1905 — May 10, F5 Tornado, hamlet of Lock, Snyder, Kiowa Co. & vicinity, OK –97-~120
–200-400 AP. “Death and Destruction Follows Tornado’s Wake.” Galveston Tribune, 5-11-1905, p1.
— 90-130 NWS, Norman, OK WFO. The Snyder, Oklahoma Tornado of 10 May 1905.[1]
— 111 NWS, Norman, OK WFO. The Snyder, Oklahoma Tornado of 10 May 1905.[2]
— 100 Daily Ardmoreite, OK. “The Cyclone at Snyder,” 5-12-1905, p. 1.
— 97 Brooks & Doswell. “Normalized Damage…Major Tornadoes…1890-1999.” 2000.
— 97 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991…Chronology…Analysis…. 1993, p. 705.
–10 People on farms which were struck before tornado reached Snyder.
–87 Snyder.
— 97 Grazulis. The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. 2001, p. 292.
— 97 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes. 2008.
— 97 NWS WFO Norman, OK. “Top Ten Deadliest OK Tornadoes (1882-2009).
— 97 OK Climatological Survey/NWS FO’s, Norman/Tulsa, OK. OK’s Top 10 Weather…
— 87 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, 92. (Apparently reference to Snyder only.)
— 87 Strong. “The Tornado of May 10, 1905, At Snyder, Okla.” MWR, Aug 1905, p. 355.
Narrative Information
Grazulis: F5 tornado struck at 1845 (6:45), killed 97 people, injured 150, 800 yards wide and 40 miles long. (Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991…Chronology…Analysis…. 1993, p. 705.)
NWS: “On Wednesday May 10th, 1905, the Oklahoma Territory was struck by one of the worst natural disasters in early American history. Tornadoes pounded the southwest part of the Territory, one of which flattened the town of Snyder.[3] The “official” death toll is listed today as 97, but the actual number of victims may never be known. One hundred years later, this single tornado remains the second most deadly (at least) in Oklahoma history, and ranks among the 20 most deadly tornadoes in United States history….
“All accounts indicate that the first tornado began in far southwest Oklahoma around 6:45 PM Central Standard Time (CST). All accounts from Snyder agree that the tornado which hit the town arrived in there sometime between 8 PM and 9:15 PM on the evening of May 10…. Sunset occurred in Snyder close to 7:30 PM CST, and twilight faded to full darkness between 8 and 8:30 PM as the storm approached…. Knowing what we do about the size of the tornado (damage path one-half mile wide) and its forward speed (30 to 40 MPH), the tornado probably spent less than a minute on any given spot, and traversed the town of Snyder in under three minutes….
“According to documentation by the U.S. Weather Bureau’s section director for the Oklahoma Territory (the U.S. Weather Bureau was the predecessor for today’s National Weather Service) and local newspapers, the tornado was first observed about 12 miles west and 9 miles south of Olustee….The tornado then intensified near the community of Carmel, located 9 miles south and 3 miles west of Olustee. The tornado destroyed a home near Carmel and killed three members of the Hughes family. The tornado grew to about one mile wide as it continued to move northeast, killing the entire family of Frank James and four members of the Ralston family near the community of Lock, which was approximately seven miles south of Altus. The Altus Times reported that “every vestige of a settlement at Lock was swept away.” A number of farmsteads were destroyed and livestock herds were killed near Lock. One of the farms just east of Lock that was destroyed was described as “one of the best improved farms in the county.” The tornado continued northeast and struck the Francis School House which was “scattered over the surrounding country side for miles. Not a stick or stone remains to mark the spot where it stood.” The Francis School House is estimated to have been about 6 miles south and 3 miles east of Altus,
“Based on available accounts, the storm underwent a stage of reorganization just after passing Lock and the Francis School House, which led to the formation of a second tornado that would become the Snyder tornado. After destroying the school house, the tornado, “then lifted, and passing eastward crossed the North Fork of the Red River at the mouth of Otter Creek. At the point of crossing the North Fork, it was joined by another tornado which had developed about two miles southeast of the Francis School House. The combined tornadoes then moved rapidly northeastward along the course of Otter Creek…” Another account, based on notes from the chief of the U. S. Signal Station in Oklahoma City, who followed the track of the storm, supports the same evolution: After destroying the Francis School House, “The cyclone then lifted and contented itself with roaring until the mouth of Otter Creek was reached. Here another twister, which had formed some distance south of there and destroyed the Burnett home on the west side of North Fork, united with the one which had come so many miles, and they entered upon a merry waltz up Otter Creek, following up the creek until it takes a turn to the north-west, where it left the creek and began its journey straight northeast across the Prairie for Snyder.”….
“This second tornado moved east-northeast, crossing the North Fork of the Red River near the mouth of Otter Creek. The tornado then followed very close to Otter Creek, curving to the northeast through what is now northern Tillman County (but was still part of Kiowa County at the time). At least five people were killed southwest of Snyder, including Ray Moss (a tenant at the McCowan ranch), three members of the Engle family, and Mrs. Jack Hunter, who was injured and later died from her injuries…. As the tornado continued northeast, it struck the city of Snyder at around 8:45 P.M. After moving through Snyder, the tornado “kept its northeasterly movement, destroying a couple of small residences within two miles of the townsite, then lifted and caused no further damage.”
“One news report indicated that “the same tornado” struck Quinlan (115 miles north of Snyder!), killing three people. Yet another report describes a storm, “that developed in a cyclone and hail storm at Elk City (55 miles northwest of Snyder), two men being killed at or near that town.” These events clearly were not caused by the same thunderstorm that rolled through Snyder, but show that there were other severe thunderstorms across western Oklahoma, and that the storm that struck Snyder and surrounding areas was not the only killer storm in Oklahoma that day….
“A heavy rain followed the tornado, making it nearly impossible to care for the injured…. Livestock and farm animals lay dead everywhere. Chickens were found dead, “with their feathers blown out as cleanly as if they had been picked.” The carcasses of some horses were carried over a mile….
“Snyder was in desperate need of help from neighboring communities from the first moments after the storm, but the tornado took out every phone and telegraph line into and out of the town. In those days, there were only three ways to communicate with the outside world: Telephone, telegraph, and tell people face to face. With the first two options eliminated, messengers were sent on foot to the nearest town of Mountain Park, three miles north, to send news and ask for assistance. From there the message was sent by phone to nearby Hobart (lines were still up in Mountain Park), and from Hobart, word went out to all neighboring towns and to the rest of the world. Many nearby towns immediately organized relief trains and dispatched them immediately to the stricken town. Trains arrived from Hobart, Frederick, Chickasha, Vernon, Davidson, Eldorado, Quanah, Oklahoma City, Mangum, Altus, Lawton, and several other towns in the area. These trains, loaded with supplies, doctors, nurses, and recovery volunteers, arrived every few minutes from late that night through the following day….
“The Death Toll
“Immediately after the storm, some news reports suggested the death toll in Snyder would reach as high as 400. These reports turned out to be either gross overestimates or outright exaggerations. The reported number of victims was soon revised downward, and eventually the numbers converged toward a range somewhere between 90 and 130.
“The facts, as well as can be determined, are as follows:
“1] Published lists contain partial or complete names of 86 known victims from Snyder and surrounding areas in Kiowa County.
“2] Other lists and accounts provide names of at least nine others that died in Greer County as a result of the first of the two tornadoes.
“3] Many of the known victims were laid to rest in Fairlawn Cemetery, outside of Snyder, but some were laid to rest elsewhere in Oklahoma and Kansas.
“4] An unknown number of unidentified victims were buried in a mass grave at Fairlawn Cemetery.
“5] A stone marker, placed in Fairlawn Cemetery in the 1990s near the alleged site of the mass grave, reads, ‘in memory of the thirty-four unknown men, women and children who perished in the cyclone of May 10, 1905.’
“6] According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, two of Oklahoma’s most distinguished historians placed the count at “about 120 dead.’[4]
“7] Fires in the wake of the tornado burned parts of the wreckage in the business area of town. “Whether or not any of the bodies of dead or wounded were cremated is not known, but the general belief is that some were in the fire-swept ruins.’[5]
“8] Local residents in Snyder said that a passenger train stopped in town that evening, and dropped off an unknown number of passengers before pulling out shortly before the tornado struck. Many of these passengers may have been from out of town, and thus would have been relative unknowns to most of the citizens of Snyder. Passengers that were still at or near the railroad depot when the tornado struck most likely were either killed or injured.
“The exact number of people killed by the Snyder tornado will never be known with absolute certainty. We can only arrive at a reasonable estimate, based on the information available. Beginning with facts 1] and 2], above, we know of at least 95 victims. Fact 3] means we can not refine the count based in the graves in Fairlawn Cemetery. Fact 5] likely derives directly from fact 6] and fact 1], and assumes a total of 120, of which 86 are known. It is considered unlikely that any bodies were completely incinerated by post-tornado fires (Fact 7]), but this possibility can not be ruled out completely. Fact 8] would most likely affect only the relative number of unknown or unidentified victims, and not the total.
“If we accept the historical estimate of 120 deaths from the entire event, and account for the nine known victims in Greer County, we would arrive at a reasonably reliable estimate of 111 deaths from the Snyder tornado. This is roughly ten to 12 percent of the entire population of the town at the time, one of the highest such ratios of any tornado in history. The high death toll is attributed partly to the fact that the storm struck after regular business hours, when most of the inhabitants were at home. Although the business section received major damage, the worst of it was in the residential sections on the west and north sides of town.” (NWS WFO Norman, OK. The Snyder, Oklahoma Tornado of 10 May 1905. Jan 29, 2009.)
Strong: “The tornado apparently originated in the valley of the Red River, forming in full force over the ridge of gypsum hills, to the eastward, about twelve miles west and nine miles south of Olustee, Okla. Mr. Bowlin observed its first formation, as it assumed a funnel shape near his residence. After its full development it moved rapidly eastward with a slight southerly trend, crossed Gypsum Creek, and struck the residence of Mr. R. R. Hughes, which was totally destroyed. It then moved rapidly, with a zigzag course, trending northeastward, to a second residence, passed directly over and totally destroyed it. No loss of life occurred, but the owner had a very narrow escape, his dugout being filled with debris. Several residences were demolished by the tornado in its movement to the north-eastward, but no lives were lost, the families having taken refuge in their storm caves.
“It then struck the residence of Mr. G. B. Ralston, which was totally demolished. At the farm of Mr. Fourmentin the house, farming implements, and outbuildings were ruined, and several head of horses and cattle killed.
“The little hamlet of Lock was destroyed. The tornado then lifted and passing eastward crossed th North Fork of the Red River at the mouth of Otter Creek.
“While in its movement from the point of formation to the North Fork, the tornado was followed by rain with no electrical development; at the point of crossing the North Fork it was apparently joined by another tornado which had developed about two miles southeast of the Francis School House, and then lightning was first seen. The combined tornadoes then moved rapidly northeastward along the curse of Otter Creek demolishing a number or residences.
“Near the Peckham ranch the tornado left the course of Otter Creek, and moved directly northeastward one and a half miles, striking the western half of the town of Snyder and demolishing everything in its path. One hundred houses were totally destroyed, the ground being stripped clean even of their foundations, while about one hundred and fifty more were badly wrecked, twisted off of their foundations, or damaged by flying timbers. Eight-seven persons were killed or have since died of their injuries, 49 were seriously injured.
After passing through Snyder the tornado kept its northeasterly movement, destroying a couple of small residences within two miles of the town, then lifted and caused no further damage. Much of the debris was dropped to the ground in the vicinity of Oreana, Okla., while some was scattered fifteen to twenty miles northeastward over the country.
“The path of the tornado showed a width varying from 300 to 1200 feet, damaging property by suction at times, within a radius of 1500 feet; this was especially noticeable at Snyder, where the damage was spread out over a half mile in diameter.
“Throughout the path of the tornado the whirling effect was from right to left, or the reverse of the movement of the hands of a watch. The greater portion of the debris was thrown out in the southwest quarter of the tornado, and in nearly all instances, the houses were reduced to kindling wood, the pieces were driven upright into the ground at an angle of 45°, with the tops leaning to the west or southwest. In a few instances in the country, and quite a number at Snyder, when the buildings were at right-angles to the track and some distance away, the smaller debris was scattered directly toward the center of the path, but the heavier timbers of buildings remained intact. The destruction of the buildings, in these instances, was undoubtedly caused by the suction effects of the tornado. The suction effect was also noticeable, some buildings were pulled out of plumb and leaned to the west or northwest, they were also located on the east side of the track and about 1500 feet away from the center….
“The first appearance of the tornado was that of a black cloud from which was pendant a long funnel, almost vertical, and widening out from its base….
“During its passage through Greer County the rain and hail occurred after the tornado passed, but it was both preceded and followed by rain in its passage through Kiowa County.
“The noise of the tornado was heard over a radius of twelve miles from its path, as a grinding, crashing roar that was indescribable.
“The tornado path covered about 65 miles in length; the tornado was first observed at about 6:45 p.m., and last observed at 8:45 p.m., thus having an average forward movement of 30 miles per hour.
“A peculiar feature noted and spoken of by a number of persons during the progress of the tornado over the storm caves in which they had sought refuge, was the drawing or uplifting force exerted upon them. They stated that while under the center of the storm it seemed that their bodies had lost weight and that they were gradually being drawn out of their places of refuge and had no will to resist the movement. In each case the storm door fastenings were broken loose and the doors thrown open for a short period of time, and then thrown back into position.
“At the residence of Mr. G. E. Colville, a young man standing in front of the house, watching the approach of the tornado, stated that the first effect of its influence was the sudden uplifting of five bales of cotton, standing about 60 feet in front of him, to a height of about six feet above the ground, after which they were thrown back on end; then one bale was picked up and it passed through the air over his head striking the corner of the house to his rear; at the same time he was thrown forward to the ground, where, catching hold of the trunk of a small tree, he lay until the tornado had passed. While on the ground he saw the house gradually pushed backward about 30 feet, and then instantaneously to to pieces; at that instant the windmill close by was dashed to the ground. Mrs. Colville, who was in the house, escaped with only a few bruises, while the young man was uninjured. The house was about 200 yards from the center of the tornado track.
“All houses and buildings along the path of the tornado, in the country, were completely demolished, and the loss to buildings amounts to $20,000. Where the tornado crossed the wire fences, the center was marked by the wires being cleanly cut through as though pliers had been used, the breaks being directly over each other in four-strand fences. In some instances, a dozen posts were pulled out of the ground, and thrown forward, the united wires forming a half circle on the ground.” (Strong, C. M. “The Tornado of May 10, 1905, At Snyder, Okla.” Monthly Weather Review, August 1905, pp. 355-356.)
Newspapers
May 11: “By Associated Press. Oklahoma City, Ok., May 11.–Reports have reached here from Hobart and Anadarko confirming the news of a tornado at Snyder, but no definite details are known. The Frisco railroad is sending a relief train from Chickasha to Snyder. It is rumored that 400 people are killed and injured.
Guthrie’s Estimate.
“By Associated Press. Guthrie, Okla., May 11.– Reports received here indicate that between 300 and 400 lives have been lost in the partial destruction of the town of Snyder, Okla., by the tornado there last night. Relief trains have been sent to the scene from a number of neighboring towns. Details of the disaster cannot be learned until some of these trains return. All telegraphic and telephone communication with the stricken town has been interrupted. It is reported that bodies are scattered all over the streets and the surrounding country.
“The storm struck the town from the southwest, traveling north until about 100 yards from the Oklahoma City and Western railway track. Then it took a north-easterly course through the business portion of the town. North of the track not a building was left standing.
“The first news of the storm was received about midnight. Soon thereafter, before any details had been received, telegraph and telephone wires went down immediately….
“The storm was not confined to Snyder. On the way to the stricken town dead and injured were passed in plain sight of the relief trains, but these were passed in the efforts of the rescuers to reach Snyder, where there was greater need of their services.
“The first man to reach Snyder and return to a telegraph point was the station agent at Mountain Park, another neighboring town. He had walked into Snyder, reaching there at daylight, and after taking a hasty view of the situation, and without gathering any exact details of the storm’s effects, returned to Mountain Park. This man reported the town partially destroyed, and asserted that the list of dead would reach somewhere between 300 and 400. The injured, he said, were to be seen everywhere, and there the number would undoubtedly reach into the hundreds.
“While the tornado seems to have been widespread, rumors that other towns in southwestern Oklahoma had been destroyed were declared by the telephone exchanges to be incorrect. However, there is no question that much damage to property and loss of life has occurred in the outlying districts. The same tornado struck Quinlan, in Woodward county, on the Santa Fe railroad, destroying several houses, and at that point at least three persons — Mrs. O. W. Cox and her two sons — are known to have been killed.
Bodies Scattered Everywhere.
“By Associated Press. Oklahoma City, Ok., May 11.–It is reported from Hobart via Chickasha that between 350 and 400 people are dead at Snyder, and that bodies are scattered all over the streets and surrounding country.
“The storm struck the town from the southwest, travelling north until about 100 yards from the Oklahoma City & Western railway tracks. Then it took a northeasterly course through the business portion of the town. North of the track not a building is left standing. The first relief train sent from Hobart ahs arrived on the scene.
“Snyder is a town of about 2500 inhabitants in Kiowa county, Oklahoma, in the Kiowa and Comanche Indian country, opened to white settlement in 1901. The town was laid out largely by the St. Louis and San Francisco railway at the junction of two of its lines, and the company erected important buildings there. Snyder is the division point for the Juanah division of the road. They town named for Bryan Snyder, late passenger traffic manager of the system.
“The telephone operator at Hobart states that it is believed in Hobart that 500 people have been killed and injured. Everyone who can render assistance in the capacity of physician, nurse or other necessary work has gone on the special train which left Hobart shortly before 2 o’clock….”
(Associated Press. “Death and Destruction Follows Tornado’s Wake. Thriving Little City of Snyder in Oklahoma in Nearly Wiped Out of Existence. Between 300 and 400 Lives are Lost and Half a Thousand Hurt.” Galveston Tribune, TX. 5-11-1905, p. 1.)
May 12: “The death list of Wednesday night’s tornado is expected to exceed 100. Eight-five bodies have been recovered: dozens of persons are missing and given up for dead, and of the forty-one badly wounded some are fatally hurt. More than one hundred others suffered less severe injuries.
“Relief is being sent from neighboring towns. From Oklahoma City were sent 100 men to dig graves and seek the dead still in the ruins, and also a dozen undertakers with 100 coffins. Offers of financial assistance have come from numerous cities. Governor Ferguson of Oklahoma has issued a proclamation calling attention to the needs of the stricken town….” (Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, OK. “The Cyclone at Snyder,” 5-12-1905, p. 1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Death and Destruction Follows Tornado’s Wake. Thriving Little City of Snyder in Oklahoma in Nearly Wiped Out of Existence. Between 300 and 400 Lives are Lost and Half a Thousand Hurt.” Galveston Tribune, TX. 5-11-1905, p. 1. Accessed 8-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/galveston-tribune-may-11-1905-p-1/
Brooks, Harold E. and Charles A Doswell III (NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory). “Normalized Damage from Major Tornadoes in the United States: 1890-1999.” Revised manuscript submitted as Note to Weather and Forecasting, Vol. 16, 9 p., Sep 2000. Accessed 11-25-2017 at: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/users/brooks/public_html/damage/tdam1.html
Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, OK. “The Cyclone at Snyder,” 5-12-1905, p. 1. Accessed 8-15-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ardmore-daily-ardmoreite-may-12-1905-p-1/
Grazulis, Thomas P. The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001, 324 pages.
Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center, NOAA. Accessed 10-12-2008 at: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.html
National Weather Service Forecast Office, Norman, OK. The Snyder, Oklahoma Tornado of 10 May 1905. Jan 29, 2009 update. Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/wxevents/19050510/
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Norman, OK. “Top Ten Deadliest Oklahoma Tornadoes (1882-2009). NWS, NOAA, 12-22-2008 modification. Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/tornadodata/ok/deadliest.php
Oklahoma Climatological Survey and National Weather Service Forecast Offices, Norman and Tulsa, OK. Oklahoma‘s Top 10 Weather Events of the 20th Century. No Date. Accessed 9-28-2008 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/news/toptenweather.php
Strong, C. M. “The Tornado of May 10, 1905, At Snyder, Okla.” Monthly Weather Review, August 1905, pp. 355-356. Accessed 8-15-2018 at: ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/mwr/033/mwr-033-08-0355.pdf
[1] “The reported number of victims…converged toward a range somewhere between 90 and 130.
[2] After analyzing the various reports of fatalities and noting that “The exact number of people killed by the Snyder tornado will never be known with absolute certainty,” the Norman OK NWS WFO notes: “If we accept the historical estimate of 120 deaths from the entire event, and account for the nine known victims in Greer County, we would arrive at a reasonably reliable estimate of 111 deaths from the Snyder tornado.”
[3] Roughly 1,000 inhabitants. NWS NFO. The Snyder, Oklahoma Tornado of 10 May 1905. Jan 29, 2009 update.
[4] Cites: Leo Kelley. “Oklahoma: Home of the Real Twisters.” The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Okla. Hist. Society, Winter 1996-1997, p. 430. Notes that “Five references are listed therein to support the death count of ‘about 120.’”
[5] Cites: Snyder Signal-Star, 5-12-1905.