Mead, Nebraska History

Stories in this edition: Plant Escapes Full Fury of Tornado / Meet Mr. Cross Who is Happy / Twister Levels Farm only Half Mile from Nebr. Ordnance Plant / Group Insurance Coverage Soars to 5.5 Million Dollar High at NOP / C. E. Merry Gives Key Ordnance Talk / NOP Bomb Appears in Hollywood Film / Commanding Officer: "Must Keep Combat Troops Well Supplied / Operator Breaks Record on Check-Writing Machine / NOP Area is Sprayed for Insect Riddance / Mainly About Your Friends and You / Secretary Divulges "Success Attributes" / Controller / You Name It; We Have It / FHA Housing Information is Now Available at Plant / ...

Plant Escapes Full Fury of Tornado

Nebraska Ordnance Plant, side-swiped by a tornado that swirled head on into adjacent farm areas escaped with minor damage Wednesday evening, Aug. 15.

The twister knocked out two power lines leading into the area from the east, but service was restored by 11 o'clock the following morning. An auxiliary motor enabled Plant telephone service to continue uninterrupted.

Minor damage resulted inthe inactiviate Nitrate Plant Area, where a section of roof was lifted from one side of a building and deposited intact on an undisturbed part of the roof. One smal storage shed, containing empty boxes was blown down.

Not so fortunate as NOP, however were farmer George Kuhr and his wife, who lived only one-half mile from the northeast perimeter of the reservation. The tornado made a semi-circle through the Kuhr cornfield past the house; then it backtracked to smash the Kuhr house and barn to smithereens. Both he and his wife were hospitalized.

This is but one example of the widespread damage in the NOP area. The tornado, which struck eastern Nebraska, rampaged through several counties, wrecking crops and buildings.

Donations to aid victims of the tornado were accepted this week at the Plant. A committee, headed by Public Relations Manager G. E. (Jerry) Bentz and composed of Employee Relations Manage Don Bottorff and Disbursement Manager Joe Kase, were in charge of the NOP campaign to raise funds for tornado relief. The National Gypsum Company supplemented personnel contributions to the fund with a check.

This information is brought to you by the Friends of the Mead Library whose goal is to preserve local history and share it with the world. Visit the library often!

Betterment * Calendar * Fun * Government * History * Housing
Library * Organizations * Photos * School * Street Map * Contact Us * Site Map