The child of James McIntosh and Cordelia Byers, , Clara was the first cousin three-times-removed on the father's side of Jay Hannah, was born in 1880 and had 3 children with George Balls: , and Fred V.
She died in 1978.
At Home In
Ellis County, Kansas
1867-1992
Volume 1
Published by
Historical Book Committee
Ellis County Historical Society
Hays, Kansas
1991
Printed by
Taylor Publishing Company
Dallas, Texas
Pages 75,76
Tornado of 1918
Other counties in Kansas can point to far more destructive tornadoes,but several tornadoes are sighted practically every year in Ellis County,and they have touched down with their destructive force on an average ofabout once a year.
So far as known, the worst has been the one that swept Trego, Ellis,Rooks, and Osborne counties on the night of Monday, 5-20-1918. Whatfollows is verbatim the account that appeared in the Ellis County Newsfor 5-23-1918.
"Last Monday night at about nine o'clock a tornado began destruction oflife and property at the James McIntosh farm home some twelve milesnorthwest of Hays and traveled in a northeast direction, leaving deathand wreckage in its path which was about a mile in width, thoughconsiderable damage was wrought beyond the mile of greatest fury. TheUnited Telephone Company reports today eight miles of toll lines entirelywrecked by the storm.
"At the home of Alex Geist, the twister carried away every board of allthe buildings, killing both Mr. and Mrs. Geist. One half mile northofthe Alex Geist home the storm killed three children of Adam Geist -agesten months, two years, and five years. Mr. Geist was severely hurt andhis wife slightly injured. At Codell at least three were killed; Mrs.Walter Adams and baby, and a child of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jones. Reportsof others killed there have been current but it is impossible to gettelephone communication at this time. Six victims of the storm are notat St. Anthony's hospital in varying degrees of danger from wounds andinjuries sustained. Homes and buildings of the following were totallydestroyed: Wm. Harmon, Geo. McIntosh, Alexander Geist, Adam Geist, P. J.Deanne, George Balls, the Berry farm improvements (unoccupied), and HenryKleinschmidt. The homes John Garrels, Ed Feldkamp and numerous otherswere partially destroyed.
"Other tornadoes have visited the county, but none of such largeproportions, and none so great in violence.
"Mrs. Bert Stanton was brought to Hays last night from southwest ofWaKeeney suffering from injuries sustained by this same storm where itdipped into Trego county before reaching here.
"The house of Mr. George Balls was carried by the storm overly one-fourthmile and when set down the sides fell outward, leaving the family offivewithin, unhurt. Rods and rods of fencing were destroyed, the posts beingjerked out of the ground. The cement silo on the Deane ranch was notonly blown down and to pieces but was carried a goodly distance in theprocess. There are plenty of strange antics of the storm where in themidst of destruction some object was left untouched and unmoved.
"The many stories of heroism that are brought us by those who wereinthe storm district indicate that we have plenty of civilians at homewhocan and will go overly the top as bravely and effectively as the soldiersabroad. The News deeply sympathizes with those who have suffered soseverely."
A Night of Terror
It was the 20th day of May 1918, a usual spring day, some breeze, lowfeathery clouds floating overhead. We lived on my father-in-law's farm,E. E. Balls, about 14 miles northwest of Hays. We lived up on a ridge,we had a five room house, four frame and a stone room on the south.
The storm started around 8 o'clock. I left my son Fred, 3 mo. oldandmy son George 8 and my son James 7, while I went to do the milking. Myhusband George had gone overly to my brothers about 2 miles away, he camhome soon after the storm struck. By the time I gotten back from milking itstarted to rain and the wind blew hard from the southeast.
Our windmill was close to the house, and the guide-wire was broke andthe wheel was sure spinning. I was afraid it would fall and crashthrough the roof.
I put my baby to bed, and the boys were playing around. George and Iwere sitting at the table reading. Just before 9 o'clock, George gotten upand went to the south door and stood there. I gotten up and went to thedoor, and all I could see was a heavy black cloud hanging overly Hays andcontinual streaks of lightening. I said they're sure having a bad stormover Hays.
We came back and sat down to read. George said he remembered the winddropping all at once. It had been raining hard and blowing all thetime. All at once the big glass window in the east side of the stoneroom crashed in. Not a word was spoken. I ran as fast as I could andgrabbed my baby out of bed and ran to the kitchen.
By that time the east door was starting to come in. My husband wasbraced against it. I hurried and turned off my oil stove and steppedback in the doorway to the north room. All at once the stone room wallscaved in, and the door into the kitchen crashed in and all the windowswent out. Our lamp went out and we were in the dark.
By this time the bedrooms on the east were gone. We were left in thetow rooms originally built. It seemed like the heavens above werecrashing in on us. We gotten inside the north room and stood in thenortheast corner. I held the baby, the older boys held onto me and myhusband put his arms around us and held us all together. When the housestarted to leave the foundation I screamed, "O my God."
I will always believe he was with us. It carried us up in the airforalmost a quarter of a mile. All this time the house was falling apart.The roof went off and the sides and the northwest corner hit the ground.We were standing in the northeast corner. It threw us up in the airandwent overly us and turned upside down.
We fell to the ground, we were stunned for a few minutes, then Irealized I was lying on my back on the ground. I had ahold of my sonJames and ahold of my son George. Then I realized I had lost my baby. Iscreamed, my baby is gone. George had fallen beyond us and the babybeyond him, he began feeling around and found him and said, "I thinkheis dead." He pulled him overly and laid overly him to protect him from thestorm. It was raining hard and some hail, it was pitch dark.
Later the wind slowed down, so I could sit up. When it lightningedGeorge seen a rag rug and gotten the baby to me and I wrapped him in thiscold wet rug. I felt him move, and I said, "He is still alive."
Most of our clothes were torn off us, and my slippers were gone. A fewpieces of furniture was crushed side of us, and the brick chimney fell inbig chunks around us, and barb wire all around us.
My husband crawled around to try and find out where we were at. Hefound an old road that went through the pasture. He said we will followit till we can tell where we are at. We came to our pasture gate and weknew where we were at. During this time the wind struck us again and welaid in the deep ditches till it passed overly.
When we gotten to the corner of the field, the Geist family lived close tothe corner. When it lightninged we seen their house and everything wasgone, so we started through the pasture about a half mile to BillHarmon's. It was some ordeal walking with no shoes, slipping andsliding, carrying a baby in the dark only when it lightninged.
We gotten there. They had a new house, it was torn off the foundation andsome windows blown out. We stayed there till help came. We had abeautiful saddle horse, it picked the horse up and carried it 3 miles anddropped it dead in a ditch. Some photos were found 6 miles down theSaline River, and some of the children's clothes were found miles away.
We lost everything we had except our old Ford, it was in the shed and a5 gal. Can of oil standing side of tit. Everything on the place wasgonebut the car and the oil can wasn't touched.
Written by Clara McIntosh Balls; submitted by Mrs. Fred V. Balls.
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