Iowa
Old Press
Osage News
Osage, Mitchell Co. Iowa
June 11, 1908
TORNADO AT CHARLES CITY
Many Buildings Blown Down and one Person Killed.
A little before 5 o’clock Sunday afternoon, a destructive
tornado visited Charles City, passing a point about half a mile
south of Main street and then took a northeasterly direction and
plowed a path about four to ten rods wide a distance of more than
a mile through the town, piling up buildings and creating great
havoc in its path.
As near as can be learned the cyclone formed over on Flood Creek
just below the Reynolds place, and passed over the Hobart
Danforth place where Mr. Krouse lives.
The home of J. Z. Wright, about a quarter of a mile south of the
west side school building, was entirely demolished and piled in a
heap. Mrs. Wright and her son Ralph were in the house at the
time, and were under the debris when the storm was over. Mrs.
Wright and Ralph were standing near the door in the sitting room.
Mrs. Wright had just closed the door leading to the outside when
the crash came and she is unable to tell just what happened. When
the storm has passed she and Ralph were under a heap of broken
and twisted boards that was a few minutes before one of the
finest homes on the West side. A large evergreen tree that was
standing on the east side of the house was twisted off about four
feet from the roots and whirled around the house and laid at the
northwest corner. The barn was demolished and the household goods
were scattered and broken up and the picture presented here is
one of desolation.
Dr. Hirsch of the college observed the cloud as the storm crossed
the river. In appearance it was very light, and looked more like
a steaming tea kettle with debris flying. As it struck the river
the water rose in a sheet. The students observed the cloud from
the cupola of Heart’s Desire dormitory. They observed a
funnel shaped cloud raising and lowering about five miles
southwest of town and apparently approaching them in a beeline.
When it reached the edge of town they ran down and notified some
of the neighbors. The Herb Gregory house was lifted off its
foundation, strewing furniture, clothing and other contents of
the house several rods away. Just as the storm struck the house,
Mrs. Gregory was standing in the doorway and she was thrown back
among some of the timbers. A number of bricks from the chimney
fell on the little girl. Mr. Gregory was injured the worst as a
piece of glass was run almost through one of his wrists. In
addition to the above a large number of houses were unroofed and
barns blown down, in all about 20 buildings that were more or
less destroyed. So far as is known there was but one fatal
accident, that of Chris Boeck, 83 years old. He was seated near
the brick chimney of his cosy home near the river bank when the
crash came. He sustained a compound fracture of the right leg
below the knee, and the left leg was broken at knee joint. He
received abdominal injuries. Lived about five minutes after Dr.
Seymour reached him, and was conscious. He said one of the bricks
from the chimney had struck him on the head. There were several
large gashes on his head. He was carried to a neighbor’s
home where he died.
A tornado is a progressive, limited local, violent whirlwind,
characterized by a funnel like cloud which hangs suspended from
an intensely black mass of storm clouds; the apex of the funnel
cloud sweeps over the earth’s surface, sometimes receding
from it, to come down again to the ground farther on in the
course of the cloud as it moves forward. Tornadoes are caused by
local differences of temperature. The air having become
abnormally heated over a central area, thus results a difference
in pressure between the air of the inner region and that
surrounding it; from this there arises a flow of air spirals
inwards toward the center, and as it approaches, the velocity of
the wind increases. The principal condition of the formation of a
tornado is the local unstable condition of the air, due to the
abnormal heating of a mass of air either at the earth’s
surface or at some locality above it. These conditions obtained
in this vicinity of yesterday. The morning opened cloudy and very
sultry and continued so up to 5 p.m. The barometer was abnormally
low, but the oscillations were very slight except at 5:05 p.m.
when a fall of .04 inch occurred. The wind’s velocity at
this hour was only eleven miles per hour, while only a mile
distant it must have been over 100, within the small distance
covered by the tornado. The rainfall was heavy, but for a few
moments only; this in a great measure accounts for its short
duration, as the difference in temperature within and without the
central upward current of the tornado, which is necessary for its
continuance, could not persist long enough for its full
development, if it were not for the freeing of latent heat
through condensation. - Charles City Press.
Although dozens of homes and scores of barns and outbuildings
were wrecked and demolished by the tornado which swept down upon
Charles City late Sunday and hundreds of people were in danger of
their lives, but one was killed. As men and women viewed the
debris that lay in the path of the storm, they expected fully to
find scores of dead amid the ruins, but they found only one-aged
Chris Boeck, who was hit by a falling brick as he sat in his
little home by the river bank all alone. Last night it was
reported that three children of the Freiberg family had been
killed also, but today this proved not to be true. They were
missing all night, but today they were located, safe and sound.
Many were injured by falling bricks and flying pieces of wood,
some seriously, but none of the injured is expected to die,
Charles City today took steps to provide temporary relief for the
storm sufferers. Mayor Baldwin raised $1,000 in a very short
time, and more money is expected tomorrow. William Hausberg, Joe
Hecht and L. N. Snyder were named as a committee to disburse the
funds. The loss due to the storms will reach nearly $150,000.
Some homes were entirely demolished and blown away, as in the
case of the Lacour home just outside the city. Many other home
were badly damaged. The property loss is variously estimated at
$100,000.00 to $150,000.00, and very little tornado insurance was
carried. The damage to orchards and shade trees was great, the
trees being twisted off or pulled up by the roots. This loss will
be felt for many years to come. Many people sought safety in
their cellars and to that no doubt owe their lives. Those outside
watched the storm in its course. One describes it as having the
appearance of a series of explosions, as the force of the storm
would strike a building it would be lifted into the air and the
timbers and material flying in all directions. A fascinating
sight certainly, but one that none of us wish to see. The
citizens of Charles City have raised a fund and a committee
appointed to disburse to those most needy.
[transcribed by M.O., December 2007]