Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-06-06
TERRIBLE CYCLONE At THE
WEST.

UPWARD OF SEVENTY LIVES LOST, AND GREAT
AMOUNT OF PROPERTY DEsTRoYED-MANY
FAMILIES HOMELESS AND SUFFERING.
One of the most terrible and destructive
cyclones ever known in this country visited
portions OF Missouri and Kansas on Thursday
and Friday last The atmospheric disturbance
began in n series of furious storms of wind
and rain, which continued with but little in
corruption for nearly forty. eight hours, when
the rain suddenly ceased. On Friday oyen-
ing cloud formed east Of Frankfort, Mo-,
and gathering strength as it advanced, burst
upon the town with terrific force, demolsh-
ing churches, dwellings and storchouscs as if
they were made Of paper. Continuing in its
course the cyclone struck the town of Lees
Summit, thirty miles east of Kansas City but
by one of those freaks characteristic of these
atmospheric manifestations it suddenly swerv-
ed and only destroyed n part Of the suburbs
1t finally reached Blue Springs on the Chica-
80 and Alton railroad, levelling every house
in the place and killing several people. Tho
telegraph gives the following particulars
When the storm struck the earth four miles
from Lee Summit, near Independence, Mo,
Friday evening it tore furrow from the
southwest to the northeast through the coun
try 100 yards wide and 10 miles long. level
ing everything in its track and killing and
wounding several people. Three miles cast
of Lee Summit the house of man named
Warren was totally destroyed and two of his
family were killed, while the others were Sc
verely wounded and further ON the house of
Alexander Scruggles was unroofed and his
wifes skull fractured. Tho houses of Dr.
Huntington and Mcssrs. Underwood and
Hutchins We're destroyed, the families Of the
two former escaping unframed while the lat
ter's family were all badly hurt A house be-
longing to man named Harris near Blue
Springs, Mo, was torn to pieces and Harris
and his wife and two children were carried
into the air out Of sight and dropped to the
ground in different places varying from one
to two hundred yards from the site Of the
house. The wife and one child were killed
outright, and Harris died soon aftcrward, but
the other child was found almost unhurt in u
pool of water, having been protected by a
quantity of straw and grass which some freak
of the storm had wound so tightly about it
that it was removed with difficulty The
storm cloud soon burst. but came together
again almost instantly with a terrific crash
and bounding from the earth passed through
the house of man named Gore, leaving on
" its side walls standing. The cloud, which
was funnel-shaped, then rose high in air and
disappeared in the northwest The heaviest
rain ever known in that section accompanied
the tornado, deluging the country over which
1t passed. similar, if not the same storm
visited Irving and Frankfort in Marshall
county, Kan, earlier in the evening. At r.
wing IL dwelling houses, the Presbyterian
church, public school-building and Irving ell
eyator were completely destroyed, span of
the railroad bridge across Blue river was
blown down, and persons We're killed and
% wounded besides several missing, while at
Frankfort Taylor's warehouse was blown to
pieces and several small houses were more
or less damaged. cyclone also struck the
outer edge of Kirksvie, Adair county Mo-,
Friday evening, demolished about dozen
houses and badly damaged several others, be-
sides severely iDjuring several persons.
Intelligence from Kansas, later than the
above, indicates that the effects of the cv-
clone We're even more terrible in that State
than in Missouri-the number of deaths in
Kansas alone being placed at not less than
40, while upward Of 80 persons were severe
ly injured. The dispatches say:
Fifteen persons are reported killed and
u
and several casualties are reported in other
parts Of the country travorsCd by the storm
Hundreds of houses have been torn to pieces
and the crops in the path Of the cyclone are
utterly destroyed. The track Of the cyclone
varies from three-fourths to ono mile in width
at intervals, rs it occasionally left the ground
for short distance and again descended
Wherever II touched ground it swept every
thing clean-houses, trees and crops. Where
ssWf... I 4
water in its course, and in passing over a well
in Irving it scoopod it dry. In Barnard coun-
ty 1t destroyed farm property for a distance
OF one and IA quarter miles, when it encoun-
tered the old SiXteen-mile house on the Ma
rysville and Savannah road, large building
formerly used as a hotel, and wiped il from
the earth. The occupants, Mr.. Phelps and
family, escaped and were blown into a hedge
1t lifted up new house owned by n man
named Turner and carried it one-sixth of Il
mile and dashed it to the ground and destroy
ed it. Two hundred yards distant it reached
the house and barn of Henry Harmon, which
was as weak in the grasp of the cyclone as
one made of paper. About a mile north of
Barnard it paid its respects to the property
of Mrs. Sarah Goforth, and then crossed n
high ridge and struck two houses belonging
to Frank COnlin, which We're on the same
line. One was completely demolished while
the other was carried about 80 yards from its
foundation and dashed broken mass to the
earth. Dead horses, cattle and hogs are to
be found all along the line of the storm
Huge trees two and three feet in diameter
We're twisted away, and in one instance it
swept along the bed of "A rayine and lifted ey-
cry stick Of timber out Of its narrow walls
Every article made of iron with which the
storm came in contact WAS broken and twist
ed out of shape, seeming to confirm the the
DRY that these storms are electric forces and
not wind. All the bodies of those killed in
Missouri are covered with a thick, BLUSH
sulphurous mud. Their clothing was stripped
off or torn to shreds, their shoes torn OF, and
their feet and bodies burned and blackened
fearfully From 80 TO GO families are home
less and destitute ut Frankfort, aud n fami-
hes are in the same condition in the vicinity
of Beattie.