Keokuk County, Iowa Tornado
May
22, 1873
THE GREAT TORNADO.....23rd of May,
1873.....Sigourney News by
John A. Donnell, Esq.
....we went to the ruins of
Michael Fuhs'
house, and barn and out-houses. His loss is
heavy. When his house went down, one of his boys
started to his uncle's about two miles distant
to the east, and the wind helped him along at
intervals about half the distance. When found,
one of his eyes were out and his arm broken.
.....
Extracted from 1880 History of Keokuk County
Submitted by
Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
The smoke-house and granaries of
B. C. Moore,
one mile from Lancaster were utterly demolished,
and Jacobson's
log house was caught up and the logs of which it
was constructed distributed far and wide.
Jacobson was hurt but not fatally.
Louis Bennett's
home and fences went to the four winds, his loss
being perhaps $1000.
Mr. Low, an aged invalid, was
seriously injured by flying timers; among other
injuries his arm was broken. Having created
confusion and alarm in Lancaster, the storm
swept proudly by until it reached the barn, out
houses and fences of
Mrs. Daggett, which were broken up
into kindling wood and carried off on the
current....
Mr. Ash
was the next victim, if there is any such thing
as consecutiveness in a disaster so sweeping.
His house, barn and fences were leveled, he was
severely wounded and his wife's arm was
broken...
It had reached Clear Creek township... where
it's fury was most sadly felt. It came
down on the house of
Mr. Nicholas Engledingle, whose wife
was lying sick, her husband being absent.
She was alone with her child. The house
was carried away and torn to atoms, and the
unfortunate woman and child went with it to
destruction. Her fate is very sad.
She was literally rent asunder. The trunk
from the neck to the abdomen found in one place,
the arms in another, and the neck and head
further away. One limb stuck in the sand where
it fell. Probably she was killed
instantly. Her child was killed, the top of the
head being blown off giving the appearance of
scalping. Great sympathy is felt for the
husband and father, thus doubly bereaved.
There was another child, who, fortunately, was
at a neighbor's house with his father.
Michael Fuhs
was sitting in the house with his wife and
child, when it was raised from over their heads,
the child being killed. This happened
about five miles from Harper Station, six miles
west of here.
The Daily Gazette, Davenport, IA 27 May
1873
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