
INDIANA TORNADOS
4-22-1912
LIST TORNADO VICTIMS GROW
Storm Which Swept Across Northern
Illinois and Indiana Took Heavy Toll of Human Lives
By United Press St. Louis, April 22
The list of dead in the tornado which swept across
northern Illinois and Indiana is increasing
hourly as communication with the affected districts is restored. Forty
one persons are known to have lost their
lives outside of Bush, Illinois and when direct communication is
restored with that town it is expected that it
alone will add twenty or thirty to the death roll. It is believed that
about 300 were injured. More than a hundred
were injured at Bush, some of whom will die. There are six dead at
Murphysboro and others dying. Seven are reported
dead at Willisville and eight dead between Bush and West Frankfort.
Trainmen reported twenty or thirty dead at Bush. The
injured there were taken by special train
to Murphysboro where there is a hospital.
In Northern Illinois, where the storm crossed into
Newton county, Indiana, there are three dead
at Rennick, three at Campus, one at Lorenze and one at Coal City and 12
in and around Morrocco
(By United Press Morrocco, Indiana April 22)
Nine killed and twenty hurt, one fatally, is the
result of the tornado which swept across northern
Indiana yesterday. The property loss is placed at more than half a
million dollars.
Chicago April 22
Twelve were killed at Bush Illinois, 10 dead, half a
score were so severely injured they may
die and 150 others were hurt in two tornadoes, one of which swept over
Southern Illinois and the other across Northern
Illinois into Indiana just before Sunset Sunday night.
Twelve will killed at Bush Illinois five at
Willisville, names not obtainable; three at Reddick,
Illinois; three near Murphysboro, Illinois and nine at Monocco, Indiana.
A hundred other persons were injured, at least eight
of them so severely they may die. Damage
done to property will amount to thousands of dollars.
The storm swept through the northern part of
Murphysboro, Ill., seriously injuring Mrs. George
King and two daughters and Mr. and Mrs. William Wilderback. No deaths
were reported there. Ten houses were demolished
at Murphysboro.
THREE DEAD IN KANSAS
Kansas City, April 22
Three persons are known to have lost their lives in
the four tornadoes that late Saturday visited
Southern and Central Kansas.
A Broyles were killed in the wreck of his home near
Waldron, Harper County, and Prockop Kottal
and his four year old granddaughter were killed in the storm at Bison,
Rush County.
A total of nearly 30 persons are known to have been
injured in Kansas and property damage will
aggregate $2000,000.
At Copan, an oil town in Oklahoma, one girl was
killed and 25 persons injured.
TWO CHILDREN KILLED
Perry Oklahoma April 22
Two children were killed by the tornado which swept
over this place late yesterday. The dead
are John Gerdes, age 12 and Mary Gerdes, aged 3.
More than one hundred wooden houses were blown over
and fourteen persons slightly injured. The
Perry Country Clud building was picked up and carried a
quarter mile to the opposite side of the club
lake. Frank Pearson, a boy, was playing in a barn when the wind picked
it up and carried in two hundred yards.
SEVENTEEN ARE DEAD
Chicago Ill., April 21
Seventeen persons are believed to have been killed
in a series of tornadoes which swept parts
of Illinois and Indiana just before nightfall today. Twelve reports od
deaths have been confirmed. The other reports
come on good authority
Dispatches from Kentland, Ind. are to the effect
that nine persons were killed and six others
are severely injured that they are expected to die, half a hundred
others bruised by flying debris and thousands
of dollars worth of property destroyed in and around Morrocco, Newton
County when a tornado swept out of the west
this evening
The dead are
Mrs. Charles Rice, Morocco, Ind.
Four young children of Mrs., Rice
Frank Rice, a son
Mrs. Frank Rice, his wife
Miss Cassie Smart Morocco
Infant sister of Miss Smart
Those who may die are:
Chas, Smart
Chas. Rice
Bruce Hangar
Medde Hammel
Miss Conn
Others were less severely hurt.
At Reddick, Illinois many buildings were destroyed
and Nelson Hulse, his wife and daughter were
killed and two other children probably fatality injured when their
house fell in on them, several others
were hurt.
Of those killed at Bush Illinois, eleven have been
identified. They are:
Mrs. Wm. Valentine
Farmer J. Campbell, wife and six children
Joe Wood.
J.W. Campbell was section forman at Bush. With his
wife and six children he was sitting in the
section house when the storm demolished it killing the occupants
instantly.
Three dead in Illinois
The dead are:
Nelson Hulse, Reddick, Illinois crushed under a
house when it was blown down
Mrs. Nelson Hulse and daughter Erma, two other
children in the Hulse family were injured so
severely they may die.
Blooming Illinois
A report from Campus in the north-east corner of
Livingston county says that Mrs. Nelson Hulz
was killed and two children were probably fatally injured.
Oklahoma lists their dead as
At Lugert, Mrs. Lee Stanaland and Miss Eva Stanaland
At Butler, William McKenzie, three Smith children,
five others names unknown
At Hinton, Van Valkenburg, small boy
At Calumet, P.B. Thompson, Mrs. P.B. Thompson,
___Griffith, Infant
At Cordell, Mrs. Frank Parman
At Sentinel, Mrs. ___ Ash, widow , 5 year old son of
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lee and grandson of
Mrs, Ash
Up to an early hour Sunday no word had come from the
towns of El Dorado, Warren, Martha and
Blair all four of which were Saturday reported to have suffered
severely.
4/22/1912
The Macon Daily Telegraph
Tornado Leaves Path of Dead and
Injured Thirty two know to have perished yesterday
Indiana and Illinois Thousands of
Dollars Damage Reported, Half a Score May Die, and 150 ar Hurt, Two
Tornadoes, Came Just Before Sunset Sunday.
Thirty two persons are known to be dead,
half a score were so severely injured that
they may die and a hundred and fifty others were hurt in two
tornadoes, one of which swept over southern
Illinois and the other across Illinois into Indiana just before sunset
Sunday night.
Twelve were killed at Bush, Ill. five at Willisville, three at Reddick,
Illinois three near Murphysboro, Illinois,
and nine at Morocco, Indiana.
CHICAGO- April 12 Seventeen persons are believed to have been killed in
a series of tornadoes which swept across
part of Illinois and Indiana just before nightfall today.
Twelve deaths have been confirmed and five are reported on authority
which appears reliable, A hundred other persons
were injured, at least eight of them severely they may die. Damage done
to property will amount to thousands of
dollars.
The storm swept through the northern part of Murphysboro, Illinois
seriously injuring Mrs. George King and two
daughters and Mr. and Mrs. William Wilderback. No deaths were
reported there.
Ten houses were demolished at Murphysboro.
In Reddick, Ill. many buildings were destroyed and Nelson Hulse,
his wife and daughter were killed and two
other children probably fatally injured when their house fell on them.
Several others were hurt.
Scores of town buildings and farm houses were razed in the vicinities
of Coal City, Aileen, Dwight, Odell and Mason
City and a number of people injured.
Twelve dead were found in Bush, Illinois and it is expected that more
will be found when the debris is cleared
away. Five persons were killed at Willisville and sixteen houses were
demolished. Two sections reported tornadoes
at the same time. Most damage apparently was done by that which
appeared from Coal City, Ill. and swept eastward,
the other being active in and near Murphysboro.
NINE DEATHS IN KENTUCKY
Kentland Ind. April 21 Nine persons were killed, six others so severely
injured they are expected to die half a
hundred others bruised by flying debris and thousands of dollars worth
of property destroyed in and around Morocco,
Newton County, when a tornado swept of the west this evening
FIVE DEAD NEAR GRANT PARK
CHICAGO, April 21 Telephone linemen sent to do repair work near Grant
Park Ill. tonight reported to the main offices
here that in and around Grant Park, Ill. five persons had been killed
and fifty injured. Between fifty and a hundred
houses, said the linemen, had been demolished. He was unable to
give the names of the dead.
COMPLETE LIST IN KANSAS
KANSAS CITY, April 21 Three persons are known to have lost their lives
in four tornadoes that late Saturday visited
southern and central Kansas.
A Broyles was killed in the wreck of his home near Waldron, Harper
County and Prockop Cottal and his 4 year old
grand daughter were killed in the storm at Bison, Rush County.
A total of nearly thirty persons are known to have been injured in
Kansas and property damage will aggregate $200,000.
At Capon, an oil town in Oklahoma one girl was killed and twenty five
persons injured.
3,12,1917 tornado story,
TORNADO SWEEPS PART OF INDIANA WITH HEAVY LOSS
More Than Thirty Persons Are Dead , 200
Injured, Many Fatally, And Property Loss Will
Run Far Beyond Million Dollars.
TOWN OF NEWCASTLE WRECKED, 300 RESIDENCES DESTROYED.
Indianapolis, A tornado swept over central
Eastern Indiana late Sunday, killing more than
a score of persons at New castle and 2 children in Wayne County.
The total number of injured will run over 200,
some of whom are probably fatally hurt.
The damage will total well over a million dollars at Newcastle and
several thousand dollars at Wayne County.
Wire communication was crippled by the storm
and reports were meager and hard to obtain.
Adjutant General Harry B. Smith of Indiana
National Guard was at his office late Sunday
night directing measures of relief. He said his reports were that 26
were dead and 150 injured at Newcastle.
Two companies of militia were ordered to
Newcastle to police the city. Physicians, nurses,
undertakers and ambulances were sent from nearby towns.
Two special interurban cars carrying 30 physicians
and 50 nurses were sent from here early in
the evening.
George Dyer, general superintendent of the
Lake Erie & Western railroad said late
Sunday night that he had received word from railroad officials at
Newcastle that 42 bodies had been removed from
the wreckage in the storm-swept district and that at least 25 persons
in the hospital would probably die. He said
the report came from a division superintendent who in an automobile had
made a trip though the devastated district.
_____________
HEAVIEST LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY IS AT NEWCASTLE
Newcastle, IN. more than a score of persons
were killed and 150 were injured, some
fatally, in a tornado which wrecked 300 residences in this city late
Sunday. The property damage was roughly estimated
Sunday night at $1,000,000.
The storm swept over the city in a
southeasterly direction, demolishing practically everything
in a path almost 2 blocks wide and more than 10 blocks long. For
several hours the city was entirely cut off from
communications.
NUMBER DEAD UNKNOWN
The exact number of dead may not be known
for a day or two, as practically all the
bodies thus far found have been dug out of the wreckage of their homes.
The search Sunday night was hampered by
darkness but with the coming of day light it is believed more bodies
will be found.
Late Sunday night 23 bodies had been recovered and 5
persons were missing. It was believed other
bodies still were buried in the wreckage which had not been
searched.
A revised list of the dead follows:
Everett Dunlap
Bernice Davis
Orris Davis
James Neiles
Gray Davis
Mrs. John Davis
Orville Davis age 6 son of Gray Davis
Mrs. Archie Fletcher
_____Haler, young daughter of John Haler
William lowery age 71
____Razer, 12 year son of W.T. Razer
Mrs, Archie Williamson
Miss Opal Williamson, daughter of Mrs. Williamson
_____Newton
Bernice Day
June Day
Ethel Day age 16
Mrs. Vera Higgins, daughter of Mrs. Williams
Ernest Waterman aged 6
2 men and 1 boy unidentified.
Among the missing are:
J.W. McLane and 2 sons
Mrs. W. Newton
Confusion and disorder followed in the path of
the storm. Those who escaped injury and
death ran wildly about the streets, women and children crying and
wringing their hands, and men shouting and cursing.
The men finally settled down and began the work of rescue, digging in
the ruins of their homes for missing members
of their families.
Only 2 or 3 bodies were found in the streets.
Several fires broke out in the wreckage on the
south side but a heavy rain kept them from
spreading. While many substantial residences were damaged, the greatest
destruction was in the factory district.
LITTLE WARNING OF STORM
There was little warning of the approaching
storm. A huge funnel-shaped cloud suddenly
appeared in the west, hanging low and sweeping toward the city with
lightning-like speed. Groups of persons on
the streets began seeking shelter, men and women running wildly through
the streets.
The tornado lasted only about 5 minutes and was
followed by a hard rain which also stopped a
in a few minutes.
One witness of the storm, who was deriving with his
family in an automobile, reached the courthouse
square when the tornado struck. Deserting his car, the man and his
family sought shelter in an excavation for a
new building. Crouching in mud and water knee deep against the
protecting wall of the basement, they remained there
until the storm had subsided.
The storm spent its force just south of Hagerstown,
where 2 children of Ernest Graves were killed
when a brick house was demolished. Ora Smith, a farmer, was picked up
by the storm and carried 100 feet and dropped
into a pond. His back was broken and he probably will die.
STORM HITS ON TWO SIDES
The storm passed through the longest way of
the city, striking the south and west sides.
The south side school building was destroyed as were the rolling mills
and shovel plant. The residence district
was not damaged as severely as in the neighborhood of the Maxwell
automobile factory.
Newcastle has a population of 15,000.
All the hospitals in the city are crowded with
the injured.
The storm came from the west, striking the
city in the northwestern section, and traveled
in a southeasterly direction, missing the business section of the town.
Several men were at work in the Indiana
Rolling mill, which was destroyed, but no one was hurt.
Word has been dispatched to Governor Goodrich,
to send troops to police the city. The
destruction of the interurban power house threw the city in darkness.
TWO CHILDREN KILLED NEAR RICHMOND, IN.
Richmond, IN. two children were killed and
a man probably fatally inured in a tornado
near here late Sunday.
The Indianapolis
Sentinel
1882-07-17
TORNADOES
According to statements made by the signal
Service Office, six hundred destructive tornadoes
have occurred in various portions of the United States;
of these 316 have occurred in eight states since 1814, a period of
sixty-seven years, as follows
| States | Time Frame | Tornado |
| Georgia | 1854 to 1881 | 35 |
| Illinois | 1854 to 1881 | 54 |
| Indiana | 1852 to 1880 | 27 |
| Iowa | 1854 to 1881 | 31 |
| Kansas | 1850 to1881 | 62 |
| Missouri | 1814 to 1881 | 44 |
| New York | 1831 to 1881 | 35 |
| Ohio | 1823 to 1881 | 28 |
Just now people are taking a lively interest in
the tornado question, and the record for
1882, when fully made up, will probably be the most startling the
Signal Service Office has ever made. There were
many severe storms during the month of May, but the tornado season did
not begin in earnest until in June. So far,
exact accounts are not published, but enough is known to show that the
tornadoes of the month killed about 150
people, more or less severely wounded 400 others, and destroyed
property to the amount of at least $5,000,000.
It is said that June is the month peculiarly suited for the development
of tornadoes, that they are more frequent
in April than in July, and are oftener seen in May and September than
in August. the reason why of tornadoes has
attracted the attention of scientific men whose theories have been
published, but it is not infrequently the case
that tornadoes occur when the reasons why, as laid down in the books,
do not explain their appearance. It is said
by sacred writers that "the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in
the storm, and the clouds are the dust
of his feet" But we do not care to believe that tornadoes "are the
immediate instruments of the divine
indignation," though, is such conclusions must be accepted, a
whirlwind, tornado, cyclone, or by whatever
name such atmospheric disturbances are known can be made as
illustrative of infinite wrath as earthquakes or storms
of fire and brimstone. We are informed that " the average width of the
path of tornadoes is 1,085 feet, and
that the clouds travel at velocities varying from twelve to sixty miles
per hour. Near the vortex of the storm,
where the whirling motion of the air is swiftest, it has never been
possible to obtain the rate of motion. But
it certainly attains an enormous speed, reaching sometimes 800 miles
per hour. The average velocity is set down
at 392 miles per hour. In the official report of the Iowa tornado of
June 17, it is stated that a stone fifteen
inches cube was carried 200 feet in the air. The pressure necessary to
accomplish this would require a velocity
of 201 miles per hour if the force of the wind were exerted at right
angles to the line of resistance. The pressure
necessary to overturn a loaded freight car implies a minimum velocity
of 147 miles per hour." Of the states
named, Kansas seems to be the favorite field for the display of tornado
forces, through Iowa, during the past six
months, leads all other States in statistics of destruction. Since 1852
Indiana has experienced twenty seven tornadoes,
not including those that have visited the state so far during the
current year, and if prayer can influence
atmospheric tumults, it is safe to say we shall have more of them
within the state.