Good luck,
Lady
’Jackets!
Volume 141; Number 4, Thursday, March 3, 2011 — Fredonia, Kansas 66736 — 50¢
Fredonia meets
Riverton at 6 p.m. today in
Neodesha for Class 3A
sub-state semi-finals.
Altoona-Midway’s Lady Jets
play Hutch-Central Christian
@ Emporia today; Jet boys
meet Hope on Friday
See Page 5 for more!
Salary set for interim R&B
supervisor; costs reviewed
on LEC pump repair
LOVE THAT YELLOWJACKET SPIRIT — Lady Yellowjacket Shannon Tindle gets seom pre-game encouragement from
the FHS student body Monday night. The Yellowjackets defeated Galena 53-33 in the quarterfinals of Claass 3A sub-state
play and will meet Riverton at 6 p.m. today in Neodesha for the semi-final round. Citizen photo
‘Tornado Alley’ nickname earned by Kansas’
annual average for severe storms
Kansas is situated in the
heart of “Tornado Alley,” a
nickname that reflects the
state’s national reputation:
Kansas
ranks
second
nationally in average number
of tornadoes per year (60) and
third in tornadoes per 1,000
square miles (44), according
to statistics compiled at the
Storms Prediction Center in
Norman, Okla., from January
1950-December 2009.
It’s important to note
Fredonia, Neodesha
will participate in
statewide siren test
Tuesday afternoon
Wilson
County
Emergency Director Rick
Brown
announced
the
statewide
storm
siren
testing is scheduled for 1:30
p.m. Tuesday. If the weather
is threatening on Tuesday,
the test will be postponed
until Thursday, March 10,
at 1.30 p.m.
Both
Fredonia
and Neodesha will be
participating in the test.
Statistics show Kansas
had 88 tornados in 2010
(28 above the 1950-2010
average of 60; 11 above the
past 30 year average of 77;
8 below the past 20 year
average of 96.
Fatalities: 0
Longest track: 21.6 miles
(Gove County, May 25)
Strongest:
EF2
(Kingman County, May 10)
Most in a county: 6 (Gray
and Scott)
Days of occurrence: 21
(Also called Tornado days)
Most in one day: 15
(May 10)
Most in one month: 42
(May. 2010 ranked 10th for
tornadoes in May)
First tornado of the year:
April 22 (Kearny County
4:48 p.m.)
Last tornado of the year:
Sept. 25 (Comanche County,
4:49 p.m.
There
are
seven
National Weather Service
Offices that serve portions
of Kansas. They are located
in Goodland; Dodge City;
Wichita; Topeka; Hastings,
Neb.; Pleasant Hill, Mo,;
and Springfield, Mo.
that the marked increase in
tornadoes reported in recent
years has been due in no small
part to an extensive, welltrained storm spotter network
as well as chase teams who
have also provided critical realtime reports.
Since 1950, per SPC
statistics, Kansas ranks first
in the nation in total number
of F5/EF5 tornadoes (7),
monstrosities that possess
rotational velocities of 261-318
mph.
However,
research
conducted by Tom Grazulis in
his book “Significant Tornadoes
1880-1990,” F5 tornadoes have
been
documented
striking
Kansas as far back as May 1,
1895.
A ‘whirlwind tour’ into the
past — in some cases the distant
past — shows when, and where,
these violent tornadoes have
struck in Kansas, indelible
events that gained admission
into
this
“Elite
Tornado
Fraternity”.
F5/EF5 Tornadoes That
Have Struck Kansas:
May 1, 1895 — Counties
Affected: Sedgwick, Harvey.
Length: 22 Miles; Average
Width: Nearly 1 Mile; Killed: 8
(Possibly 19); Injured: 25.
This horrific tornado began
in extreme northwest Sedgwick
County around 4:30 p.m.,
passing just west of Halstead
and ending six miles northwest
of Newton.
At a minimum, 25 farms
were leveled and a few vanished
entirely. Four deaths occurred
in each of two families who
reportedly hesitated to take
cover in their storm cellars.
It is very possible they didn’t
recognize the huge funnel as
being a tornado. (
Note: This was one reason
why so many were killed in the
“Tri-State Tornado” as well as a
few others listed below.)
Debris was carried for many
miles with dead livestock found
everywhere.
As many as 11 others may
have eventually died, hence the
“possibly 19” listed among the
fatalities.
May 17, 1896 — Counties
Affected: Washington, Marshall, Nemaha, Brown and
Richardson (Nebraska). Length:
~100 Miles; Average Width:
1 Mile; Maximum Width: 2¼
Miles; Killed: 21; Injured: 200.
Damage: $400,000.
Initially touching down
around 5 p.m. five miles
southwest of Palmer in southcentral Washington County, the
tornado moved east/northeast
across
southern
Marshall
County.
It then veered toward the
northeast, passing one mile
south of Frankfort in southeast
Marshall County where the
huge vortex was seen for half
an hour as it approached. In
Nemaha County, the towns of
Seneca, Oneida and Sabetha
suffered incredible devastation
as 15 people were killed; six in
Seneca, six in Oneida and three
in Sabetha.
In Seneca, the opera house
was swept off its foundation
while the court house and
a new $40,000 schoolhouse
were destroyed. Many farms
vanished with the countryside
left “bare as the prairie”.
As the tornado roared
across
northwest
Brown
County it widened incredibly
to between 2 and 2 ½ miles as
it ran roughshod through the
tiny town of Reserve in extreme
north-central Brown County
where five more were killed
and only three buildings were
undamaged.
The vicious vortex then
crossed the Kansas/Nebraska
border
just
northeast
of
Reserve.
June 11, 1915 — Counties
Affected: Kiowa. Length: 15
Miles; Average Width: Almost
1 mile. Killed: None; Injured:
None; Damage: $75,000.
Initial touchdown occurred
around 7:30 p.m. just southwest
of Mullinville.
The tornado moved slowly,
allowing people to seek shelter
from this extremely large
tornado.
One
farmstead
was
completely swept away on the
edge of Mullinville and many
other homes were leveled.
As it veered toward the
northeast, then north/northeast,
eight suction vortices were
observed beneath the parent
tornado.
Reportedly,
three
mules were carried two miles.
May 25, 1917 — Counties
Affected: Sedgwick, Harvey,
northwest
Butler,
Marion.
Length: 65 Miles; Average
Width: ¾ Mile; Maximum
Width: 1½ Miles. Killed: 23;
Injured: 70; Damage $600,000.
Initial touchdown occurred
four miles northwest of Cheney
around 2 p.m. The huge, vicious
vortex raced northeast through
Andale, Sedgwick and, with less
intensity, three miles northeast
of Florence. Along its track, 118
farms, homes and businesses
were leveled, of which many
completely vanished.
In Andale, 12 were killed
as half the town was heavily
damaged or destroyed.
(Look for more ‘Tornado Alley’
stories in Monday’s edition)
Wilson County Commissioners opened their Monday
meeting with County Appraiser
Cindy Mitchell, who reported
that Jessica Munds would
be atteding schooling on
international assessing April
18-22 in Topeka. Her office also
will be sending out change of
value notices beginning March
21.
Mitchell also informed commissioners there were 900 new
leases in the county so far this
year.
Dave
Parker,
interim
director for the Road and Bridge
department, discussed
the
condition of road equipment.
He said much of the heavy-duty
equipment is in serious need of
repair or replacement. He also
said he needed a grader operator,
and had one application.
An executive session to
discuss personnel was held with
Parker, the three commissioners
and Coordinator Kris Marple.
Parker’s salary as temporary
supervisor was increased to
$15 an hour, subject to be to be
revisited when the county hires
a permanent supervisor.
Emergency director Rick
Brown reported on winter
storms, and said he was having
a table-top exercise with the
Buffalo fire department on
Sunday.
Health Department Director
Todd Durham demonstrated
respiratory equipment used to
test the safety of masks used by
firefighters or people working
under toxic conditions. The
equipment belongs to Labette
County.
Sandy Cox and Terri Young
reported on the Southeast
Kansas county officers meeting
which Wilson County will host
March 25. They discussed the
procedure of the welcome and
invocation.
Sheriff Dan Bath gave his
weekly jail census, showing
75 inmates, including three
are from Segwick County, 25
from Wyandotte County, two
from the City of Fredonia and
one on work release. Bath
said the Kansas Department
of Corrections had contacted
him about keeping some state
prisoners but a state contract is
just in a beginning phase.
He reported that Reynolds
Plumbing was pumping out
the jail lift station twice a day,
at the cost of $1,000 a day. The
sheriff’s office has received
billing in the amount of $10,000
from Reynolds for work already
done, while waiting for the
sump pump to be repaired and
returned to the county.
Bath told commissioners
that the county’s old transport
car had been wrecked.
Coordinator Kris Marple
updated the Commission on
the LEC sewer pump repair. He
also informed them of waste tire
disposal fee increase effective
March 1.
Marple
also
reminded
commissioners that Road and
Bride Supervisor applications
were due March 1, and he
will present them at the next
meeting. Commissioners approved warrants in the amount of
$130,00 and payroll at $75,901.;
and approved abatements 2010391 and 2010-399.
Commissioners will meet at
2 p.m. next Monday at Cobalt
Boats in Neodesha to tour
the former Prestige building,
recently
purchased
and
renovated by Cobalt.
The regular meeting will
resume at approximately 3 p.m.
at the courthouse.
Originally built as a physician’s office, this building in the 300 block of North 6th Street
has housed a number of Fredonia businesses and now serves as the Masonic Lodge. Renovations to the building included masonry work on a side wall and the roof. Dale Fritz/Citizen
Last WWI veteran had ties to Wilson County
A Wilson County family has
a personal connection to the
news story this week reporting
that the last United States
World War I veteran died at the
age of 101.
Frank
Buckles
of
Morgantown, W. Va., died early
Sunday, Feb. 27, of natural
causes.
Frank
Buckles’
sister,
Grace Mae Buckles was the
grandmother of Owen Neill
Smith, Virginia Pickell, and
Betty Brown, of this area.
Theresa Pickell Colvin, told
the Citizen this week that she
hoped to go to funeral services
for her great uncle at Arlington
Cemetery.
Frank Buckles outlived
every other American who
served in World War I, and
became the final torchbearer for
those who served in what was
called at the time, “The war to
end all wars.”
Buckles enlisted at the age
of 16, after lying about his age.
He died Sunday on his farm in
Charles Town, nearly a month
after his 110th birthday.
Only two known veterans
remain, according to the Order
of the First World War, a Florida
group shoes members as
descendants of WWI veterans,
and includes Buckles’ daughter.
The survi8vors are Florence
Green in Great Britain and
Claude Choules in Australia.
Born in Missouri in 1901
and reared in Oklahoma,
Buckles visited a number of
military recruiters after the
United States entered the war
in April of 1917. He had trouble
enlisting, however.
First he tried to enlist at the
state fair in Wichita and gave
his age as 18, but the Marine
sergeant said he had to be 21.
He returned a week alters and
told another recruiter he was
21, but this time he wasn’t
heavy enough.
The Navy turned him down
for being flatfooted.
In Oklahoma City, an
Army captain wanted his birth
certificate, but Buckles said the
only record of his birth was in
the family Bible.
The Army took him without
seeing the Bible. He was 16
years old.