Beckham County, OK - Deaths: Tornado Strikes Mountain View, 1905 09 Aug 2007 Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ BARKLEY, J. S. CLARK, FRANK HOLT, MRS. W. H. & two children HULME, MRS. JENNIE WHITE, W. T. (9 Nov 1905, Thursday, Elk City Statesman, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): For the Second Time Within a Year A Death-Dealing Storm Passes Through Kiowa County --First Reports Give the Number of Killed as Eight --A Few Persons are So Seriously Injured that Death List May Increase. MOUNTAIN VIEW: This place was struck by a tornado at 5:45 o'clock the afternoon of the 4th. The path of the tornado was about one hundred yards wide and only a mile long, but in this area the havoc was great. The Farmers' gin, with its heavy machinery and massive timbers, is a complete wreck. In this building, J. S. Barkley, employed as a packer in the gin, was crushed to death. His body was found pinioned under the debris near the press, his head and shoulders crushed into the ground. The Barkley home, which was near the gin, was carried about two hundred yards to the Shawl feed yard, where it was dropped. Mrs. Barkley was found imbedded in the mud in the street, her head and face covered with wounds, which will probably prove fatal. The residence of Jesse Morris, near the Barkley home, was destroyed. Mrs. Morris and two small children were covered with debris, but were unhurt. Farther to the northeast was the Shawl feed yard, where five horses were crushed to death. Adjoining the feed yard was the Hulme home, where Mrs. Hulme and her brother, Frank Clark, were found dead. The North Side Hotel near this point is a mass of broken timbers. Directly east, in the edge of town, is the wreck of a carriage in which seven members of the Hollis family, who were just leaving town, were struck by timbers. J. E. Hollis, Joe T. Hollis and Ed. Hollis and John Gudon were severely injured by flying timbers from the gin. Ed. Hollis is thought to be fatally injured. Portions of the splintered timbers penetrated his body. The Crocker livery barn in which over twenty horses were stabled, is a total wreck. None of the horses were killed. The large two-story school house was lifted straight up in the air, turned completely over and crashed down upon the roof just besides the foundation. The Methodist church is also a complete wreck. The other church, which was used as a school building, was totally destroyed. Many residences were unroofed. The sides of some houses were crushed in. The number of wounded will reach thirty, with three cases almost certainly fatal. A complete list of the dead are: W. T. White, J. S. Barkley, Mrs. Jennie Hulme, Mrs. W. H. Holt and two children, Frank Clark. The storm struck Mountain View in the midst of a terrible rain storm, which continued for some time afterwards, making it very disagreeable in looking after those who were killed and hurt, but by night everything was thoroughly in hand and by midnight all the injured were properly taken care of. The people of the town have taken the situation thoroughly in hand and all the homeless and destitute families have been supplied with clothing, provisions and shelter. All the surrounding towns responded promptly, those from the east on the evening passenger train, those from the west on a special that the Rock Island ran from Mangum. The storm came from the southwest and with no warning. The tornado dropped down at the school house and went a northeast direction, working many freaks. The first building struck was the school house, and from there on it swept almost everything in its path, breaking in about one-half mile north of town, at the Washita River. The damage is heavy, perhaps $100,000, partly insured. The school house, two churches, two livery barns, one hotel, the Chickasha Gin Co's gin, one lumber yard and ten residences are completely wrecked, while there are about fifteen other residences damaged more or less. If the storm had gone through the town a block east, no doubt there would have been hundreds of people killed.