found its owner.

From the Blom farm the tornado moved east, demolished the barn on the Gt. J. Van Es farm but left a brick silo standing, tore the roof from the south side of the house and In Storm Cave Across the road and slightly to the north the Van Es Bros, farmstead was totally demolished, everything gone. Dick Van Es, the bachelor brother, Mr. and Mrs.

Jake Van Es and their two children were saved by climbing down a ladder into an underground cave, from which the wooden roof was torn when the tornado struck. A plow had been dropped into the basement of the demolished house. Half a mile to the east the Peter Koos farmstead was completely destroyed. The family took refuge in a storm cave and were unhurt, only covered with dust. Their and that of their school.

teacher daughter were both rolled across the field and left telescoped and useless masses of junk, stripped even of paint. Destruction Again to the east, the reporter about noon Saturday found Anthony Schuller with his son sitting on a fallen tree in the ruins of his after working to salvage of what livestock they could about the place. Not a stick of their farm buildings was left standing. Valuable horses and a thousand chickens were gone, but 12 milk cows were saved. "There is my house," said Mr.

Schuller, pointing north to a slight depression across the road where the muddy ground was littered with kindling wood. He explained that he and his wife and son had been ready the evening before to go at the end of the road lost their home and most of their buildings, but a few smaller trees were left alive. They had no storm cave and went to the Schuller farm, reaching there just as the Schullers left, receiving permission to go into the Schuller storm cave, where they received no harm. Escape in Cars Still farther east and somewhat south the storm totally destroyed the buildings on the Mrs. Herman Hulst and Ray Dolphin farms.

Both families escaped in their automobiles. The closest the storm came to Alton was the Frank Pottebaum farm two and a half miles northeast of town. The barn, hen house, hog house, corn crib and garage were leveled, but the bouse and granary were left standing. Mr. Pottebaum drove south away from the tornado.

The Lou Van Hof farm was in the path of the storm. Their buildings were heavily damaged, two cars destroyed and the windows blown out of the house. The Nick Becker farm also suffered severe damage and on the John Lyftogt place everything was destroyed except the house. Other farms hit were those of Virgil Hofmeyer, Roy and Gt. De Jong, Ed Bohlke and Louis Stoll.

Damage Damage in the county is estimated conservatively at half a million dollars but after seeing the damage in this vicinity alone we would place it much to the silver wedding celebra- higher. The livestock loss alone tion of Mr. and Mrs. John Rex-jwUl run into many thousands winkel, but delayed on account of the threatening storm. When they saw it headed their way they decided to drive away.

At the suggestion of Harold they took the car of the boy in the army because it was not insured, and their own car 'had some' insurance on it. "Just Made lit" "There is my car," said Mr. Schuller, "It was a 1941 model." and he waved to a field where the reporter saw an unrecognizable heap of junk. The Schullers in driving away had to drive west toward the tornado since they live nearly at the foot of a half mile dead- end road. They barely made it ahead of the storm, turned south and circled around in the xvake of the storm, returning to their farm to find it in ruins.

The Ed Roos family, living vey for the Red.Cross, Only light rain accompanied the tornado, according to most residents, but in some places there appeared evidence of a water spout. Fields were muddy and in one bare field, strewn with six dead horses, a live horse, plastered-with mud, was standing among its fallen comrades, apparently fast asleep. The day had been very hot and sultry with little wind. Weather Observer Slagle had a very low barometer "way down to the did not clear up the next day. A hot and high south wind blew all day Saturday and more tornadoes were reported- in South Dakota.

The barometer did not clear up until Sunday, when the wind turned to the northwest, bringing cooler temperatures. In West Branch Twp. The tornado which hit in West Branch township struck six farms and appeared to form just west of Highway 75, move northeast and then swooped down on the Lester Heusink- veldt farm (owned by Asa Muilenburg) where everything was taken. The Gt. Nibbelink place, owned by Mrs.

Schuller, was hit but the house left, but the Wm. and Andrew Huisman places were swept clean. The T. Goslinga place was also badly hit and there was much damage on the Wm. Nibbelink farm.

The tornado then reached the large gravel pit west of Sioux Center, where it appeared to break up and residents say that rain" fell. The Lester Heusinkveldt took refuge in the basement where the baby n'as torn from its mother's arms by the wind. The father soon saw its blankets showing underneath a pile of bricks and the baby was found, bruised and covered with mud, but appartently uninjured. The family received first aid at the Doornink hospital in Orange City and then went to the home of relatives, the Gordon Den Herder family. The baby had been sick and was brought home the previous day from the- Lutheran hospital.

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