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37-633: The Valentine-Seaver Company was an American furniture company. It was founded by Louis Lincoln Valentine and Andrew E. Seaver. In 1927 it was acquired by the Kroehler Manufacturing Company . Designs by the company are held in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum . In 1889, Louis Lincoln Valentine and W. J. Barnhart co-founded a furniture manufacturer in Chicago, Illinois . They rented floor space in

74-585: A building on Michigan Avenue . At that time, they had only two staff members: a finisher and an upholster . Barnhart sold his portion of the business, in June 1889, to Andrew E. Seaver, hence the name Valentine-Seaver. That same year, on October 18, the company incorporated . Louis Lincoln Valentine came to Chicago after being a farmer. He also had previous experience working at his fathers furniture business, and upon arriving in Chicago in 1886, he started working at

111-672: A day. In the 1960s, the company employed close to 8,000 people around the country, and their annual revenues passed $ 100 million. Smaller profit margins during the 1960s and early 1970s undermined the company's performance. The company closed the Naperville plant in 1978, as they were operating at a loss. Due to millions dollars in losses, Kroehler Manufacturing Company was sold to the ATR group in Northbrook in 1981. The plant in Bradley

148-768: A dust storm in Kansas and hit Missouri with hail and heavy rain. The Omaha tornado marked the beginning of the destruction from storms associated with the Great Flood of 1913 . On Monday and Tuesday, March 24 and 25, the storms brought heavy rains to the Midwest and upstate New York , causing widespread flooding. Remarkably, operators from the Webster Telephone Exchange Building in Omaha did not leave their stations either during or after

185-428: A few children near Beebeetown and causing further damage. Passing north of Persia , the tornado tracked through or near Defiance , Panama , and Manilla . South of Arcadia it hurled a farmhouse 50 ft (15 m), shortly before dissipating. Tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis variously estimated a total path length of 40 to 45 mi (64 to 72 km), but subsequent analysis by other researchers in 2007 indicated

222-488: A furniture store a sales clerk. In 1887 he became a manager at Henry Strucker Furniture Company, before moving on to sales at Wakefield Rattan Company . Eventually, he would go on to co-found the Valentine-Seaver Company, serving as secretary and treasurer. Andrew E. Seaver also worked in agriculture before becoming dedicated to the furniture industry. In 1889 he arrived in Chicago and started working at

259-577: A patent on a form of the Davenport Bed. These became immediately popular. Kroehler foresaw a large market for the bed, so much so that he decided to get a controlling interest, by outright purchase of companies, if necessary, in as many patents as possible. In 1911, a new plant was erected in Kankakee, Illinois, and started operations as the P. E. Kroehler Mfg. Co. In 1913, The D. T Owen Company, from Cleveland, Ohio, another davenport bed manufacturer,

296-456: A path more than twice as long. In all, 103 people died, 94 of which were in Omaha, and at least 350 were injured. Reportedly, 1,700 homes in Omaha alone were destroyed or damaged, with $ 8 million total damage from the storm, $ 5 1 ⁄ 2  million of which was in Omaha (financial damage estimates vary; the NOAA reports more damage than this). In the aftermath of

333-401: A principal shareholder died, which had other investors start to lose faith in the company, Peter Kroehler bought them out at book value. 1895 ended with a profit of $ 600. In the summer of 1896, a new group of 4 investors, including Peter Kroehler took over the company. In 1896, the company profited $ 1126.90. In July 1897 the company realized the need for a larger factory space, they found it along

370-510: A response, Peter advertised the quality construction of his furniture to appeal to cost-conscious buyers, and offered incentives to stores to inspire creative window displays and increase sales. In 1938, Peter stepped down from the position of president, and was elected Chairman of the Board Kroehler Manufacturing Company and his son, Delmar Leroy Kroehler, became president. In the middle of the 1940s, Kroehler

407-558: Is common as the elevated mixed layer advects eastward from the Rockies. Observations taken at 13Z 23 March 1913 showed that surface low pressure was located in Colorado, and a warm front stretched due eastward from there into Illinois. Morning temperatures near this front were in the 30s. South of the front warmer and moister air was present, but dewpoints in the upper 50s were confined to southern Oklahoma and Arkansas, far away from where

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444-447: Is likely that the quality moisture required to produce convection strong enough for tornadoes arrived just an hour or two before the strong forcing associated with the surface low pressure and attendant frontal systems. At the time of the tornadoes it is estimated that surface temperatures were in the upper 60s, dewpoints were in the upper 50s, and surface winds were southerly around 25-30 knots. Numerical modeling estimates that 500 hPa flow

481-501: The C. B. & Q tracks in Naperville, IL . A two-story-and-basement frame structure was erected, 30 x 100 feet large. By the year 1900, the company reached $ 7,200 in profit, a year later, it reached $ 15,000. On April 6, 1903, Peter Kroehler was made president of the company with a $ 5,000 salary. In 1903, Sears Roebuck & Company bought out 50% of the company, with Peter Kroehler owning the other half. The day to day operations of

518-673: The Duchesne Academy which was nearly obliterated. At North 24th and Lake Streets in the Near North Side neighborhood a large African American crowd was enjoying an Easter Sunday performance when the tornado flattened the building and killed more than two dozen people. Other brick structures in this small commercial district took similar hits, and more people died here than in any other part of Omaha. A streetcar running down North 24th Street in North Omaha encountered

555-490: The Upper Midwest , lasting approximately 3 1 ⁄ 2  hours. It was the most violent tornado outbreak to affect the northern Great Plains on so early a date in the year—a record that still stands as of 2020. That day, four F4 tornadoes affected portions of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, killing at least 168 people. The deadliest tornado of the day was a violent tornado , retroactively rated F4 on

592-713: The Valentine-Seaver Company was purchased at a cost of $ 3,500,000. The company specialized in high-grade upholstered furniture and was located on the northwest side of Chicago. Luce Furniture Shops, of Grand Rapids was purchased, in 1930. With the purchase came the development of dining room and bedroom furniture in the Kroehler Catalog. During the Great Depression , the Kroehler Company was not without its financial troubles. As

629-511: The Johnson Chair Company. His uncles worked there. Just before leaving Johnson Chair Company, he became involved in what would become Valentine-Seaver. He served as president of the company. At the beginning, the company started providing upholstery services to furniture companies in Chicago. Business was successful, and eventually Valentine-Seaver moved to a new building in 1901. The number of employees grew to sixteen. By 1903,

666-590: The US during March 1913, described by the US Weather Bureau as "...the most extraordinary situation in regards to the weather since the creation of the bureau." Anomalously high moisture had gathered near the US Gulf Coast, as an intense upper level storm system moved in from the west. According to retrospective numerical modeling of this event, a strong cap aloft was in place over the central Plains, as

703-844: The United States and the deadliest to hit the U.S. state of Nebraska as of 2014. No other violent tornado would affect Omaha for another 62 years . Outside the Great Plains, the outbreak of March 23 also produced two other F4 tornadoes, one each in Missouri and Indiana , including a devastating path more than 1 ⁄ 2  mi (880 yd) through southern Terre Haute, Indiana , killing 21 people and injuring 250. In all, tornadoes struck Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Indiana, and Missouri, though only significant events were recorded and other, weaker tornadoes may have gone undetected. A series of potent storm systems traversed

740-413: The company over 1 million dollars. On April 25, 1946, a nearby train accident in Naperville caused over 800 Kroehler employees to help rescue survivors, and assist in the wreckage. The west end of the factory was turned into a makeshift triage area. Some of the beds that the company made were used to be a temporary hospital bed. In the mid 1950s, the company was delivering over 128 truckloads of furniture

777-429: The company sales totaled $ 54,000. Kroehler Manufacturing Company Kroehler Manufacturing Company began as a simple venture between 10 shareholders. Two of the men, Fred Long and John Kraushar had been making furniture as a small business, but they wanted to expand. They then founded a group of 10 shareholders, and started "Naperville Lounge Company", with a starting capitol of $ 6,000, on March 9, 1893. The company

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814-668: The company would be run by Kroehler. Peter Kroehler’s brother Benjamin Kroehler moved to Binghamton, NY and oversaw the building and opening of the Binghamton Lounge Co., which was also involved in furniture manufacture. That plant opened on April 10, 1907 with 12 employees. Despite the different names, the Binghamton plant was operated as the eastern branch of the Illinois firm. In 1909, Kroehler invented, and obtained

851-645: The demolished homes. By the time the tornado reached Dewey Avenue it was five blocks wide. When it reached Farnam Hill, the tornado followed a shallow valley through this upscale neighborhood. The large mansions of Farnam were no match for the winds, and many houses were torn to pieces, along with several in the Gold Coast Historic District including the Joslyn Castle , which sustained considerable damage. Buildings were found chopped in half, pipes and supports dangling into space, such as

888-744: The first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments. Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis . 41°15′N 96°00′W  /  41.25°N 96°W  / 41.25; -96 The Omaha Easter Sunday tornado struck Omaha, Nebraska , at approximately 6:00 p.m. local standard time on March 23, 1913. The storm's path

925-399: The nighttime hours, hitting Chicago in the early morning. Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991. 1974 marked

962-421: The present-day Fujita scale, that grew to 1 ⁄ 4 mile (440  yd ) in width as it passed through northern Omaha , Nebraska , killing at least 94 people in the city proper and three in rural areas. Damage in Omaha reached at least F4 , possibly even F5 , intensity, though confirmation of F5 damage could not be determined from available evidence. The tornado is the 13th deadliest ever to affect

999-486: The tornado near this area. Thanks to the quick action of operator Ord Hensley in ordering passengers to lie on the floor of the car, everyone survived. Later, photographers would spot the wrecked machine and would call it the "Streetcar of Death", imagining that no one on board could have survived given the immense damage. The F4 tornado skirted the downtown area and moved over the Missouri River into Iowa, killing

1036-438: The tornado, a cold front moved into Omaha and caused further misery, as newly homeless residents struggled to escape the snowy weather. Many homes, mostly small, throughout the northern side of the city were leveled, and "dozens" were swept away. Photographs at the time showed empty foundations, suggestive of F5 damage, but these may have been related to post-tornado clean-up. The same storm system that struck Nebraska created

1073-444: The tornado. The building was used as an infirmary for the wounded and dying, with physicians and nurses coming from area hospitals. US Army troops from Fort Omaha set up headquarters in the building, as soldiers patrolled the area for looters and to offer assistance. Initially, James Dahlman , the longtime mayor of Omaha, refused assistance from any outside sources, including the federal government. However, he relented after seeing

1110-572: The tornadoes were to later occur in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. As the day progressed, the surface low ejected through Nebraska, with a dry line and trailing cold front . South winds blowing 40-50 knots at times brought the moister air rapidly northward. One of the worst dust storms on record occurred behind the dry line in western Kansas, but in the warm sector the day remained dry until mid afternoon when light showers began to form in central Nebraska. A cooperative observer in Osceola noted that

1147-584: The wind shifted from S to NW at 2230Z (4:30 PM local). Professors at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln noted that the relative humidity there jumped from 53% at 2150Z to 78% at 2230Z, indicating much higher dewpoints had rapidly arrived in Lincoln since the cold front was still to the west near Osceola. They also noted that the surface low passed just to the north of Omaha and was in western Iowa at 01Z 24 March 1913. With all of this observed information, it

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1184-558: Was and sold in 1982. Due to the company name being sold off, nowadays there are 2 different Kroehler Furniture Companies, one in North Carolina and the other in Ontario, Canada. In the 1980s, the Naperville location was made into a converted condo building. Tornado outbreak sequence of March 1913 On March 23, 1913— Easter Sunday—a devastating tornado outbreak affected the northern Great Plains and sections of

1221-614: Was around 80 knots from the WSW and that CAPE was from 1000 to 2000 J/kg. These conditions are similar to those found in other tornado outbreaks. Tornadic storms developed from 5:00-6:00 PM local time and while storm motions were to the NE, the prevalence of tornadic storms moved southward with the dryline / cold front intersection, lasting until 8:00 PM local in NW Missouri. A serial derecho then formed and moved across Iowa and Illinois through

1258-415: Was first headquartered in an old abandoned one-story skating rink. Peter E. Kroehler joined the company on April 3, 1893, after one of his old professor's at North Central College asked him to work there, as the professor was a shareholder. Their second year of operations ended with a loss of $ 1100. Peter Kroehler borrowed $ 500 from his father, and used it to buy out other shareholders. In the summer of 1895,

1295-435: Was purchased. That same year, the Naperville plant was partly destroyed by the " Easter Cyclone ", so a new building was erected in its place. Having 4 factories under different names was undesirable. So on April 1, 1915 the name "Kroehler Manufacturing Company" was adopted, named after its president. That same year, in 1915, Kroehler bought back Sears' shares in the company, for a price of 1.2 Million dollars. On July 1, 1927,

1332-531: Was reported as being 1 ⁄ 4 – 1 ⁄ 2  mi (0.40–0.80 km) wide and contained multiple vortices . The Omaha tornado followed the path of Little Papillion Creek as it entered the city. It moved through the west side of town alongside the Missouri Pacific Railroad , destroying the small workers cottages in the area. The tornado was so strong that steel train cars were later found pierced by pieces of shattered lumber from

1369-482: Was the second-largest furniture maker in the United States with over $ 20 million in annual sales. During WWII , the Kroehler Company suffered issues in getting raw materials, because of the rationing. As a result, they pursued contracts from the government for war work, making things like filing cabinets and duffel bags. From August 1946 to January 1947, the company suffered from its largest worker strike, with over 2500 employees protesting for higher wages. The strike cost

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