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June 1, 1947 The OklahomanTornado Rips Leedey At Least Six Killed; |
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June 2, 1947, The Oklahoman
Leedey's Loss Hits $1 Million After Tornado Six Dead, 15 Hurt As Twister Shatters Dewey County Area Leedey, June 1 - It's churches were gone but Leedey dug from it's ruins and offered thanks Sunday after a devastating tornado Saturday night killed six persons and caused an estimated damage of $1 million damages. Many of its residents Saturday owned homes, cars and all the furnishings accumulated in a lifetime. Sunday all the Dewey county residents had were the clothes they were wearing. In 10 terrifying minutes a slow moving tornado crushed this north-western city. Fifteen persons were injured as the vicious twister moved from southwest to northeast. Leedey's thanks Sunday, although it was barren, twisted and two-thirds demolished, were that more lives were spared as the tornado ground through the southwestern edge of Dewey county. Residents Are Warned Many of the thanks were directed to Jack Sapp, telephone lineman, who spotted the approaching storm and warned the town. Forewarned, most of Leedey took refuge in storm cellars before the twister struck. The dead: B. B. Abbott, a baker Harry Kitchens, a carpenter A. A. Butler, justice of peace Mrs. Ada Malloy, housewife J. A. Albritton, retired farmer and former Baptist minister Mrs. J. A. Albritton Injured were Miss Helen Craig, 10, Mr and Mrs. A. C. Quattlebaum, E. L. Walton, David Abbott jr, 12, Margaret Abbott 10, Alice Abbott, 14, Mrs. Mollie Abbott, W. H. Ferguson, Nell Waggoner, Mrs. Tom McKay and Earl McGann, all of Leedey; Walde Roden, 18, Elk City, and Victor Wood, 18, of Sayre, and Robert R. McCown, Canute. Three Are In Car Mishaps Wood, Roden and McCown, the most seriously injured of the 15, were in auto accidents which followed the tornado. All are patients in Tisdal hospital in Elk City. McCown suffered internal injuries. Walton, reported in good condition at community hospital, Elk City, Earl McGann and David Abbott jr, were the only others held for treatment Sunday. Miss Craig and Mr. and Mrs. Quattlebaum were released Sunday morning. Alice Abbott, Margaret Abbott, Mrs. Mollie Abbott, Ferguson, Nell Waggoner and Mrs. Tom McKay were given first aid and kept in Leedey homes Saturday night. McCown was speeding to Leedey Saturday night when his car turned over on the outskirts of town. He is is still in critical condition. Roden and Packer, fleeing towards Elk City from the Leedey tornado, missed a bridge and plunged 25 feet into a creek Saturday night. They were not found until 14 hours later, Packer still pinned in the car. Mayor Praises Action Leedey was crowded with Saturday night shoppers when Sapp saw the approaching tornado and sounded the city fire alarm. He also announced on a downtown public address system that a tornado was approaching. Five minutes later Main Street was deserted, shoppers fleeing to residential district storm cellars or driving out of the path of the storm in their cars. This prompt action was credited by Mayor Floyd R. Gale as saving "at least 200 lives in the residential district." He added if the tornado had hit after dark, unnoticed, there was no telling what the toll might have been. The early warning was also the cause of agonizing minutes for the watching citizens as the ominous cloud spent at least 30 minutes moving across the rolling countryside south of Leedey. Then witnesses said the storm with a roar equal to a dozen freight trains settled on the southwestern edge of town. It first ripped the grain elevator and train depot, lifted to Main street and damaged every business house. As relentlessly as a giant rake the wind then meshed through the residential district of town. After it passed all that remained were 30 blocks of rags, twisted cars and not a single standing house except those on the fringes of the storm's path. School Is Unroofed. The tornado first unroofed the Three Corner school, 13 miles west and four miles south of Leedey. There the storm's swath where it cut through a fence row was only 300 yards wide. It struck the ground again about two miles south of Leedey and then settled on the edge of town. The spout then widened and a path of destruction one-half mile wide was mowed thorugh the small livestock-farming community. In a direct line from southwest to northeast the tornado moved about one and one-half miles through Leedey before it again skipped into the air. Frightened citizens huddled in groups of 16 to 20 in storm cellars under the storm's path reported the floors of the shelters jumped four and five inches and canned fruit toppled from shelves as the storm shook the ground. Many freakish incidents were reported. The storm struck from the southwest but debris flew in all directions when the residential section disintegrated. Bell Hurled 75 Yards Chimneys from one house sailed to the north; a car at the same house sailed to the west for a hundred yards, and the heavy church bell of a destroyed church was thrown at least 75 yards in the direction from which the storm arrived. As the thunder of the tornado died away one witness said a silence as deep as death blanketed the residential area. "When I loked up out of my storm cellar it was like waking up in another world. All I could see where our homes had been was rubbish. Then I could see other people just as frightened and wondering as I looking around." The twister moved through the town in less than 10 minutes, destroying 75 percent of the business district and at least 100 homes. Another 200 or 300 homes were partially destroyed and lights and water service were curtailed. Mayor Gale, vice-president of First National Bank at Leedey, estimated damage would run from $750,000 to $1 million. Meeting Is Planned He said he had not yet had time to think about rehabilitation plans but that a meeting of civic leaders would be held sometime Monday to begin laying plans for Leedey's rebuilding. "We hope to take care of ourselves," Gale said, "but then Woodward thought it could do that, too. We will have to see what we need before we can make any definite plans or statements." City officials were working Sunday to restore water service to homes and buildings where pipes remained intact, and portable generators were arriving through the day to give light. No attempts at cleaning up the debris was made Sunday as Leedey citizens stood around in dazed clusters, or picked aimlessly in piles of rags, filth and mud for treasured mememtos. Elk City's Company C., 179th infantry, arrived at Leedey at 11 p.m. Saturday night, without orders, to maintain order and guard demolished shops and homes. Guard Outfit Arrives Clinton's Headquarters Co., 1st battalion, 179th infantry, arrived shortly after and relieved the Elk City guardsmen of their watches at 8 a. m. Sunday. There were no reported instances of looting in the little town of 855 persons where all of the residents knew each other by name. Frequently in the stricken area women picking at fragments in the mud and sticks would identify some article of clothing or dishes that belonged to friends. All the dead and injured were taken from Leedey by midnight Saturday, the highschool auditorium made available as temporary housing for those whose homes had been destroyed. Few took advantage of the cots and shelter, however, and either stayed with friends or stood downtown in front of the Salvation Army coffee stand and waited for the dawn. Before the sun cleared the horizon Sunday residents were busy in the half light searching for personal belongings. Most are doomed to disappointment. Where the tornado hit Leedey it picked it clean. Newspapers reported volunteers from communities of Butler, Camargo, Canute, Carter, Clinton, Cordell, Elk City, Hammon, Mangum, Reydon, Sayre, Sentinel, Woodward among those that assisted Leedey in the cleanup with work and contributions. |
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