From The Charleroi Mail, Charleroi PA, Monday, June 26, 1944, page 1:
Two-County Toll List Reaches 23
The death list from last Friday evening's cyclone mounted over the weekend in Washington and Greene counties alone, with four in Washington County and 19 in Greene County.
Property loss in the two counties is not estimated, but probably runs into the millions. More than 100 homes were destroyed, and many more were damaged seriously. Also destroyed were more than 100 barns, many garages, milkhouses, corn cribs, and other farm buildings. Hundreds of farms were visited with damage.
The injured list probably is far above 100. Ninety persons from Greene County are in hospitals, and many others received injuries for which they were not hospitalized.
Many received minor injuries in Washington County, including eight young campers of the Washington Presbyterian Society who were at their second annual camp at Camp Buffalo, which was wiped out.
The death list:
WILLIAM SHOOK, 50, Donegal Township.
MABEL SHOOK, 13, his daughter.
MONTA MOORE, 60, Independence Township.
A. HENSLEY KEENAN, 53, Independence Township.
MRS. IDA HAYJEK NICHOLAS, 50, Chartiers.
MRS. STEVE BARNISH, 50, Chartiers, wife of one of the victoms of the Chartiers Mine fire of some days ago.
MISS AGNES BARNISH, daughter of Mrs. BARNISH.
MRS. ANNA GOOLA KNEPP, 23, Chartiers.
MRS. JESSIE PEARL BERTRAM, 45, Chartiers.
DELORES DIAMOND, 7, Rices Landing, killed at Dry Tavern.
MRS. MARY NESTER DE CLAIR, 38, Chartiers.
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JOSEPH DE CLAIR, 7, her son.
MRS. MARY OLANICK, about 50, Chartiers.
HARRY HILLEN, 46, Chartiers.
MRS. DOROTHY CRAIG, 40, Castile.
FAYE IRENE CRAIG, 40, Castile.
PAUL VUKSON, Jr., 9, Mather, killed at Dry Tavern.
MICHAEL VUKSON, 58, Dry Tavern.
ELIZABETH YARISH VUKSON, 58, Dry Tavern, his wife.
MRS. ANNA MATTA YARISH, 68, Mrs. VUKSON's mother.
JOHN ROHRER, 12, Castile.
BERTHA CATHERINE URBAN, 16, Dry Tavern.
EDWARD BEGOVICH, 14, Chartiers.
In addition to loss and damage to buildings, the loss must be counted in crops, farm machinery and dead live stock. The force of the "twister" was such that many cornfields were swept bare, the corn being pulled out of the ground. Even mesdoas [?] suffered the same fate, the grass being pulled out by the roots. Farm machinery and part of machines lie scattered in fields throughout the path of the cyclone.
Many horses and cattle were caught in falling barns. The cyclone came at an hour when many farmers were doing their evening milking, and their cattle were in the barns. Poultry, pigs, calves, and even cats and dogs were among the farm animals killed. Eighty-five turkey poults were scattered over several acres of the farm of A. Hensely KEENAN, Independence Township, who was killed.
Entire forests were wrecked. On the farm of Paul ADAMS, Independence Township, an entire tract of about nine acres of fine timber was leveled, and everywhere the twister passed there were hundreds of broken trees, and others torn out by the roots or stripped of all leaves and twigs. The loss in timber alone is very heavy.
At the J. C. GIST farm, the large residence was practically destroyed as the top was blown off and the interior damaged. All the outbuildings including the barn were destroyed. Minnie GIST, who was found in the home surrounded by tons of brick after the storm, received several severe cuts on the head.
The William LOWRY home known as the David MULHOLLAND home was practically destroyed. This is a large brick house and the twister hit it and went straight through tearing out both ends of the house and one side. Trees were uprooted and the barn and other buildings destroyed. William LOWRY, who was shearing his last sheep was in the barn when the cyclone struck.
He was blown out of the barn and landed in the basement. Mrs. LOWRY was in the basement milking and escaped uninjured. Mr. LOWRY received several severe cuts on his head which required stitches and his shoulder was injured. He was unconscious for nearly a half hour. Late yesterday a horse on the farm was discovered with a huge piece of wood about nine inches in length and four inches wide sticking in its side where it had been blown by the wind. Rugs in the LOWRY home were rolled up by the wind as neatly as a person would do it.
Much damage was done at the Lower Buffalo Graveyard which has stood many storms since 1795 when it was first established there. This old burying ground is one of the oldest in the country [sic] and is surrounded by a huge stone fence made of huge cut sandstone about four feet in length and upwards to 15 inches square. This old cemetery is about 300 feet square and in several places the wind tossed these huge stones like pebbles. Many of the higher monuments were blown down, one bearing the inscription of "Caroline WAUGH, wife of James W. WAUGH, born 1835, died Nov. 20, 1885." Miss Margaretta PARKINSON in her will left a fund to keep this old burying ground in condition and it is likely it will be put back as it stood before the storm.
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Note: When a tornado or flood occurs in a rural, farmlands area, it would have affected food supply greatly since local farmers would have been unable to bring corn, wheat, and other crop to local markets (or ship to outside markets). Loss of crops meant for livestock meant being unable to feed any remaining livestock without help of neighbors. Storm-related deaths of livestock and fowl meant the owners either had to quickly use up the meat from these accidental "kills"--IF the meat was deemed usable. Otherwise, if not suitable for human consumption, the carcasses were likely destroyed (burned) or buried in deep pits. Initially, more people would have been recovering from their own injuries, so during early recovery phases, it would have been harder for farmers to attend to their crops and to the living and deceased livestock, helping to prevent spread of disease, and concern themselves with rebuilding houses, barns, and farm out-buildings.
Sources:
The Charleroi Mail newspaper, Charleroi PA, numerous articles.
