The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-04-30
THE MARSHFiELD CALAMITY.

Part1cuIorS OF the Terrible DlSssStcT ~
Marshfieid, Mo- Partial List OF the
Killed.
Compiled from the st. Louis papers.1
THE TORNADO
struck the town yesterday Sunday evening
shortly after six O'Clock. TWAS first seen ap-
preaching from the southwest In the form OF
a dense black cloud. One man, living two
miles southeast of town. says that he saw the
storm approaching several miles away. COM
ing from a southwesterly direction. He says
that it first seemed to be a very small cloud,
cone shaped, whirling along the ground ae
rapid rate. As it advanced it increased IN
size, and as 1T approached the town the whole
heavens were blackened and the air was
filled with flying leaves, pieces of timber and
bits of rubbish, which fell in showers
all through the country. The storm was so
sudden and unexpected in coming and passed
away so quickly that little time was given to
observe what was going on, but from the va
riOus experiences it seems that the majority
of people scarcely knew of its approach until
1t was over, either leaving them safe and
sound or with the wreck of their homes and
the mutilated forms of their families around
them. Some ran out into the street under the
the smoke from fire. Some held on to
trees, Others thrrw themselves nat to the
ground, and some rushed wildly about try
ing to escape from the tempest.
Hon. Joseph Wisely, who witnessed It from
the time it made its first appearance, says
that it was plainly visible before it had
reached within q mile of the town. 1t was u
eral hundred yards in width, and as it sped
on its mission of death and destruction, it
apparently danced from side to side as if in
gss at whom the it ferr %as saDss
CONSERVATION seized upon those who wiz
messed Its approach, and who were aware OF
made to fiee from its 'I path. e Mr.. WisSy and
family were saved by fleeing from their resi-
dence and lying fiat on the ground and were
fortunate enough to be on the outskirts of the
storm. 1t bore down on the heart of the town,
and for q space of half q mile in width tore to
pieces and ground into spIinters every thing
in its path, Nothing was left-not one stone
beneath the ruins of these hundreds of piles
of rubbish that represented what had but
few minutes previous been happy homes and
cries and agonizing shrieks of men, women
and children. Darkness soon set in, but all
night long those who were spared worked
like Trojans in extricating theliving and dead
AsCENE OF DEsOLArION.
The scene of desolation which Marshfleld
presented this morning was one never to be
forgotten. TwO.thirds of the town was in
ruins: In some places the houses were SO
jumbled up together and jammed into and
over one another that it was difficult matter
to distinguish them apart. Other parts of the
town were swept so clean of houses and trees
and shrubbery that the scene resembled mere
parts of an open common than any
thing else. The roof of the Court house
was blown off and third of the
buildings around the Square were piled to
gether resembling more u mass of rubish than
buildings. Houses and parts of houses were
scattered everywhere. Only four small bust
OF III
the Square. The dwelling houses situated IN
the southern part of the town escaped injury,
not lying in the path of the storm.
but when we add to this the loss of life, taken
together with the distressing circumstances,
the scene can be better imagined than describ-
along the streets, and from time to time were
taken out from the piles of debris horribly
mangled and disfigured: Now and then a
body would be found with the head severed
from the trunk. Again the head would be
mashed in and brains and blood would be
spattered around. Some were found mangled
almost beyond recognition. If any thing
could be more horrible than the sight of the
dead bodies, it was the condition of the
wounded, whose piteOus grOans and heart
rending cries were heard on every side.
ASSISTANCE FROM ABROAD.
As soon as the news of the disaster reached
were dispatched from Springfield, with sur
geOns and physicians and such supplies as
could be hurriediy obtained. and a large mum.
Der OF citizens OF Lebanon came up on the
the freight train from Springfield brought
about three hundred people, with provisions
and medicines for the wounded. AS rap
wounded could be extricated from
the ruins of the buildings, they were prepared
for tnterment. The wounded were conveyed
the public school building, which was not
badly damaged 1t was turned into a hoSpi-
tai, and cots prepared for their reception.
There arr now fifty wounded in this building,
non and Springfield, VINO are doing all in their
power to alleviate the sufferings of those un.
der their care.
ADAY LATER.
The scene here (April 2O) is one of the great.
est desolation and the excitement has been
such that no complete list of the dead has
been kept. Over seventy persons are known
to have been killed in the town. and of this
number between fifty and sixty have been
identified. Eighty wounded persons have re-
ceived attention and sixty of them are
now in the hospitals: Seven of the number
are pronounced fatally injured. Sixty nurses
and twenty doctors are here from SPRING
field, Lebanon and ROlla, and every thing
possible is heing done for the relief of the
organized into committees. for various pur-
poses, with +. w. Barnes rs Treasurer. Tele-
grams offering help have been received from
St Louis. Philadelphia, Chicago, Oswego and
The property loss to the town is estimated
at 100000. The loss of goods in stock is esti-
mated at 100000. With few exceptions the
loss being total.
From reliable reports from the track of the
storm in Webster County alone the loss of life
will not fall short of 100 killed and 200
and it may exceed that number.
The total loss of property in the county will
reach the enormous figure OF 100000.
VARIOUS INCIDENTS.
hahe eiohteen months old whose mother
was killed and friends all wounded, was
found yesterday in the ravine north Of town,
where it lay all night. 1t is now doing well.
Another little enid about two years old was
afternoon found in tree top,
where it had been nearly twenty -four
hours 1t il considerable lruisei Int viii 70.