TORNADO STRUCK NEAR FARMINGTON WEDNESDAY -
CHILD KILLED, MUCH PROPERTY DAMAGE
Published by THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, 
St. Francois Co. MO, Fri. Dec. 20, 1957

     For the second time in seven months, St. Francois County suffered heavy damage from a tornado, Wednesday afternoon. The vicinity south of Farmington suffered heavy property damage and a child was fatally injured.

     The out-of-season tornado roared through a number of Illinois and Missouri municipalities, causing six deaths and injuring at least 70 persons. Apparently hit hardest was Murphysboro, Ill., where four persons were reported dead.

     Robert Shannon, 7 month old son of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Shannon of the Libertyville community, died Wednesday afternoon at the Mineral Area Osteopathic Hospital of injuries received in the tornado. The baby received a fractured skull and other internal head injuries and died at 4:10 a little over two hours after the tornado hit.

     Mrs. Cash Lunsford, the child's grandmother who was with him at the time was also taken to the Mineral Area Osteopathic Hospital, her main injury being a severely lacerated right foot. She was later taken by Miller ambulance to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis for specialized treatment for the foot.

     Several houses other than the Shannon home were leveled by the tornado. The Otto Stadter home was demolished and all of the buildings on the Jennie Boyd place were destroyed except the house, it was reported.

     A huge amount of damage was done at the Harry Kollmeyer place on Highway 67 about six miles south of Farmington. The roof of the brick Kollmeyer residence was badly damaged as well as the porches and windows. A frame dwelling on the place, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Orville Koester and their son, Donald, was leveled as well as a hay barn, milking parlor and a brick garage. No one was at home at Kollmeyers but the Koesters saw the twister coming and ran for the Kollmeyer storm cellar. Mr. Koester is employed by Mr. Kollmeyer, a distributor for Pevely milk. Several vehicles, including a lumber-loaded truck, were overturned and damaged.

     No damage to power lines in Farmington was reported, but electrical service was cut off shortly before two o'clock Wednesday and was off for four hours. Union Electric's main feeder lines between there and Mine La Motte were damaged, causing the interruption in service in Farmington.

     Storm warning alerts were broadcast for the area between West Plains, Mo., and Farmington, continuing up to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday.

     Phil Pardon, local Union Electric Company manager, stated yesterday that two 33,000 and one 138,000 volt circuits were blown down between Farmington and Fredericktown, near the Clearview School and the Harry Kollmeyer farm. Service in Farmington was cut off at 1:53 p.m. and restored at 6:12 p.m. A few scattered customers on rural lines were still without power yesterday.

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