THE STORM OF 1918

The morning of May 20, 1918, was a nice typical spring morning. But as the sun began to climb upward the wind began blowing from the south, and by noon it was something of a gale. There was a hazy, smoky appearance in the sky and the atmosphere was sultry as evening drew on. The day was the first and second anniversary of the cyclone that swooped down on the little village of Codell in Rooks county, and the people near Codell looked at May 20 in fear.

We, myself and son Luther, were out soliciting for the Red Cross that memorable day. We had gotten the township of Mt. Ayr pretty well worked and by late afternoon we were at the extreme south side.

We stopped at Frank Erway’s and found that gentleman out hoeing his potatoes. As we drove up he greeted us with the cheering remark that “this is cyclone day and we had better stay close to the cellar tonight.” Well, we went home and thought nothing more of it.

About 11 o’clock that night it was brought to our mind more vividly than we care to have it. Our babe, a little less than two years old, was fretful and kept us awake, and a little after ten o’clock we were up with him and heard a terrible roar to the south of us. We remarked to the wife that there must be a heavy hail about two miles south. Had we thought it a storm we could have gotten the family in the cellar, as we had plenty of time before it struck us, but we had never run from a storm before and did not think it necessary now, although the wind was blowing and it was raining and hailing. All of a sudden the doors slammed shut. They were all open on account of it being so sultry, and the light snuffed out. It was a sudden gust and was soon over. We arose and opened the doors and made a light, but the roar increased so that we didn’t go to bed at once. Instead wife and baby got up and came in the dining room where we were, and wife said we had better go to the cellar as she thought the storm too severe for us to risk it and stay in the house. We remarked that we thought it too late to attempt to get to the cellar and we would not care to go and leave the children upstairs. Just then we felt the floor raise and in an instant everything was blank.

Of course it was all over in a jiffy, and when we regained consciousness we were lying on the ground with the rain pelting us on the back, and it was so dark we couldn’t see anything only as the lightning would flash and we could only catch a glimpse of objects. As it happened we were in the yard about three rods from where the house stood and headed east.

During the lightning's vivid flash we saw Luther walking around searching from some of the rest of the family. There were a dozen of us in the house when the storm struck and they were all piled up in a bunch inside a circle of fifteen feet, beside a brooder house we had made and had two incubators setting in. It was dug three or four feet in the ground with windows the full length on the south side.

The family was all in front of this dugout. We made our way to where Luther was, not knowing the location, and he had two of the smaller children inside the dugout. When we got to where he was and saw the two in the dugout, we being excited, began to pull them out when we were brought up short by Luther saying, “leave them alone, I put them there.” From then on he would locate the members of the family and we would place them in the dugout.

They were all unconscious until the rain would revive them, then they would call and Luther would search for them among the debris. Some were on top and others had to have the rubbish torn away before they could be gotten out. About the only one hurt was one boy who had a collar bone broken and the wrist on the opposite side, rendering him helpless for a couple of weeks. It has been regarded by the neighbors as a miracle that there were no deaths, as the house as well as all other buildings was completely torn to pieces, literally made into kindling.

The storm started at Codell, in Rooks county, and traveled northeast. Several buildings were torn down at Codell, and one or two persons killed near there, then it crossed over the line into Osborne county and demolished a large barn north of Natoma. The next place we call to mind was the school house at the German church. The church was not damaged much nor was the school house. There was a gathering there that night of some sort and the building was full of people. It was picked up about four feet high and set down again but a little off the foundation. Next it came to the C. H. Stull home. Mr. Stull was lying a corpse at his home. The house was untouched but his large barn was made a wreck.

At the W. R. Gregory home there was suffering. Mr. and Mrs. Gregory were an old couple living alone. When the storm struck their house they attempted to reach the cave, but on going through the kitchen it was struck by the cyclone and torn to pieces. Mr. Gregory had both legs broken below the knees. He was in the hospital for some time before his bones would knit, but finally was able to get around, but remained a cripple the rest of his days.

The Saul Stanfield house was torn to pieces and family of four were in it. Alfonso, the son, was covered with the wreckage, and his father lifted some of the timbers to release him that he couldn’t lift again, but under the excitement moved them enough to get the boy out. He was pretty badly bruised but no bones broken. He was a graduate of the Alton high school at the time and his classmates brought his diploma to him as he was in bed.

The scene was similar at every place. Some houses were torn up worse than others. Some stock was killed outright, while others lingered a week or two and died from their wounds. Woven wire fence was twisted up as solid as a rope and that between posts, so that there was nothing to hold the wire while the twisting was going on. Some furniture was never seen again, not even a small piece.

Here is a list of those that had all the buildings destroyed: D. W. Stull, W. H. Bales, C. E. Williams, R. A. Gregory, Saul Stanfield, a Mr. Mischler, Fair West school house.

Those that had barns destroyed but not their houses: W. E. Smith, B. D. Cooley, C. L. Tucker, G. R. Bales, D. C. Crutchfield, Elizah Smith, Jesse Gregory, two barns, J. M. Baker, E. E. Gregory, W. R. Gregory, Ira Snyder, M. C. Lamm.

After leaving Mt. Ayr township the storm raised, then came to earth on the river bottom and unroofed a barn for Sid Storer, then raised and continued northeast and came down on the North Solomon river bottoms, doing damage in that neighborhood. It rambled clear across the county north and almost the same distance east.

Here are some of the antics played by the cyclone. At the W. R. Gregory place a suckling colt was found next morning in the cellar unhurt. The steps to the cellar go west and then turn and go north.

The colt was put in the cellar and the door closed. At the Ira Snyder place an outside door to an unused bedroom was opened and a package thrown in and the door shut. The package was a new shirt. He never found out where it came from. At the M. C. Lamm place the barn was blown away, leaving a team of horses tied to the manger unhurt. All that saved W. H. and Mrs. Bales from injury if not death while they were in the cellar under the house, was the fact that they had crawled under a table and it kept the rocks of the foundation from falling on them.

Roy Neuschwanger and family jumped out of bed and run to the cellar, and when the storm was over and they came back to the house (made of stone) they found several large stones from the wall in their bed. They were large enough to cause injury if not death.

D. C. Crutchfield had his pants on a chair and they were sucked through a window, and his pocket knife and some loose change were scattered on the ground beside the house. The knife and part of the change were found.

We had an old Model T destroyed. Jesse Gregory, after the storm, was standing out in his yard listening to the roar of the storm as it left and he heard something hit the ground with a thud. He stepped over to it and found it was a lamp off a Model T. It might have been ours.

Saul Stanfield had an almost new header standing near his barn. It was not moved, but the platform was taken off, and on looking found it in his pond in the pasture almost a quarter of a mile away.

We had been working on a pond in our pasture and had used a slip to move the dirt. The slip was unmolested while the bail was wrenched loose and blown almost a quarter of a mile, and was found in Saul Stanfield’s yard. There were several other pranks equally as curious. One was that at the C. R. Bales place, the cement cover of his filter was raised and another that covered the cistern dropped in the filter and the cap replaced without cracking it.

C. R. Bales’ house was a square one and it was moved several rods and turned one-fourth way round so that the next morning when he opened the east door he was looking north. His mother lost one of her eyes and it was found in a wheat field by C. R. several days later. It was a glass eye. D. W. Stull is a short, fat man and he was carried several rods and dropped on his back in a field that was listed to corn.

Now as to our stock that was killed. We lost a team of mules, three horses and a yearling calf. All our chickens were killed but two that were found in our pit silo unhurt. Saul Stanfield lost one of his well matched roan horses and several cows and calves. All the following summer when a wind would strike up our stock would start to run as they expected more sharp, pointed pieces of boards to strike them.

We put in several hours pulling slivers from their backs, and they had not forgotten.

We had some hog fence of woven wire, and in several places it was twisted like a rope and between posts, so that the wire was not fast. We are sending a sample of this twisted wire to the historical society for fear they might not believe our report.

A more complete report on the storm can be found in the Osborne County Farmer of May 23 and 30, 1918. It was an experience no one cares to have repeated soon.

We mowed our barley but could not thresh it on account of the sticks and tin cans in it.

The experience worked on the nerves of some to such an extent that they would go to the cave every time the wind would strike up, and especially if there happened to be a black looking cloud in sight.

This lasted for several years, and we know of one man that still goes to the cave when it looks stormy.

Modesty forbids mentioning his name.

Fourteen years have passed since the cyclone. Some of the ones that passed through it have passed away. In looking back to the scene of the wreckage of the storm we can’t see how it was possible that so many buildings were made into kindling wood and no deaths. Every one was bruised up more or less but nothing serious. In the loss of life the cyclone was a failure, but in destruction of property it was a grand success. Here’s hoping we don’t have a recurrence – C. E. Williams in 1932.

C. E. (Charles Edward) Williams

Osborne County, Kansas

OSBORNE COUNTY FARMER

09 August 1934

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Charles Edward Williams (1867-1937)