Talk:Hopkins Tornado of 1881

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Four tornadoes merged into one? Seems like a questionable statement to me... -Runningonbrains 19:14, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Full Text of Report on Tornado

The full text of the book Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri, Vol. 1. (1910) is now online at the Missouri Digital Text Collection. The Hopkins Tornado is on pages 363-366. Since it is out of copyright I am including the full article here. Americasroof 15:51, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri, Vol. 1. (1910)

THE HOPKINS TORNADO.

Twenty-nine years ago last June ( 2th day of June, I88I) occurred the never-to-be-forgotten tornado of Hopkins, Nodaway county. The author of this history is indebted to the Nodaway Democrat files for the following description of this storm:

"Last Sunday, June I2, I88I, will long be remembered by many on ac- count of the terrible wind-storm which occurred. The day throughout all this part of the country was very warm, the atmosphere being somewhat sultry and oppressive. In fact, it was just such a day as tornadoes might be expected. Along in the afternoon, clouds began to darken the horizon in different directions, the deep mutterings of thunder were distinctly heard, and vivid lightning flashed back and forth from cloud to cloud in such a manner as to portend a much more than usual disturbed condition of the elements.

"At about three or four o'clock in the afternoon, at Maryville, after quite a severe gale of wind, the rain began to fall and we were favored with quite a heavy shower. About the same time, however, in different localities, and not many miles on either side of us, were being enacted quite different scenes. The winds gathered together, and with tremendous power passed through strips of country in regular tornado fashion, carrying death and destruction in their pathway.

"From reporters who visited the course of the storm in the north part of the county on the day subsequent to its occurring, we are enabled to lay before our readers the following sad intelligence of the fearful havoc made by the storm king.

"The tornado occurred between four and five o'clock in the afternoon. It had its origin or starting point near the Lone Elm school house, in Atchison township, some six miles due west of Hopkins. Those living in the vicinity, who witnessed the storm, are of the opinion that there were near this point four different branches or wings of the tornado, each acting within a scope of its own and doing some damage before all of them united, being drawn to one immense funnel-shaped current, after which everything within its course was moved with such violence and force as is seldom exhibited, even in these great storms. These currents seemed to unite near the Jeffrey farm, some half mile east of the Lone Elm school house. One of the strands, however, before the union, struck down on the school house, entirely demolishing it. Another strand started out southwest of the place where they united. This strand passed just to the north of A. C, Miller's house. the edge just reaching to the house. tearing down the flues and his outbuildings and some of his fencing.

From Miller's, the next place was that of Scott Bland. Mr. Bland, himself, was away from home in Kansas, and the sole occupants of the house were his aged mother and sister, who reside with him. His sister saw the storm coming and told her mother that they had better get into a cave just by the house. The old lady rather objected, but in a moment yielded to the persuasions of her daughter, and they were no sooner in the cave than the house was carried away, twisted up and jammed to pieces. Everything in its sweep, orchard, fences, outbuildings, here as elsewhere, was entirely swept away.

"Continuing on in a southeastern direction, it next struck the place of Zach Davidson. His house shared the fate of others mentioned, but before the general falling to pieces it was blown some ten rods across a ravine. He and his wife and two boys and a hired man were in the house. Mr. David- son told our reporter that about the only impression he remembers having while the house was being carried away, was that he thought he was still alive. As soon as that part of the house in which the members of the family were came down, Mr. Davidson remembers looking about to see if all were there, and the feelings of all on learning that not one of their number was missing or seriously hurt can be imagined better than described. It was almost a miracle, and probably could not occur again in one case out of a thousand. His stable was all blown to pieces and two fine horses were lifted up and carried by the storm nearly a quarter of a mile, one of them being blown through a wire fence, still remaining attached to the halter and that to a log of the stable to which he had been tied while the stable was intact. Strange to relate, the horses received but little injury. Mrs. Davidson was quite painfuly bruised.

"The tornado next passed over a part of the farm of Frank Morehouse, removing fences and doing other damage, as in the instances above mentioned.

"Its course from here was due east a half mile, down a lane. The north fence of the lane was entirely destroyed, not a rail or post being left. The south fence-wire and rail fence-was badly scattered, the rails nearly all being carried away and the wire twisted into ugly snarls. Half a mile down the lane from the point last named, to the north side, stands a tenement house belonging to Sam Wood, around which there is a large orchard, to the west and north of which is a beautiful willow fence, which the storm did not hurt. A strange feature of the storm to be seen here is that while the willow fence remained intact, the orchard and house which it enclosed on the west and north were ruined. Fine looking, noble trees in the orchard and some shade trees were torn out by the roots, limbs and branches twisted off, the house demolished, and the fence to the south blown away, and yet the willow fence was left apparently uninjured.

"Its course from here was southeast, down a hollow or draw for about half a mile. It took a stable and barn of Sam Wood in its sweep and made a fearful pathway through about thirty-five acres of beautiful timber. His house was just without the edge of the storm and the principal injury it sustained was the blowing down of the flues.

"Less than half a mile east from here was the farm and residence of John Grabill. The house was destroyed, as were the orchard, fencing and everything within the scope of the all-powerful whirling wind. At this point a stone which would have made a good lift for three men was carried a distance of some thirty feet. Mr. Graybill's family were badly injured, as will be seen in the list of injured.

"From here the tornado rather bore to the Southeast. While the portrayal so far is sad and gloomy, yet we now come to the point where death was wrought. James Young and wife, a couple somewhat aged, together with their family, lived probably half a mile from Graybill's. The family were absent except this aged pair. Here the tornado struck in all its force and fury, seemingly determined to even outdo all it had previously done.

The house was demolished, the old gentleman and lady being blown away some distance. Mr. Young was found some fifty yards from the house in a patch of brush. The wind snatched from the poor old body every shred of' clothing, except a piece of one pants leg. Both legs were broken, both arms broken, a gash cut across his forehead, and something struck him so that his entrails protruded. In the sudden fury and unrelenting violence of the storm, while his mortal frame was being thus badly mutilated, his spirit, let us trust, passed tranquilly into the presence of its Maker, where storms never come. What a sight it must have been to those who first discovered his body. Mrs. Young was blown in a somewhat different direction, and was severely injured, probably fatally.

"The next work of destruction, so far as buildings were concerned, was the McMackin mill, on the One Hundred and Two river. This was former- ly known as the Jones mill. It was made an entire wreck. Three young men were in the upper story at the time. How they escaped is a mystery to themselves as well as others. :

"Crossing the river, its course was still southeast, and while it did great damage to timber, fences, etc.,, it seems not to have struck any houses. "As showing the tremendous power of the wind, it is only necessary to allude to the fact that on its course it was noticed in several places that posts were twisted right out of the ground and carried away. Iron beam plows were seen twisted terribly. Fearful and terrible indeed are such storms, not only because of the destruction of property, but on account of the loss of human life. All who saw the course of this one agreed on the fact that its width was not uniform, but that it spread out at some points in its course much wider than at others. The edges were well defined, and the indications point to the greatest severity in the center. Its track was from one hundred yards to a quarter of a mile in width, and its length from west of the One Hundred and Two rivers some three or four miles. East of that stream it also continued two or three miles, but with less force and, from the situation and surface of the country, with much less damage, according to all reports which we have been able to gain.

"One feature noticeable along the track of the wind was that almost everything that was left was bedaubed with mud. It doubtless gathered up the mud off of the ground and hurled it through the air, thus sending it against everything in its way.

"This is probably the severest storm which ever passed over any part of our county, as it is thought to surpass the one in the south part a year ago, and we hope it will never devolve on us again to chronicle another so dreadful and destructive in its consequences.

"The killed and wounded were: James Young, aged about sixty, killed outright.

"Mrs. Young, aged about fifty, forearm fractured and badly cut about the head.

"Susan Goodin, aged about fifty, leg and collar bone fractured.

"John Graybill, aged about forty, spine injured and bruised about the head and shoulders.

"Susan Graybill, aged fifteen years, arm fractured and two ribs broken.

"Clark Graybill, aged eight years, collar bone fractured.

"Jack Graybill, aged six years, collar bone broken.

"Maggie and Alice Graybill, twins, aged three years, badly bruised.

"The following physicians were in attendance on Monday, and did all in their power to alleviate the sufferings: Drs. Heckedorn and E. T. Moore, of Maryville; Drs. Gerard Hughes and Sergeant, of Hopkins, and Dr. Wallis, of Pickering."

The general meteorological disturbance of June 2, 1881, resulted in several other tornadoes, one at Rosendale, Andrew county, and three in Gen- try county and De Kalb counties.

Soon after this terrible storm, the following appeared in print and was from an eye witness of many such storms, and will be well for the reader to remember in case such a storm ever overtakes them:

"Now, if tornadoes move east by about twenty degrees north, one can escape when they approach by running north or south, as the case may be. Some persons, not knowing this fact, have run directly into the tornado and been killed. It is well also to remember tornadoes occur late in the after- noon, when the atmosphere is sultry, and in this latitude on the last few days of May, or the first days of June, being drawn backward or forward, as the season is early or late, and that they are increased in intensity proportionately as the season is dry. Tornado caves are a safeguard in prairie countries. The only effectual remedy for tornadoes is found in planting forests, which drive these terrible storms into the open air. Tornadoes seldom do much damage in forest states."