1957 — May 15, Tornadoes, Lockney, Floyd County (1); Silverton, Briscoe Co., TX (20)– 21

–21 Grazulis. “Texas Tornadoes 1950-1995.” Tornado Project.
–21 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1006.
–01 20:00 F3 Lone Star [Lockney area], Floyd County tornado.
–20 21:35 F4 Silverton, Briscoe County tornado.
–20 Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “20 Die At Silverton. Tornado Hurts 68…” 5-16-1957, pp. 1-2.
— 1 Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “Lockney Twister Kills Farm Wife.” 5-16-1957, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Grazulis: “TX MAY 15, 1957 2100 1k 2inj 100y 5m F3 Floyd/Briscoe – a woman was killed and her children were injured NE of Lone Star. This tornado preceded the Silverton event. Several eyewitness descriptions clearly indicate that the path was not continuous with the next event. The funnel touched down 2m E of Lone Star, in the NW of Floyd County, and moved NNE. Two homes were destroyed. At a point about 12 miles SW of Silverton, the funnel lifted after passing between two farm houses that were a half mile apart. The funnel disappeared completely, and one formed three miles to the NE as the next event.”

Grazulis: “TX MAY 15, 1957 2135 20k 80inj 250y 17m F4. BRISCOE…a tornado moved NE, cutting a three-block-wide, eight-block-long path through the town of Silverton. About 27 homes were destroyed and 33 others were damaged. The loss was estimated at just under $1,000,000. Many homes were leveled to the ground and almost entirely swept away. Many were newly constructed. A 5000 pound gasoline storage tank was reportedly carried 1.5 miles and dropped or rolled into a lake. A school bus was “tossed about 75 feet atop a garage.” A cotton gin and granaries sustained $150,000 damage. Adjacent homes in SW Silverton, occupied by relatives, were “stripped to the foundation,” killing seven people. Cars parked near these homes were found two blocks away. Other cars were reportedly carried for a quarter mile. At another home, a couple and three children were killed as the building literally vanished from the site. About half of the dead were children. Many of the injuries were very severe. The tornado “looked like red sand, boiling and rumbling”.” (Grazulis 1993, 1006.)

Newspaper

May 16: “Silverton, May 16 – At the crack of dawn today residents of this small Panhandle town started moving through debris and mud in search for possibly more dead and injured from the tornado which ripped through here Wednesday night. At least 20 dead and 68 injured had been accounted for in the darkness of night, but town officials here feared more bodies would be found today since a number of persons are still missing. Hospitals in all the surrounding towns and cities were filled and some were taken as far away as Amarillo and Lubbock. In some instances the tornado wiped out entire families. Some families lost all of their children and in others the children were made orphans.

“Rescue workers digging through the ruins of the L.C. Thompson home late this morning uncovered what is believed to be the 20th victim of the storm in Silverton. They found the body of a baby believed to be two or three years old. It had not been identified by noon, but a baby fitting the description has been reported missing from a farm home some 10 miles west of Silverton.

“Those who lived to tell of the storm which ripped through Silverton, some 65 miles southeast of Amarillo, reported stories of a roaring noise ‘like two freight trains racing through the night wiping out most of the south part of this town. At least 25 homes were demolished, 15 others suffered heavy damage and another had minor damage. The funnel, which scoured a path through Swisher and Briscoe counties, also took with it parts of two cotton gins and a number of labor houses near them, as well as several warehouses an other smaller buildings….The funnel scooped into the southwest edge of Silverton and cut its path through some eight to ten blocks of the residential section southwest of the Floydada highway, It virtually wiped out the south end of Main Street….” (Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “20 Die At Silverton. Tornado Hurts 68…” 5-16-1957, p. 1.)

May 16: “The known dead, some of them identified by family and friends at funeral homes in Lockney, Plainview and other towns near Silverton this morning include:

Mr. and Mrs. L. V. Vaughn.
Mr. and Mrs. Rance Stephens (daughter and sone-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn).
The Stephens children, Bruce, 6; Allan, 4, and Ronda, 1½.
Mrs. Sam Thompson.
J. B. Bingham.
Wally Domingo, 68.
Mr. and Mrs. Domingo Rivas.
Two children of Mr. and Mrs. Rivas.
Another child, about 3 years old, dead on arrival at Silverton Hospital.
William V. Proctor, 1 month old, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Proctor of Amarillo.
Unidentified girl, about 14 years old.
Three Latin American men. [20]”

(Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “The Known Dead and Injured.” 5-16-1957, p. 1.)

May 16: “Lockney, May 16 (Special) – A young farm housewife was killed and her two children were injured by a tornado which destroyed their farm home northeast of here about 3 a.m. today. Mrs. E. E. Puckett, 30 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Moore of Silverton, was killed. Her two daughters, injured in the storm, are Linda, 8, and Pat, 10. The children were taken to Lockney General hospital, and Linda has been moved to Methodist Hospital in Lubbock for treatment of critical injuries including two broken legs, a broken hip and fractured pelvis.

“Mr. Puckett was in New Mexico when the storm hit his home, and neighbors in the area 16 miles north and 2 miles east of here found Mrs. Puckett’s body and rescued the two injured children…”
(Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “Lockney Twister Kills Farm Wife.” 5-16-1957, p. 1.)

Sources

Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “20 Die At Silverton. Tornado Hurts 68…” 5-16-1957, pp. 1-2. Accessed 2-27-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/amarillo-globe-times-may-16-1957-p-1/

Amarillo Globe-Times, TX. “Lockney Twister Kills Farm Wife.” 5-16-1957, p. 1. Accessed 2-27-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/amarillo-globe-times-may-16-1957-p-1/

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

Grazulis, Thomas P. “Texas Tornadoes 1950-1995.” Accessed 10-12-2009 at: http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/txtorn1.htm