On April 29, 1966, a small twister leveled the campsite of Troop 75 near Burlington Jct. Nobody was seriously hurt, but Burlington temporarily lost its power and phone service. Area farms suffered damage, and livestock was lost
Maryville Forum account:
A severe storm swept through Burlington Junction Friday evening, blowing down utility lines, poles, garages, and porches, and cutting the city off from all communication. The storm lasted for about 15 minutes after it hit at 6:30 p. m. More than 1.25 inches of rain fell in 10 minutes as the storm broke in Burlingfon Jct. After the storm passed through The area, rain gauges showed that a total of two inches of Rain fell. Light and Power Co. light poles blocked U, S. 71 for about 30 minutes, State Trooper Richard Stratton reported. Three poles south of the junction of U. S. 71 and U. S. 136 fell across U. S. 71. Stratton set up flares around the blocked portion, and within 30 minutes the highway was open for 1-way traffic, and by 8:15 p. m., the highway was cleared for 2- way traffic. Two more power line poles were blown down north of the junction, but fell away from the highway. When the poles fell, communication was lost as hot lines, striking the wet ground, snapped fire. : Paul Meyers, Burlington Jet, reported to Sheriff Fred Newton that a twister accompanied the high winds. Meyers, after losing the porch to his home, reported twirling in front of his home, but he did not hear the usual roar a tornado makes. A garage belonging to Lawrence McIntyre blew down in the short-lived storm. ; Several power lines were blown down in Burlingion Jct. and are still being repaired. Numerous windows were shattered, but not one was reportedly injured. Trooper Stratton said the electrical portion of the storm knocked his radio off the air, breaking down what remained of communications into Burlington Junction. The winds, estimated at 60 MPH, were to have been a weekend campout for members of Maryville Troop 75, but ended almost as soon as it started Friday night, northeast of Burlington Junction. When the backlash from a small tornado leveled the campsite. No one was injured, although Darrell Quinn, an assistant Scoutmaster, received a bruised leg when dragged over a woodpile as a tent collapsed. About 22 small tents and a large 16-foot, 8-man tent were down under the force of the 60-mile-per-hour winds. Some equipment was lost. Members of the troop were to return in the afternoon and pick up the tents and any other equipment left at the campsite, which was on the farm owned by Dr. Robert P. Foster, Scoutmaster of the troop. Bringing the boys back | Maryville was delayed due to blocked traffic on U.S. 71 when utility poles were blown onto the highway. The boys had left here about 4:45 p. m. Friday, had just completed setting up the tents and was getting ready for the evening meal about 6:30 p.m. The boys were still around the camp, and the four adult leaders, Dr. Foster, Donald Robertson, Quinn, and Gerald Jackson, were in the large tent, which served as headquarters. Winds and rain hit. The small tents went down, and the four men in the larger tent grabbed onto ropes and poles and tried to hold it in position. The canvas covering collapsed, and the wind pulled Quinn, hanging on to lit gasoline lanterns under the collapsed tent. The men had to work to retrieve them. Damage to a barn and other farm buildings to the east of the campsite was reported. Contact was made with Dr. H. L. Poynter, a member of the troop’s staff in Maryville, and he began making arrangements for transportation back to the Scouts. The truck was held up due to blocked highways. The boys, in the meantime, had been picked up by an ambulance and brought back on Jerry Jones ‘ 1.5-ton truck, all arriving safely about 8 pm.
