Peter Wagner 1891-1898

WAGNER, KRESS, KUNZ, HIGGINS, BEST

Posted By: Geo Clinton (email)
Date: 8/12/2012 at 15:54:00

May 6, 1898 - Algona Courier - The home of Michael Wagner situated 3 miles north and 1 1/2 miles east of Mallard was a scene of death and ruin. All were in the house about to take supper when the storm arose. Mr. Wagner looked out of the window and saw the cloud coming. He shouted to all to take to the cellar. He rushed to get outside but the kitchen door was bound fast. He broke it open and ran out, his father and seven-year-old son followed.

In a moment the house was gone. The father was found dead some distance away. His skull was broken and his brains scattered. The little boy was also dead, his neck having been broken. Mrs. Wagner's uncle, an old gentleman of about seventy, who lived with them, was so badly injured internally that his chances for recovery are considered doubtful. Mr. Wagner is quite badly injured though no bones are broken. Mrs. Wagner and the two other children did not have time to go into the cellar, but they escaped without injury. They were found a short distance from where the house stood and were lying on the edge of a piece of the roof where it had fallen.

The barn, which stood a short distance southwest of the house, was not damaged. A load of hay stood by it. The wagon was carried north eastward, then around the spot where the house stood, to the northwest, where part of it was found. The rack went some distance further, but in a north easterly direction. The hay was twisted into a sort of a rope along the course of the wagon. The manner in which the wagon and its load were carried is said to be a wonder in itself. The windmill posts were each raised about six inches out of the ground, but the frame and the mill were not damaged. There is no grove about the place, Mr. Wagner being a new resident. He came from Kossuth county about three years ago. (The family was without shelter except thru the hospitality of their kind neighbors. The family was furnished an abode at the Ed Kress home until a suitable dwelling could be provided. The dead were taken to the Mrs. August Kunz home where they were later sent to St. Joe for interment.)

The theory used to be quite generally believed that tornadoes, or cyclones as they are commonly called, could not exist unless the temperature was quite high and much humidity in the atmosphere, but that theory is now completely exploded. On last Saturday when it was quite cool, and before any warm weather at all had come, a cyclone originated near Valpariso, Neb., and moved eastward, entering South Dakota at Elkpoint, and soon crossing to Iowa, and traversing the state to the east boundary of Kossuth county at least.

The complete story of the wrecks it wrought and the lives it took is not available at this writing, but fortunately the losses in both ways are not as great as those of other storms of which we have all read. A farmer named John P. Johnson of near Richland, S.D., was killed, and much property is reported destroyed near Alton, Sheldon, Hartley, Maurice, and other towns that lay near its course.

It struck the village of Mallard in Palo Alto county, and there Kossuth first became directly interested. Some time not long ago Mike Wagner of St. Joe moved to Mallard and was residing there at the time of the storm. His aged father Peter Wagner of St. Joe. and his friend, an old gentleman of St. Joe named Simmons, accompanied old Mr. Wagner on the visit. They were the guests of Mike Wagner when the storm came. Wagner's house was demolished and the old gentleman killed, also a boy, Mike's son, and old Mr. Simmons was injured. The funerals of the grandfather and grandson were held in St. Joe Monday.

The cloud of destruction continued eastward and did some damage about Curlew, the particulars of which we have not learned, only that a woman, a relative of Gus Fenske of Whitternore was killed. Entering Kossuth county it made kindling wood of the German Lutheran church and school buildings in Lotts Creek, and broke the windows in the parsonage. It took August Milke's windmill, hen house and hog house, pulled-up fence posts and so forth, also Leasner's and ... cattle.

Following on east it took the windmills generally, until it dropped down on Treasurer L.0. Smith's farm at Buffalo Fork, about six miles northeast of Burt. It demolished his barn, granary, corn crib, and hen house, and unroofed the L. of his house and stripped the shingles off one side of the main part. The house and trees were thoroughly bespattered with mud.

It also destroyed a barn and windmill on the Best farm, and tore up a bridge on the Buffalo Creek. East of this point we have not heard of its doings. Considerable lightning was visible from Algona in the north-east horizon on that evening, but no one thought of a cyclone at this time of year and on such a raw, cool day. Indeed those unwelcome visitors are becoming unpleasantly numerous. Later information adds to the list Pat Higgins' big barn blown down and three steers killed, also four or five hogs. Klat's barn, windmill and outbuildings were blown away.