Children, ages 2 years and 6 months, of Henry Leemkuil

LEEMKUIL

Posted By: Alan Nicholson
Date: 3/29/2014 at 21:15:35

Paullina Times, 5 May 1898, p. 3

The cyclone through Baker and Carroll townships last Saturday evening was a disastrous affair and killed two children of Henry Leemkuil's besides injuring many other persons. The storm came from the southwest and took a northeasterly course. The first damage in the county was at the Jerry Grigg's place where the buildings were badly broken up and injured, although no one was seriously injured. At Leemkuil's the barn was totally demolished and some stock was killed; the house was not the direct path of the cyclone, but the suction succeeded in turning the house over and rolling it over and over on the ground for fifteen or twenty rods. Mr. Leemkuil ran from the house endeavoring to get into the cellar through an outdoor entrance. As he stepped out of the house it was blown over and he and the two children, whom he had in his arms were carried with it in a southeasterly direction. In its last tumble the house fell on him and children, crushing and killing them, and seriously injuring him. His neighbors succeeded in releasing him by chopping away the building resting on him. The children were aged two years, and six months respectively. Eight miles west of here the storm struck the home of Otto Saupe, completely demolishing the house and furniture. Mr. Saupe was in the field but his wife and children were carried with the house for several rods, but not injured save a severe shaking up. At Warner Bondermans, near Archer, the barn and windmill were blown away and the house seriously injured. A flying timber penetrated Bondeman's leg and seriously injured him. Timbers were driven through the house and into joists as though they were so much paper. A large number of windmills were blown down and in many places barns and other buildings were moved or wrecked.

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Paullina Times, 5 May 1898, p. 4

An Early Cyclone
A small but vicious funnel-shaped monster announced the arrival of the cyclone period in this county on Saturday evening last. It came from the southwest, entering the county on the west side of Baker township, about midway between the north and south lines.

At the same time another storm of a similar nature demolished the town of Maurice, in Sioux county, traveling in the same direction, and passing to the west of Sheldon. It is generally supposed that the two twisting destroyers originated in Nebraska, dividing into two storms shortly after entering Iowa. In each instance the Storm was accompanied by a terrific wind and hail, the black funnel-shaped cloud which did the damage following closely or else preceding the rain a short distance.

The path of the storm which did considerable damage in this county was quite narrow. Where the width could be determined it did not show that its width was much more than thirty rods. There was very little variation from that width. The course was strewn with corn stalks and an occasional board or barrel, some clothing or papers picked up with the unhappy loser of a home. There was nothing left whole where the storm appeared to have its center. In the outer edges very little damage resulted.

In Baker township, in the northwest corner of section 3, only a few rods south of the old Schneider place, two children were killed outright. One was about two and half years of age and the other was a babe of four months. Both died in the father's arms while he was attempting to escape from the house which was being carried away to the southeast. The building lay about four rods from its foundation. It remained together, tipped upon its side, and had the unlucky man remained inside, he no doubt would have escaped, like his wife, without a scratch. He was badly bruised, but may recover. Neighbors who arrived first at the place found it necessary to chop a portion of the roof away to remove the unconscious man and dead children from beneath the ruins. The only loss of human life occurred here.

A Times man followed the path of the storm a distance of seven miles in a northeasterly direction. Beginning on section 18, Baker township, where the first damage was done, we saw that the large barn of George Benbow was destroyed, and the residence damaged some, the main part of the funnel passing a trifle to the east of the house.

From this place its path crossed the northwest corner of section 17, taking a large barn on the Ankrum place.

At the Jerry Griggs place the antics of the wind were beyond description. Mr. Griggs had been killed only a few days before and the family had just returned from the funeral. Mrs. Griggs, two brothers and two sisters and two little children were in a small summer kitchen adjoining the large part of the house on the north. The larger portion was lifted clear over the kitchen and scattered in a thousand pieces while the small part was moved only a few feet. All the other property, excepting the small structure containing the people, was razed to the ground. Large trees were uprooted, and the terrible power of the wind was manifest everywhere. Coming as it did, in a time of deepest sorrow, made the disaster most appalling.

Passing still northeast, the storm touched the northwest corner of section 9 and through section 4, where it did slight damage to the buildings of Mr. Knepper. The path of the storm was between the Philby church and Mr. Knepper's on the west.

The next residence demolished was the home of Henry Leemkuil, where the two children were killed. The place is on the northwest corner of section 3. A threshing machine was picked up and hurled to the ground with great force. The killing of the children, injury of the man and destruction of the house here was described above.

After passing diagonally across section 34, in Carroll township without doing any damage, the storm took the home of Otto Saupe from the foundation and scattered it for twenty or thirty rods. In the building were Mrs. Saupe, the two children and the hired man. The lady and one of the children were carried about four rods and remained upon the floor while the hired man and the other child were carried several rods further. When one comes to see the havoc wrought to this building, no two pieces of the structure being together, and to know that the four occupants escaped with scarcely a scratch, the mind is bewildered, and fails to comprehend the strange phenomena which governs such mighty forces of the earth. At this place was picked up the deed to Mr. Grigg's farm nearly six miles away. Carpet rags from the same place were also strung upon the greens and fences. Mr. Saupe was only a few rods from the scene and could see his property hurled away with his family.

Darkness coming upon us our party turned toward home. We learned from various sources that the storm proceeded with about the same force, far to the northeast.

A short way further a young man was injured by having a stick thrown through his leg. At one place a piece of pine was driven through a tree, and this attracted a great deal of attention. The storm struck west of Archer. The might little twister followed a northeasterly direction from Archer, passing out of the county on the north line of Lincoln township. No other fatalities are reported. The Hartley Journal issued a special edition on Monday, and among other things reported the following strange freaks of the storm near that place:

"A great many strange freaks were exhibited by the storm. At the farm of Peter Adolph three cows tied to a wagon were carried two hundred yards and deposited on mother earth still tied to the wagon but in the fracas one wheel was silently removed. At this same point the roof was taken off the barn as squarely as by a saw. At other points the floors of buildings were simply blown out from under the roof and the latter deposited in the cellars. Farm machinery can be seen in all forms of wreckage. Fine large hogs are strewn about cut in two, cattle are left maimed, and what was a spot of beauty for the eye to dwell upon is now a mass of ruins. It is the first of the kind which ever visited this section and God knows we hope the last."

Little is known of the other wing of the storm which devastated the town of Maurice after it left that place. The Alton Democrat special says that at about 4:30 p.m. the town of Maurice was visited with a heavy rain storm accompanied by a terrific wind and hail and a few minutes later, a black funnel-shaped cloud appeared in the southwest moving and whirling directly toward the city with a roaring and deafening sound like that of an artillery. Before striking, the cloud seemed to divide, one arm or section drifting to the southeast and the balance whirling with most fearful force and velocity began its dreadful work of destruction.