- Reece Tornado,
On Saturday, April 20, 1929 at 3 p.m., Reece, Kansas was struck by a tornado that killed one, injured many and destroyed at least $25,000 worth of property. It came from the southwest and traveled to the northeast.
Paul Kennett, age 19, was struck in the head by a falling cement block. He was employed by the Laflin Motor Co. and was in the back of the garage when the storm hit. He was hurried to Eureka as quickly as possible, but medical attention failed to revive him.
Mrs. C.E. Brown was severely burned when a cook stove turned over on her as her house was blown against another residence next door belonging to Jim Pierce. Mr. Pierce and Ernest Dehlinger, who were in the Master’s Mercantile store, when the storm broke, saw the burning house and rushed to her aid. They managed to put out the fire and found Mrs. Brown’s two little sons in the debris. The younger boy was badly hurt. A neighbor, George Page, offered his home and Mrs. Brown was carried there and given medical attention and care by Mrs. Page. Mrs. Brown’s husband was at work on the county highway and did not return until after the storm. A little daughter on her way to the Brown home with groceries was rescued by Frank Wells and taken to his storm cellar with the Wells family, thus escaping the wind. Mrs. Brown’s condition was serious and recovery was doubtful.
Giles Vaughn, age 11, son of W.G. Vaughn, had his collar bone broken when the Vaughn house was torn from its foundation and dashed to pieces. Mrs. Vaughn suffered painful bruises.
Ole Agard, of Eureka, who was driving on the road a mile east of Reece, suffered cuts about the head when his car was picked up by the wind and thrown to the side of the highway. He was brought to Eureka hospital in a dazed condition. The car was badly wrecked.
The Pickering Lumber Co. and hardware store were destroyed and the new lumber thrown all over the west end of town. The Missouri Pacific Depot crumpled in a heap with eight men in it, but miraculously none of them were hurt. Three box cars were lifted off the track near the depot and dropped none too gently near by and the mail telephone and telegraph wires running parallel to the tracks were on the ground.
The church and school buildings escaped damage and were used as first aid wards and temporary headquarters for those made homeless by the storm. Food and clothing were furnished to those who had lost their homes and beds and cots were donated by citizens of the town.
The county health officer drove to Reece the next day to survey sanitary conditions and make a report of the homeless and needy. Eight homes were completely demolished and the furnishings scattered over the ground.
Many animals suffered in the storm. Two horses were so badly injured it was necessary to shoot them. What few chickens survived found a royal feast of corn left exposed where a barn had been carried away. Property loss well exceeded $25,000. Most of the homes destroyed were covered by insurance. Just after the event, no plans of rebuilding were made, pending the arrival of insurance adjusters who were expected to be in Reece soon.
A straight wind at Eureka at about the same time of the tornado at Reece almost reached cyclonic proportions, but there was little damage in Eureka. Some loss of property was reported from other points in the county where small out buildings were blown down. Persons standing in the doorway of the Brenton Auto Supply Co. store at Third and Oak Streets were surprised when a tennis ball came down from the sky and landed almost at their feet. Freaks of the storm are reported from Reece. Some trees in the path of the twister were stripped clean of foliage while others in the same area appeared untouched. Dwelling houses were reduced to kindling wood while other smaller and lighter structures a few feet away were uninjured.
While the wind and rain storm was at its height, persons standing in the Clark Drug Store in Eureka saw three fish drop from the sky and flounder around on the pavement in front of the store. A boy rushed into the street and brought one of the fish back to the store. It was about five inches long and still alive. It is believed that the fish were sucked up by the tornado out of Spring Creek or a pond in the path of the twister and dropped in Eureka. This is a big fish story, but eye witnesses to the phenomenon vouch for its truthfulness.
