50 years ago

April 30, 1975

— HELICOPTER FUELS UP IN CASSVILLE

Cassville served as a fueling stop for a helicopter pilot last Wednesday evening. After dark, the pilot sat his craft down between two closed service stations on south Main. He took small containers and carried gasoline from the Pronto station across the street to get sufficient fuel to continue his trip. Bill Ward, secretary of the C of C was on hand for a local welcome and assistance.

— TORNADO SPAWNED RAINFALL FLOODED AREAS OF COUNTY

Rains on the edge of tornadic winds that went through southwest Missouri last Thursday evening, dumped a deluge of water on north Barry County, causing considerable flooding in areas between Butterfield and Monett. Heaviest hit were those areas between Highway 37 and Flat Creek. As a result of the damage, the Barry County Court is making requests for approximately $200,000 in disaster funds for repair of the roads and bridges in the Star City, Easyville and McDowell areas. The same storm earlier struck Neosho, causing an estimated $17 million in damage and resulting in three persons losing their lives. The entire areas was placed on alert for possible tornado action during the evening. The entire south portion of Barry County escaped both the winds and rain of the storm. County Clerk Howard Bounous said engineer George Ulmer was preparing estimates. Listed in the damage list are five major bridges washed out, nine damaged (three major and six minor) and 21 miles of roads damaged. Part of these routes are closed while others are barely passable. The rains seemed to choose sides of the highway for heavy measurements. Areas on the west side received about three inches, while gauges east of the route had as high as five inches. Rainfall came within a 30 minute period, causing extensive runoff. Hail that covered the ground in the Purdy area caused limited damaged due to the smallness of size. Flood waters were sufficiently severe that water went over Snider Bridge on Highway 39 southeast of Jenkins and caused considerable wash to the approaches. There is no way of estimating the dollar damage to lost cattle, fences down and fields either washed extensively or covered with debris. Whole bulldoze piles and rubbish dumps up hollows were washed into roadways. Pressure on pond banks also caused washing and collapse in some instances. The Easyville Methodist Church was also damaged by waters rushing from a hill behind the building. Several autos in the east Purdy area were washed into fields as was some farm equipment. Wide valleys in the area east of Butterfield and Purdy had rushing water through them for several hours that was over fence high. Authorities reported no injuries in the flooding. As late as Sunday, cattlemen were rounding up animals that had been stranded by rising creeks and branches. Fence repairs followed the round up of cattle. Buildings in the area of Little Flat Creek reportedly had four feet of water recorded at the height of the rushing flood. Lush pastures and crop fields in all valleys of the several mile stretch were damaged. Large logs, water debris and silt covered them, leaving ample evidence of the path of flood waters. Rains ended abruptly on a line between Butterfield and Cassville. Just a few sprinkles were noted in the county seat area. Cassville’s most recent rain, an inch and one-half measurement, fell Sunday night. Tuesday night thunderstorms through the area deposited generally an inch and onehalf of moisture through the county in a late night shower. Extensive lightening was viewed by observers, many of whom took to storm cellars or basements as heavy clouds approached.

— BARRY COUNTY READY-MIX CONCRETE AT EXETER

A new ready-mix concrete business, Barry County Ready-Mix Concrete, opened for business this week in Exeter. Owner and operator of the business is Corky Stehlik of Cassville. Stehlik said the firm, located just off Highway 86 in the Exeter business district, would serve the entire area. Eventually, five trucks will be available for deliveries. Batch plant equipment will permit service to all types construction projects in this section. The owner, formerly associated with his father in the operation of Barry County Lumber in Cassville, will devote fulltime to the new undertaking. The business is located at the site of a former lumber yard near the Exeter Co-op mill.

40 years ago

May 1, 1985

— STORMS INCREASED APRIL RAIN TO 4.68 INCHES

Thunderstorms that rolled through the area over the weekend and Tuesday deposited 3.26 inches of rainfall, according to the U. S. Forest Service recording station. The storms increased to 4.68 inches total rainfall for April. Individually, the storms put 1.71 inches of moisture on the ground over the weekend and 1.55 was recorded Tuesday after-noon. To-date for the year, moisture stands at 17.05 inches at the Cassville ranger station of Mark Twain National Forest. The weekend thunderboomers caused some electrical damage when lightning struck a number of locations. One of the heaviest damaged was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Don Bowen east of Cassville, where most appliances which were plugged in were damaged. Tuesday afternoon’s 5:15 p.m. storm pelted the area with pea size hail.

—SPECIAL TROUT DERBY AT ROARING RIVER

As part of a statewide program “Wake Up to Missouri State Parks” May 11-12, a special trout derby will be held at Roaring River State Park. Concessionaire Jack Nickols said this week, the extra derby for the season will be sponsored by his department, in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources and ConservationCommission. In addition to prizes scheduled demonstrations will be provided on fishing techniques. Nickols said 200 tagged trout will be released in the stream, hopefully including a lunker that will break existing weight records for the park. Park naturalist Merle Rogers said special nature hikes would also be available in the park during the weekend observance. Cassville Chamber of Commerce will cooperate with Nickols in making the observance a special event for the spring derby. Officials of the C of C said this event, sponsored by Nickols as a part of statewide events, is in addition to a pair of fall derbys set for September and October this year.

30 years ago

April 19, 1995

— LAKE CENTER ATTEMPTS WASTE WATER IMPROVEMENT

In the process of attempting to make improvements to the wastewater lagoon at Bridgeway Plaza at Shell Knob,conferencesbetween center officials and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources have been scheduled at the site next Tuesday. Ray Ritchey, president of the Plaza association, acknowledging a scheduled meeting with Douglas R. Carmichael, environmental engineer with DNR, said the meeting was scheduled to pursue plans for the association to improve the system. Plaza plans to make improvements, possibly with addition of a wetland application of discharge, came to a stop recently when DNR notified the group of an inspection of the area. Representatives of DNR apparently viewed the lagoon area serving the plaza during an inspection trip to Shell Knob for other facilities. Subsequent correspondence with DR earlier this month put the wetland possibility on hold and called for the upcoming meeting. In the letter to Ritchey, Carmichael wrote, “We have received the geological evaluation on the existing wastewater lagoon which I understand you also received. Though the evaluation gave the site an acceptable collapse potential rating for lagoons, the adjacent drainageway received a ‘losing’ classification. Losing streams require monthly affluent limits (regulations listed) for BOFD and suspended solids, respectively. We do not believe affluent from constructed wetlands will meet these limits. Therefore, some other alternative must be chosen.” Ritchey said the facility, consisting of less than a one acre lagoon and possible one acre lateral field, serves 23 businesses. Other facilities in the plaza area have their own waste water facilities. Carmichael continued in his correspondence, “A professional engineer must submit a report within ninety days of the date of this letter evaluating possible alternatives. A no-discharge irrigation alternative might be a possible way to use the existing lagoon.” Ritchey said the Shell Knob business group had also enlisted the support of a Midwest Assistance Program, federally funded to assist some 15 states in this region with problems of this type. He noted the association wanted to provide the best service possible to their members and the public. “Possibly our biggest mistake was trying to make an improvement in the first place,” he questioned. What the association has in mind is avoiding an expensive process of making their improvements of a system that is, so far as they are concerned, working adequately. He said initial costs of $8-$10,000 have been quoted to get further engineering suggestions for the system. Officials said DNR concerns apparently relate to involvement with the lagoon discharge eventually reaching Little Mill Creek area and Table Rock Lake. Similar problems with a disposal lagoon also exist in another Barry County community as Wheaton is making plans for improvement to that system. Engineering processes are underway for that community, which also investigated the possible use of wetland systems to extend the life span and usefulness of a lagoon. Carmichael also plans to bring geological people from DNR on the conference trip to provide information toward a plaza project of improvement.

— SAILOR INVOLVED IN PACIFIC OCEAN RESCUE

Navy Petty Officer first class Christopher E. Olivo, son of Nancy and stepson of Marion Jacobson of Exeter, helped rescue two sailors who fell overboard from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in September 1994. Olivo is assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 8, which is embarked aboard the carrier to also provide airborne search and rescue during operations. Olivo was operating approximately one hundred miles off the coast of Southern California when the men fell overboard. Olivo and the crew of the SH-60F Seahawk helicopter launched immediately, and within 20 minutes had pulled the two sailors from the chilly Pacific Ocean waters and returned them to the aircraft carrier for medical treatment. He joined the Navy in February 1981.

— WIND BLEW THROUGH HORNER AREA MONDAY

Thunderstorms rolling through the area Monday night put wind on the ground in the Horner area southeast of Cassville causing tree and structure damage at a number of locations. Outbuildings and fences at the Dale Henson, Kenny Tucker, Bob Horner and Wayne Horner properties were reported damaged or down. Winds from the storms were apparently restricted to this area so far as substantial damage was concerned. Moisture in the blow-through amounted to 1.87 inch measured at the U.S. Forest Service for Monday and Tuesday, bringing to 3.87 totals for April, according to Rick Linebarger. Annually for the area the service reports 12.42 inches of rain. Cassville area was one of those missing rain on Easter Sunday, thus voiding the possibility of inclement weather for the following seven Sundays.