Removed.

[genealogynut]

Since the newspapers and other printed materials seem to have many descrepancies, I am wondering if I should discontinue posting articles and other data from those sources.  What do ya'll think?

I do know that when my brother died several years ago, from a hunting related accident, the Winfield Courier gave the slant that it was a suicide.

[Wilma]

When something is posted like this, it gives the people that witnessed it a chance to tell the truth about it, where they wouldn't try to tell the newspeople that they got it wrong.  I like having it posted, then others adding their comments.  We always learn more than what the news media has told us.

My vote is for you to continue posting, no matter what the source.  If someone knows differently, they can tell us.

I am learning a lot that I didn't already know.

[hhjacobs]

Lois,
Keep on posting thing. I had not seen that story. Glad to read it. Thanks Janet for your input also.


  Henry

[Marcia Moore]

Removed.

[Janet Harrington]

Lois,

You have to keep on posting.  A reader must remember that the reporter takes the story as it is told to him/her then writes a story to make the papers.  There will always be discripencies in the stories since they are written by different people and the writers always talk to different witnesses.  What I wrote was from my memory as I remember what happened that night and what I saw.  People working beside me and with me probably saw something different.  A reader should also remember that reporters do not always talk to eye witnesses.  They talk to someone who heard it from someone else who heard it from someone else.

The part about Olga Jenkins is different from what Dorothy Preston said in that article and what I remember Jenkins told me because we all remember things different.  But then I don't have to tell you that, do I?

I love having the different reports.  This just give me more things to think about and more for my book about sheriff's of Elk County if I ever get a chance to write it.

[genealogynut]

Thanx to all for your valued opinioins/thoughts.  I think I shall just have to be more cautious about what I post.

[Wilma]

Lois, you shouldn't let the mistakes of others influence your decision as to what you should post.  If you think someone might be interested, post it.  We are not questioning whether you are right or wrong, we are just pointing out the mistakes of the ones who were reporting and should have been sticking to the facts.  After all, they supposedly were there.  If they didn't get the true story or if they changed it to make it more interesting, then shame on them.  I enjoy reading the stories and some of the old ones are rather hard to believe.  But since no one alive was there, we will accept it, maybe.

Keep up the good work.  If you don't do it, who will?   

[ddurbin]

Here's a story on another deadly tornado that occured in 1892.  It actually started in Chautauqua County, and the man killed, Arthur Larkin, was from there, not far from the Elk County line.  It finally lifted just east of Moline and did considerable damage all the way from Boston to Moline.

from THE MOLINE REPUBLICAN,   Friday, May 6, 1892
WRATHY WINDS
A Destructive Cyclone Visits Moline and Vicinity

This community was visited by the deadly cyclone Monday evening.  One man was killed and a number of barns were blown to atoms.  Quite a number of cattle, horses and hogs were killed.  The cyclone first struck in the Belknap neighborhood six miles south of Moline, and spent its fury a short distance northeast of the town.  The person to first experience the terrors of the destructive whirl from the clouds was C. A. Dutton.  He had been to Moline and was returning home.  When within a mile of his farm his attention was attracted to an angry looking cloud forming above him.  It formed quickly and suddenly swung in a long wavering column to the earth, the point striking so near to Mr. Dutton that a buggy hitched to the hind part of his wagon was torn away and reduced to kindling in the clouds.  The first home struck was that of S. S. Lane on Baker's Branch.  Mrs. Lane and two daughters were in the building at the time.  The first they realized they were blown several hundred yards and the home and all the household effects had disappeared.  These three persons miraculously escaped without serious bodily injury.

The next building struck was Chas. Pierce's new residence which was swept entirely away.  The family took refuge in a storm cave.  C. W. Dubendorff's residence was next to the pathway of the destroying winds and it was carried into the clouds and scattered over the country for miles in the course of the storm.  An orchard of large apple trees was blown out of existence.  A half mile from Mr. Dubendorff's residence was that of Mr. Arthur Larkin.  He and Mrs. Larkin saw the approaching storm and sought to run out of its way but failing in this they locked arms and fell flat to the ground in a shallow ditch.  Mrs. L. was blown three hundred yards and very badly injured.  The mangled and lifeless body of her husband was found half a mile away where it had been dropped by the angry winds.  The house and barn were entirely destroyed.

The whirling column of destroying wind passed on across the corner of Mr. F. Webb's pasture, killing and crippling several head of cattle and rolling wire fences into great bundles till it reached the residence of Mrs. McBride, which was scattered like feathers.  Mrs. McBride and her son took refuge in a shallow well and escaped without injury.  Mr. B. A. Murphy's barn was the next in line and it was carried away, as was also Mr. Fessenden's barn.  Mrs. McBride lost ten hogs, two horses and one mule.

Then the larger and stronger built barn owned by the Ellsworth Bros. was caught up by the extraordinary force of the winds and dropped down nearly a total wreck.  A number of hogs were killed here but the horses in the barn basement escaped.  A small house in the east part of town was torn to pieces and a number of large apple trees were blown out of the fine orchard owned by W. O. Miller.  After passing Mr. Miller's orchard the cloud seemd to rise and disappear.  So far as we can learn none of the property destroyed was covered by tornado insurance and will be a total loss to the owners.  The funeral of the unfortunate man killed occured Tuesday afternoon and the remains were interred in the Catholic cemetery.

[genealogynut]

I found this article that Dan posted to be very interesting.  It has made me wonder about other tornadoes that may have occurred in Elk County, since it's origin.  I looked on the internet, but all I could find were the tornadoes that struck between 1950-1995.

Here are the following tornadoes:

On April 2, 1956       (F-4)  1 death
May 16, 1957           (F-1)
November 17, 1958  (F-1)
June 18, 1959          (F-2)
April 16, 1960           (F-1)
November 27, 1960   (F-2)
June 3, 1965            (F-2)
April 19, 1968           (F-1)
June 8, 1974            (F-0)
October 8, 1982       (F-1)
April 26, 1984           (F-1)
April 26, 1991           (F-3)  1 death

Unfortunately, the data did not tell whereabouts in Elk County where these occurred.  I think it would be interesting to check the stories out on these, and others that aren't listed.

[Marcia Moore]

Removed.