PLAINVILLE TIMES, MAY 23, 1918
CODELL NOTES
Monday, May 20th, has been
considered cyclone anniversary day at Codell.
Two years ago a cyclone passed just east of town one mile on the 20th
of May and one year ago three miles west, but so far, at 8:00 p.m., no cyclone
but thundering and looks like we are going to get a rain.
Note by Editor of Plainville Times:
The above unusual item was written
Monday before the tornado and mailed to Times office by W. A. Barry, our
correspondent about two hours before the storm struck Codell.
***The
following article covered the whole front page of the Plainville Times, May 23,
1918***
TORNADO TRAVERSES TREGO, ELLIS, ROOKS AND OSBORNE COUNTIES. TEN KILLED, SCORES OF INJURED. PROPERTY DAMAGE IN MILLION. CODELL IN PART RUINS
The most extensive tornado in the history of this
section of the state passed through Monday night about ten o’clock. A heavy two
inch rain preceded the wind.
Travelers say they first encountered
the work of the tornado southwest of WaKeeney.
It traveled northeast, doing great damage in Ellis. Thence on to the Saline where it struck
about the main Cochran ranch. Then it
followed down the Saline River past Ira Kollman’s place where it seemed to turn
north and came into Codell from the south.
Then it devastated a strip of territory about seven or eight miles wide
on to the Kill Creek country in Osborne county passing to the east of
Alton. It did not seem to traverse
Smith county as the telephone company was able to get a message from Plainville
to Salina next morning via Phillipsburg and Beloit. All wire south and east were out.
All doctors were called out from
Plainville to Codell and vicinity Monday night to assist the injured. As soon as Plainville central learned of the
tragedy, it kept busy during the night arousing people who had autos and
getting men to fill them to go to the work of assistance and rescue.
The storm lasted about forty minutes
so that it was unsafe to venture out on account of flying timbers.
Tongue cannot tell or pen describe
the fearfulness of the tragedy. About
eleven people were killed and hundreds wounded. Thousands of stock were killed and crippled. Poultry is lying dead everywhere and little
left in path of storm.
The property damaged in Trego,
Ellis, Rooks and Osborne counties will mount into million.
At Ellis, over $125,000 damage was
done. At Codell about $50,000. At the Deane ranch $17,000.
The wires of the United Telephone
Co. were wrecked from about three miles east of Plainville to about five miles
east of Codell, showing something of extent of storm.
As one party says seems like every
place hit last year lost this.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Adams and little baby were pinned beneath the stone
wall of their home near Old Motor townsite.
The baby was evidently killed instantly as Walter did not hear it make a
sound. His wife who was pinned beneath
the rocks kept tugging at his sleeve for a time but he was pinned down in the
debris and could do nothing to assist her.
She died before help came. Alice
Romine who was staying with them fell under a table which protected her and she
escaped with slight bruises.
Walter Adams was seriously injured
and is not expected to live.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jones near the Shiloh Church was totally
destroyed. The baby was found laying
dead in an alfalfa field some distance from the house. The family dog which had been itself injured
was found keeping watch of it. Mrs.
Jones was injured and condition serious.
Two of the children are very seriously injured and other three
hurt. All were brought to Plainville
Tuesday together with Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Newlin who were injured. All are being cared for at the home of Mrs.
Overholser in the southeast part of town.
Alva Cross who was working at the Jones place was also severely
injured. He was taken to his home at
Stockton. The Jones baby was buried
Tuesday in the Shiloh Cemetery. Three
of the Jones children worst injured were taken Wednesday to the Hays hospital.
Mr. Jones had taken one of his
oldest daughters to Concordia hospital Saturday on account of her having an eye
injured by a wire. Upon receiving word
of storm, Mr. Jones left Concordia by auto at 11:15 a.m., arriving home at 2:15
p.m. He was almost frantic with grief.
The Shiloh church was destroyed.
Nearly all the tombstones in the cemetery blown down. North from cemetery the osage fence for half
mile was uprooted. Osage one foot
through were pulled up and roots eight feet long lay bare.
At Andreson place everything is gone
except house and that badly damaged.
All buildings on C. T. Husted
place wrecked. At Andreson’s place
where George Glendenning lived not a thing is left.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Newlin living on the Frank Demetz place destroyed and both injured. With their little girl who was uninjured they made their way to the home of John Hoskins, one-half mile south. Could not find their baby. Mr. Hoskins went to the place and finally found the little one underneath some boards, uninjured, restoring it to its parents.
All of Mr. Hoskin’s buildings were
destroyed except his residence. The
injured members of the Jones and Newlin families were taken to his home until
transfer to Plainville.
It is said that Mrs. Glendenings
baby was blown from her arms. With
difficulty she was restrained from going in search. After the storm it was found all right.
At Joe Westhusen place straight east of Plainville the first damage outside to telephone wires is seen on road from Plainville to Codell. Part of his old barn was destroyed. A steel granary which set across the road south of his house lies crumpled up in Elmer Bices pasture about one-half mile southwest of where it formerly stood.
Will Westhusen had all buildings
wrecked.
W. R. Powell says there seemed to be
two storms at Codell. One from the
southwest and one from the northwest.
The latter doing the damage.
Codell’s Fine School
Building Wrecked. No Insurance.
The fine public school building erected several years ago is a total
wreck. Loss on the building is about
$5,000. Furniture, $3,000. The district had a fire policy but no
windstorm so the loss s almost total.
Some furniture can be saved.
The M. E. Church and parsonage adjoining are wrecked. Loss about $4, 600. No insurance. Rev. Hall and wife had just left the evening before for western
Kansas or they would likely have been killed.
The Stackhouse home just north of
the parsonage was demolished. The
family was in the cellar under the building when the walls fell but were not
injured as they had a place built for protection. Loss including barn, about $4,000. No insurance.
Hardly a vestige of the Mrs. Printz
residence nearby was left. She was out
to one of her farms at the time. A torn
up piano lay near where the house had stood.
The Pentecostal church was gone with
nothing but floor laying nearby and organ thereon visable. This is the old Quaker church which used to
stand north of Codell.
Wm. Splitter sheds where he had
goods stored were all tore up and his main store building badly wrecked. His loss was about $2,500. No insurance.
Walt Murphy, telephone manager, had his arm badly broken while trying
to hold the office door from being blown in.
The whole side of the office was blown out. He was taken to Hays hospital Tuesday.
The house where Grandma Wickham
recently moved to was destroyed. She
was in the cave and escaped injury.
W. A. Barry figures his loss on
house about $75, barn $100, store porch $50.
He carried insurance.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hensey who were
just married last week had their house badly damaged and clothing all destroyed. The house which belongs to Albert Bucheister
was damaged several hundred dollars.
The W. S. Baldwin house adjoining was damaged about $150.
After offering to assist adjust windstorm insurance claims and finding
practically non except for bank windows and a few minor claims, Col. Sweet
remarked: “It is the same here as at Stockton 95 per cent of the people who
insure their buildings against fire do not against windstorms.”
The Gilpin store, hardware, Doak
store, Baptist church and former John McReynolds residences were comparatively
uninjured.
The hotel just south of depot is a complete wreck.
How Mrs. Haynes and three small
children escaped at Codell hotel is a mystery.
A traveling salesman, J. Glassman had a room at the hotel, escaped with
an arm badly sprained. He did not know
how.
J. W. Jones reports about $150 loss.
J. A. Lesher had about $1,000
damage. No insurance. His out buildings were all destroyed and
house badly damaged.
Eugene Bice had outbuildings
destroyed. John Coleman suffered great
damage.
Virge Richmond lost everything but
house. The Harrison house is part
standing.
John Overholser’s place was torn all
to pieces. He lost last year too.
Tuesday night some rain fell and
today more rain is falling, making it bad for people living in the devastated
territory as there are few houses but have roofs injured.
Wilber Overholser had nearly $1,000
damage to barn and buildings.
Wm. Wells lost all outbuildings.
Frank Hoaglands barn was
destroyed. Al Bice lost north end of
his barn.
At the John Hoskins place a pig was
cut square in two.
Jos. Hrabe, Sr. had about $150
damage to buildings. He had insurance.
Albert Hrabe lost quite a bit. Joe Hrabe, Jr. had about $1,000. Damage to
barn and out buildings.
Art
Bessey is reported seriously injured.
Tom Casey was badly injured. Art Besseys building were all torn up.
C. E. Glendenning had house
destroyed.
George McCords barn was torn to
pieces, house damaged.
At M. C. Bessey place the barn and
all out buildings were destroyed. The
barn was a new one having been recently built to take the place of that
destroyed by fire.
At Guy Hocket place recently bought
by S. Carley everything was destroyed.
No one was living there.
At Will Conger place a steel
granary, garage, etc. were blown down.
At the Reed ranch, big trees were
uprooted and sheds torn down.
Ed. Sites lost all buildings but
house. P. Jorgenson’s loss was heavy.
A man was found dead in the wreck of
his home near Alton, uninjured and likely dying of heart failure.
In Natoma a big barn blew down but
100 sheep in it were uninjured. The big
Geo. Preuter barn three miles north of Natoma was destroyed. Six miles northeast of Natoma Attorney
Tillman and Rev. Barnard of Osborne were holding a Red Cross meeting in a
school house. it and occupants were
moved about seventy feet.
Four miles southwest of the main Cochran ranch house at the home of
Adam Geist, his father and mother and three children were killed. His brother and wife were injured. Mr. Geist passed through the storm at the
Deane ranch where he was working.
At the Cochran ranch the property
destruction was greater than last year.
Three pure bred cows, two horses, were killed.
The fine residence at the Deane ranch, silo, barns, sheds, etc., were
totally wrecked.
Henry Klienschmidt lost
everything. Lew Gosser his barn,
sheds. Machinery and house
damaged. At the old Ordway place where
D. L. Carmicheal lives, seven mile due south of Plainville much damage was
done.
Hugh Carmichael lost all buildings
except house. Lost cow, hog and 500
little chickens.
Ben McCarroll had garage moved. At the old Mina Watkins place where C. H.
Carmicheal lives, much damage was done.
James Kennedy all outbuildings.
This
is the third cyclone visiting Codell vicinity the past three years. All happening on May 20th, and
within a few hours of each other. Two
years ago one passed on east edge of town.
Last year to the west. Monday
people were joking and saying: “Well this is Codell’s day for storm.”
A twister struck the edge of Plainville Monday night. Whether it was an off shoot of the one that
passed over Codell or another which passed over town and did not strike until
it reached the Tomas Mellotte place on the southeast edge of town is not
known. In execution it was as bad as
any of them. About $3,000 damage was
done to the residence. Nearly a
thousand dollars more to out buildings, trees, etc. The barn was totally demolished.
Windmill wrecked and furniture damaged.
The telephone was hurled across the room by some force and narrowly
missed striking Mr. Mellotte who had just risen from his chair. It made an ugly dent on the wall just back
of where he had sat a moment previous.
Mr. Mellotte carried insurance, but Forman Giggey who lives in the house
did not and heavy loss. Things which
was in a chest in the barn before the storm was found after it was over in the
middle of a room in the residence.
Nine patients are now in Hays hospital as result of storm. Two members of Geist family and one man from
WaKeeney are included.
Albert Maline had outbuildings
destroyed.
Tom McNeeley lost nearly everything.
Art Henn had his barn badly
damaged. Also residence. Had both injured. The wind sucked an oil stove out from one room through another and
out a large window.