1933 — May 22, Storms and Tornadoes, OK (0), KS (6), NE (9), ND (4) , MT (0)          —   19

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 12-29-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–19  Blanchard tally from Grazulis and newspapers. (We show 19 named deaths below.)

May include high wind tree fall death which Grazulis did not include because it may not have been tornadic high winds.

–18  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 469 and 852.

–2  KS, Finney County, 16:25 F3. Car hurled from road. (Grazulis 1993, p. 852.)[1]

–4  KS, Seward County, Liberal, 17:25 F4. (Grazulis 1993, p. 852.)

–8  NE, McPherson County, Tryon area, 18:20 F5.  (Grazulis 1993, p. 852.)

            –4  ND, Hettinger, Grant Counties, 19:00 F4.  (Grazulis 1993, p. 852.)

 Kansas                        (6)

–5  AP. “Storms Sweep Through Middle West.” Ada Evening News, OK. 5-23-1933, p. 1.

            –1  Garden City, Finney County. (Andrew C. Felt, 55, of Wellington, KS)[2]

–4  Liberal. (Mrs. Lottie Vogt; Mark Grossman, 52, Neal Hergett, 32; George Rosendale, 45.)

–6  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 852.

–2  KS, Finney County, 16:25 F3. Car hurled from road. (Grazulis 1993, p. 852.)

–4  KS, Seward County, Liberal, 17:25 F4. (Grazulis 1993, p. 852.)

Nebraska                    (9)

–9  Associated Press. “Nine Killed in Tornadoes.” Evening State Journal, Lincoln, NE. 5-23-1933, p.1.

–1  Paxton area, lake north of. Tree fall, William Cullinan, 15, on camping trip.

–6  Tryon area, Harry Pyzer farm. 

–2  Tryon area. Mary McIntyre, 60 and Lizzie McIntyre, 58.

–8  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 852.

            –8  McPherson County, Tryon area, 18:20 F5. 

            We speculate that Grazulis did not include the Paxton area tree fall death. Perhaps this

was a high-wind storm which caused the tree to fall, and thus not a tornado death.

North Dakota             (4)

–4  New Leipzig area (12M south of). Children of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamb.[3]

Narrative Information

May 23, AP: “Nebraskans Are Twister Victims. Tryon Has 8 Dead; 4 Hurt at North Platte – Dust Rain, Hail Fall.

 

“By The Associated Press.

 

“Nine Nebraskans were killed, about thirty were injured and scores were made homeless in storms which whipped across western Nebraska Monday night and continued to blow Tuesday. The wind battered down buildings at North Platte, land many farm dwellings low, and crippled communications.

 

“Most of the deaths occurred at the Harry Pyzer farm near Tryon, a sandhill town of 100 population where six persons were killed. Two others were killed in the vicinity and a 15 year old boy was killed camping near a lake north of Paxton.

 

“Travel into the windswept area was virtually impossible as the roaring wind blew the sandhill roads full of sand.

 

“North Platte reported seven persons injured, two with fractured bones in the southeast part of town. More than fifteen homes were damaged or destroyed, and authorities had to find shelter for about forty families driven out by the wind. A dance hall on the edge of North Platte was leveled, and all buildings except the house on the Broadbeck ranch eight miles west were razed.

 

“At the Harry Pyzer farm near Tryon the following were killed:

 

Willis Bender, 29.

Don Bender, 9 months.

Iola Pyzer, 7 years.

Mary Evelyn Pyzer, 5.

Mrs. Dora Pyzer, 25.

Mrs. Edna Nelson, 23.

 

“The Benders and Mrs. Nelson were visiting there. Misses Mary McIntyre, 60, and Lizzie McIntyre, 58, also were reported killed near Tryon. Their brother, John McIntyre, was injured. Mrs. Fred Callendar was reported injured along with seventeen others.

 

“The ninth death was that of William Cullinan, 15, who died when a falling tree crushed him on Sunnyside lake, north of Paxton. He and two other boys were on a hike. He was the son of Postmaster Harry Cullinan of Sunnyside Lake….

 

“Officials at North Platte said the wind Tuesday morning was a 60 to 75 mile an hour gale. It was stripping roofs from small buildings, ripping limbs from trees and generally threatening further damage….” (Associated Press. “Nine Killed in Tornadoes.” Evening State Journal, Lincoln, NE. 5-23-1933, p. 1.)

 

May 23, AP: “Mandan, N.D. (AP). Four children of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamb, twelves miles south of New Leipzig, were killed, the parents injured and considerable damage was caused in that section by a tornado Monday night….The children were under 15. The parents were taken to a hospital….

 

“The town was cut off from telephone and telegraph communication. The Mandan Red Cross sent first aid equipment to the area, and word was received that ruins of demolished buildings were being searched for additional dead or injured.

 

“The tornado swept thru central Grant county from the southwest. Elgin, Bentley, New Leipzig and Brisbane communities suffered heavy losses. A downpour accompanied the twister, about an inch and a half of rain falling in a short time….

 

“At Brisbane, the Catholic church was demolished, the Spielman garage wrecked and the McVey hardware store blown off its foundation.” (Associated Press. “Tornado Kills Children…in Dakota Storm.” Evening State Journal, Lincoln, NE. 5-23-1933, p. 1.)

 

May 23, AP: “Nebraska and Kansas in Path of Tornadoes. Many Casualties and Heavy Property Damage in Wake of Storms. At Least Fourteen Killed. List of Injured Will Probably Total at Least One Hundred.

 

“Kansas City, May 23 – (AP) – Tornadoes and devastating gales which swept the prairies of Kansas and Nebraska left a trail of death, injury and destruction today. The widely scattered storms took a known toll of 14 lives. Eight persons were killed near the sand hill hamlet of Tryon, Neb., one near Paxton, Neb., four at Liberal Kan., and one near Garden City. At least 30 others were injured in Nebraska, about 50 at Liberal, 15 of them seriously and a dozen at Bainville, Mont., where a tornado demolished 10 buildings….

 

“Tornadoes struck in other vicinities, one wrecking a schoolhouse at Dix and another a hangar at Valentine.

 

“The Kansas twisters whirled in the wake of a blinding dust storm yesterday afternoon which had blotted out the sun, disrupted traffic and forced the use of artificial lights.

 

“In addition to the dead at Liberal, scores were injured and many were homeless. Aid was rushed from nearby towns.” (Associated Press. “Storms Sweep Through Middle West.” Ada Evening News, OK. 5-23-1933, p. 1.)

 

Named Victims

(All are tornado deaths with exception of high wind deaths of Cullinan and Watts)

 

  1. Bender, Donnie 9 mo.   Tryon, NE. Harry Pyzer farm.
  2. Bender, Willis        Tryon, NE. Harry Pyzer farm. Father of Donnie.
  3. Cullinan, William       Paxton area NE ~lake north of. Tree fall due to high wind.
  4. Felt, Andrew C.       Garden City, KS area.             Crushed when car was overturned.
  5. Grossman, Mark        Liberal, KS.
  6. Hergett, Neal       Liberal, KS.
  7. Lamb (child 1 of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamb New Leipzig area, ND.)
  8. Lamb (child 2 of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamb New Leipzig area, ND.)
  9. Lamb (child 3 of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamb New Leipzig area, ND.)
  10. Lamb (child 3 of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lamb New Leipzig area, ND.)
  11. McIntyre, Lizzie        Tryon area, NE.
  12. McIntyre, Mary        Tryon area, NE. (Sister of Lizzie.)
  13. Nelson, Edna        Tryon, NE. Harry Pyzer farm.
  14. Pyzer, Mrs. Dora, 25. Tryon, NE. Harry Pyzer farm.
  15. Pyzer, Iola          Tryon, NE. Harry Pyzer farm.
  16. Pyzer, Mary Evelyn, 5. Tryon, NE. Harry Pyzer farm.
  17. Rosendale, George      Liberal, KS.
  18. Vogt, Mrs. Lottie. Liberal, KS.
  19. Waits, Ollie McPherson County, NE.[4] High winds death.

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Four Dead in Liberal, One Near Garden (continued from p.1).” Hutchinson News, KS. 5-23-2933, p. 10. Accessed 12-29-2024 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/hutchinson-news-may-23-1933-p-10/

 

Associated Press. “Nine Killed in Tornadoes.” Evening State Journal, Lincoln, NE. 5-23-1933, p1. Accessed 12-29-2024: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-evening-state-journal-may-23-1933-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Storms Sweep Through Middle West.” Ada Evening News, OK. 5-23-1933, p. 1. Accessed 12-29-2024: https://newspaperarchive.com/ada-evening-news-may-23-1933-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Tornado Kills Children. Two Die, Parents Hurt, in Dakota Storm.” Evening State Journal, Lincoln, NE. 5-23-1933, p. 1. Accessed 12-29-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-evening-state-journal-may-23-1933-p-1/

 

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

 

Kramer, John. “A History of McPherson County.” Nebraska Outback. Accessed 12-29-2024 at: http://www.outbacknebraska.com/2015/12/sunday-stories-history-of-mcpherson_13.html

 

 

 

 

[1] “…two people died when their car was hurled 200 yards.” We can locate one such death – Mr. Felt.

[2] “Andrew Felt, 55, of Wellington, Kansas, was injured fatally by the overturning of his motor car in the tornado near here. Felt was crushed in the wreckage of his motor car in which he was driving to Holcomb, Kan., to het his daughter, who is a school teacher there. He died in a local hospital.” (Associated Press. “Four Dead in Liberal, One Near Garden (continued from p.1).” Hutchinson News, KS. 5-23-2933, p. 10.)

[3] Associated Press. “Tornado Kills Children…in Dakota Storm.” Evening State Journal, Lincoln, NE. 5-23-1933, 1.

[4] “The high winds which accompanied the storm were responsible for the deaths of Marvin Cullinan and Ollie Waits in other parts of the cunty.” (Kramer, John. “A History of McPherson County.” Nebraska Outback.)