Historical Item - Julius & Maggie Schenewerk
from "Moniteau County Missouri History"
published in 1980 by Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas
thanks to Morris Oesterly for this item
_______________________
per Morris Oesterly:
Although the short Schenewerk article that was included in the Moniteau
County history book said that the tornado was in May, 1857, the following
newspaper article shows that the tornado really hit Utica on June 13, 1857.
The newspaper article says that the tornado hit on the Saturday which was
just prior to the author's writing the newspaper article. But then there was
obviously a delay of a few days after the article was written but before the
article was finally published in the June 22, 1857 edition of the newspaper.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finally found the official newspaper story of how my
great-great-grandmother survived a tornado in Utica, N.Y. when she was just
10 months old on June 13, 1857. Her mother and brother were killed by the
tornado.
The quotation below is from the top middle of the blurry archived newspaper
page, the June 22, 1857 issue of “The Adams Sentinel and General
Advertiser”, as seen on the Internet at
http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=10936782
The article describes the tornado of June 13, 1857:
Terrible Whirlwind and Loss of Life
Destruction of property – On Saturday afternoon last, a terrible whirlwind
passed over a small section of country near Utica, N.Y. It appears that
during the afternoon several citizens of Utica noticed a very remarkable
formation of nebulous or cloudy substance
extending from the heavens nearly to the earth, where it seemed to diminish
almost to a point, but expanding gradually as it ascended, until the
peculiar form was lost in the cloudy sky. It made a buzzing, rushing noise,
and a short distance from the city settled near the earth and leveled one or
two fences. Farther on a barn was smashed to pieces, and several trees torn
up by the roots, until it approached the Baptist parsonage house, occupied
by Mr. John Warren.
Here we quote from the Utica Herald:
Mr. W. informs us that he was engaged in his garden at about four o’clock
and saw the approach of the cloudy object, as it threw up the trees. As its
course pointed in the direction of his own house he ran to the dwelling,
caught two of his older children, and called to his wife to save the other
three and herself by following him to the cellar. The husband had descended
two or three steps with his charge, and the wife, with an infant and two
older children had reached the cellar door when the house was struck. The
whole frame work was lifted from the stone foundation; the entire woodwork
above the first floor was carried some twenty feet and then dropped in a
grand perfection of ruin, while the first floor with the sleepers attached,
which caught in the foundation, was finally turned roof-like over the entire
mass.
Mr. Warren, with two of his children, remained in the cellar enclosure
without injury; Mrs. Warren was found on the ground about ten feet from the
cellar door, almost entirely stripped of her clothing, and so severely
injured about her neck and body that she died within an hour after the
calamity, although entirely conscious; her infant was found nearby and
almost entirely free from injury, yet utterly destitute
of clothing; a little boy who was following his mother is now lying
unconscious from the wounds he received in the common wreck. His recovery is
very doubtful. An older girl escaped without any injury.
The dwelling was two stories, 18x26 feet, and substantially built. In
rear of it was a barn, distant about 5 rods, 25x32 feet, which was literally
shivered into splinters. Next in the due southeasterly line of its course…
-