Halstead, Kansas Tornado

May 1, 1895

Wichita, Kan., May 1--A special from Halstead, Kan., says:  At 4 o'clock this afternoon a fearful cyclone devastated a strip of country several hundred yards wide and at least sixteen miles in length, killing six persons outright and seriously injuring several others, while many have received slight injuries.

The cyclone first struck the house of Mrs. Fry, a widow, who lives about nine miles southwest of Halstead, completely destroying it but only slightly injuring Mrs. Fry.

It next picked up the house of John Sultzback and scattered it in every direction.  The fine two-story house of Joseph Weir, which had recently been built at a cost of over $2000 was entirely swept away, killing Mrs. Weir, Grace Weir, age 11, Hermann Weir, aged 5, and a five-weeks-old baby.  Mr. Weir had left he house, and when the cyclone struck it was about fifty yards away and clung to a tree.  He received injuries which the physicians say may prove fatal.  Joseph Weir, Jr., and his sister Maud were the only ones in the family who took to the cellar, escaping with only slight bruises.

The home of E. R. Caldwell, which was 100 yards to the west of the Weir home, was unroofed and the south side torn away.  The family escaped by taking to the cyclone cellar.

The next house in the path of the storm was that of William Armstrong which was completely wiped from the face of the earth and Mr. Armstrong was killed.  Mrs. Armstrong seriously and probably fatally injured, and Grandfather Chapling, who was there sick in bed, was killed.

Swept off the Earth.  About 100 yards from the house, the large two-story residence of B. E. Frizzell was picked up, as was also a large two-story house of J. R. Frizzell across the road, and both together, with all the outbuildings, were completely swept away, leaving enough debris to show that a house had stood there. The families of both the Frizzells escaped injury, with the exception of Mrs. J. R. Frizzell, who is considerably bruised about the head. The next place visited was the home of Captain William White, which was only partially destroyed, one wing of the house being torn away. Across the road from the Whites, the house of Cyrus Hinkston was carried away, and Mr. Hinkston receive injuries, but he is not considered seriously hurt.
Spencer Ross's house was in the line of the tornado and was carried away, as were the home of A. S. Powell, J. A. Comas and Andrew Thompson and Menno Hege. Miss Daisy Neff, at Powell's house, was considerably injured as was Mrs. J. A. Comas.

In the Hege district school had just been dismissed, and through Mr. Hege's foresight the children were hurried out of the path of the storm along with his family. Had they no so been taken care of, there would have been a great loss of life. The fury of the storm seems to have done its worst about five miles west of Halstead, where all six persons were killed near the Frizzell home. Dead horses, cattle and hogs and chickens are scattered all over the wheat fields.

Saw the Storm Coming. Those who first saw the fearful disaster coming say it made very slow progress, traveling not faster than a person could run, but it seemed to waver first in one direction the in another. Had it no been so, the Weir family could have gone to the orchard east of the house where they would have escaped.
The cyclone could be plainly seen from the town, and the Santa Fe passengers train No. 5 waited in the Halstead yards until it crossed the track. It blew down several telegraph poles in its wild career, as far as heard from, covering a distance of eighteen miles across the country from southwest to northeast. Twenty residences, nearly all of the large, were completely destroyed.

The loss will reach not less than $200,00, besides the six deaths and the injured, two or three of whom will probably die.

Physicians from Halstead went to the relief of the injured, and local assistance is being given to the suffering families. Everybody in the track of the storm lost everything, and relief will probably lost everything, and relief will probably have to be called for, although on as a last resort.

Later. -- Miss Daisy Neff, aged about 16, has since died from her injuries.

Narrow Escape of a Train.  The storm crossed the Sante Fe Railroad about three miles west of Halstead.  The engineer of a westbound though Pacific express saw the twisting tornado coming from the south, and stopped his train and backed out.  This prompt action prevented a wreck for the train would have certainly struck the storm had it proceeded.  The pathway is strewn with the wreckage of houses, barns, and outbuildings, among which are the dead carcasses of hundreds of horses, cattle and swine.  Orchards were ruined, trees torn up by their roots or stripped of their foliage.  In the line of the cyclone, telegraph poles and wires were broken and rendering telegraphic communication almost impossible.  The storm lifted about three miles northwest of Burrton and o [no] further damage was done, though pieces of timber, clothing and other signs of the wreck can be traced as far as thirty miles away.  The path of the cyclone lies through a rich farming district, and most of the buildings destroyed were of a substantial character.  There is little or no cyclone insurance on any of them, and the loss will practically be total.

Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT 2 May 1895

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