Charles City, IA Tornado, Jun 1908

CHARLES CITY IN PATH OF TORNADO

One Man Killed and Several Injured and Many Homes Completely Wrecked

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF PROPERTY DAMAGED

Cloud Passes Within a Few Miles of Greene and is Witnessed by Many Here.

The tornado which passed within a few miles of Greene Sunday evening about five o'clock, truck about five miles southeast of Charles City and ploughed a path of destruction ten rods wide until it spent its furry [sic] about three miles northeast of the city. The pat run through the southeast part of the city missing the business district, the college buildings having a close call.

One Man Killed
Chris Boeck an aged pioneer of Floyd county was crashed beneath his own residence and died one hour after being rescued by neighbors. Several are badly injured but no more fatalities resulted.

The home of Zonnie Wright who is well known in this vicinity, was completely wrecked and the only thing that saved the family from serious injury is that as the house fell the bedstead in the fact the room where the family rushed formed a tent over them and held the debris from falling on their heads. And aged mother was slightly bruised.

At the home of Wm. Nolterieke where Mr. Wm. Nolterieke and family of Greene were spending Sunday, the barn was smashed flat against the house breaking the barn into splinters, tearing the roof off the house and breaking every window in the building. The buggies were all smashed to kindling wood and the team belonging to Nolterieke Bros. badly scratched up. Gus Nolterieke left Tuesday morning with a load of window glass for his father's house. The barn of Wm. Debban was completely destroyed as was the buildings of several others in that vicinity. About twenty homes were destroyed either wholly or to such an extent that they will need to be rebuilt.

Rev. Soper and H. M. Spoul were on the road to the city to attend the lecture that evening delivered by Rev. Soper, and the fact that the team they had was inclined to be unusually lazy is all that saved them from the path of the storm.

It is estimated the loss of property will reach in the neighborhood of $50,000.

The Iowa Recorder, Greene, IA 10 Jun 1908
__________________