TWENTY-FIVE STORM BABIES

Twenty-five future Omaha men and women will claim the distinction of a mighty disturbance of the elements having heralded their birth.

That many, according to Mrs. C. W. Pearsall in charge of the infants department at the Auditorium, were born during, or immediately following the storm. Complete outfits of clothing and supplies for the infants and their mothers were prepared and sent out in bundles by Mrs. Pearsall.

The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Medlock, who lived at Twenty-ninth and Decatur streets just missed the distinction of being born in a hearse. Mrs. Medlock was lying in the unroofed house of a neighbor when her husband, his head bleeding from numerous wounds, induced the driver of a motor hearse to stop and get his wife, and take her to the house of a friend, who had escaped the tornado. The Medlock home was entirely demolished, and every member of the family more or less bruised. Mrs. Medlock had been lying under wet covers in a wrecked house for two hours when she was removed by the hearse driver to better quarters.

"Cyclone Bill" was the name suggested for the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Yould, by the father. C. M. Yould is sporting editor of a local paper. His Son was born at the Swedish Mission hospital while the tornado was smashing the windows and otherwise making things unpleasant.

A boy was born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Saylor, Forty-eighth and Marcy just before the tornado struck. A young woman visiting the family shielded the infant from flying debris, and the father protected Mrs. Saylor with his body.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schopp, Forty-third and Farnam streets, was demolished by the storm. Mrs. Schopp was taken post-haste to the Wise Memorial hospital, where her baby was born.

Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Macklin, colored, are parents of a boy born at Swedish Mission hospital while the storm was raging. The parents lived at 3010 North Twenty-fifth street.

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Robertson of 4324 Parker street, welcomed a baby girl the morning following the storm.

A boy born at Clarkson hospital helped Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wakefield forget the troubles the storm brought them.

CONDUCTOR SAVES HIS PASSENGERS

The presence of mind of Ord Hensley, conductor on a street car, saved over 100 persons from injury at Twenty-fourth and Lake streets. He saw the storm coming and called to every person to lie down in the car. Two women just getting on the car were caught by Hensley and thrown on the floor. The storm passed, wrecked the upper portion of the car and every window, but, the occupants were unhurt.

AGED MAN RESCUES PARALYZED DAUGHTER

Mrs. Belle Smith, paralyzed for many years , and D. B. Tharoe, her father, 83 years old, were injured by falling walls of the brick building in which they lived, near Lake street on Twenty-fourth.

The aged man dug away the debris from about his helpless daughter, and helped to carry her to a drug store. There they waited, soaked in rain and without a fire to warm them, for hours before it was possible to secure means of transporting the paralyzed woman from the scene of disaster.

Neither the cripple nor her aged father were excited over the disaster, but waited patiently for rescuers.

The paralyzed woman, drenched with water and shivering with cold, sat upon a wrecked counter and looked smilingly into the face of her aged father, while they exchanged mutual congratulations because each had been saved to the other. Many bruised and mangled bodies were carried into the drug store and laid at the feet of the paralyzed woman, but she showed no signs of nervousness nor of fear.

It did not seem to occur to either of the unfortunate couple that they, were now paupers, everything they had in the world having been carried away by the storm. The old man was not worried because tomorrow would find him shelterless, with a crippled daughter to care for. He seemed to forget that his extreme age would make it impossible for him to restore anything of what the storm had carried away. Two soldiers were called about midnight, and carried the unfortunate woman to a house where there was a fire.

YOUNG HERO SAVES BROTHER

Lawrence O'Connor, aged 18, 2234 Lake street, saved his brother William, aged 8, from the terrific storm but was severely injured.

The elder boy had sent the younger to a drug store across the street for some stamps. Just as the child left the house, Lawrence saw the storm coming and warned the other members of the family, eleven in all, to get into the cellar. William, in the meantime, had reached the drug store door. Lawrence ran from his home, snatched his younger brother and pulled him toward the home. Half way across the street the tornado struck the boys. Both were hurt, the elder most seriously. In falling he had protected his brother as much as possible. Lawrence was taken to the Webster street telephone exchange and there given medical attention. Later he was taken to a hospital. He was badly crushed and bruised and spent three weeks in a hospital.

STREET CAR CARRIED OFF TRACK

A large street car, containing several passengers, was picked up by the cyclone and carried several feet from the car tracks, and turned on its side, near Forty-eighth and Leavenworth streets.

Every window in the car was demolished and it was badly damaged by fire following the storm. Several of the passengers were injured.

Click HERE to continue on to how it was later reported.


The excerpts you are reading are from a small book entitled "Tornado - Omaha, Easter Sunday, March 23rd - 1913" and was distributed by the Omaha Daily News. You can read the entire booklet by clicking HERE

Shorthly thereafter, another one was published, this time from the Omaha Bee - You can see that one by clicking HERE