The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1882-06-22
GREAr sroRM IN KANSAS.
Destruction OF Life and Property in Eastern
Kansas and Western Missouri.


The most terrific wind storm swept over
the northeastern portion of Kansas last Fri
day night, or more correctly. Saturday morn
ing, ever experienced in the State. For one
hundred miles north and south, coming from
the northeast and moving south of west In
some localities the storm seemed 30 be
straight wind of the force Of a tornado, while
in other localities the twisting motion 1.-THE
cyclone was clearly disccrnible.
In Topeka some fifty casualties are report
ed. Every thing movable, moved. 1t came
with startling suddennes and surprising fury,
and though not of long duration accomplish
ed great amount of damage and in some
cases ruin. Some persons call il cyclone
and in some respects it was one, as the twist
ing of houses and trees plainly show. 1t
came from the east and north, and swung
around and enlarged so that the west and
north sides of buildings suffered most.
The damage to trees was very great, hard
~ anybody having been overlooked. Great
trees, ten inches in diameter. were snapped
like pipe stems, the naples, cottonwoods aud
other soft species suffering most; but Gins,
walnuts, fruits and other tougher trees, were
much broken. On Kansas Avenue the glass
in number of store fronts were broken.
Among other places, at Sichers cigar store.
where the sign was also twisted; at Como
yer's music store, at Miss Thorne's, at the
Journal office, 4. l.. and j. Houses clothing
store, at A. Nj. Fuller's and ut John McClug
ston's. A large cottonwood tree in front of
Mulyane a. Munk's, on Sixth Avenue, fell
across the sidewalk. The old telegraph pole
cottonwood in front of Guilford Dudley's
bank was broken. The telegraph. telephone
and electric-light wires in all parts of the
city were blown down and broken. Only a
few poles were down. The upper part of
the front of Payne'S pawn shop, below the
Gordon House, was demolished. The roof
Of Gov. Crawford's new building on Kansas
Avenue was partly blown off. The papers
one was seriously hurt.
The storm leaves sad record at Leaven-
worth. The business streets were bloekaded
by the Debris. The wind travelled at the rate
of sixty miles an hour, as reported by the
signal station. a dispatch says:
''Just south of the city, upon lovely ele-
walton, stands the elegant structure of brick,
known as Mount st. Mary's Female College,
presided over by Mother Superior Josephine.
Ii has pupils from all over the West from lit
tie girls TO young ladies. The storm tore of
the large tower on the academy, the falling
wreck killing four little girls: one, the daugh-
ter of IL. l.. s. McLanathan, of this city
two young ladies, nieees of 7. J. Mcdonald,
also of this city, and little girl named Aus
tin, from Missouri. 1t was sometime after
the fearful occurrence that.word was brought
TO the city, and at once the fire-hell was rung
and a large body Of men went out to the
academy TO render what assistance they could.
1t was raining heavily at the time of the high
wind, and when the tower was torn OF the
water came in in great sheets wetting nearly
every apartment of the beautiful interior.
The scene was fearful one, and it was all
the brave Sisters could do TO preserve any
sort of order among the terribly frightened
charges"
There were twenty-five other little girls in
the same part of the building who escaped
injury. A large number of buildings were
lest single loss IN the way of property was
the Kansas Central elevator, it now being al.
most useless except for kinding wood. The
second and third stories are either over in
Missouri or gone down the river. The re-
manning portion of the building is badly
twisted. The loss is estimated at from S5G,
900 TO $4,000 The Times gives list of up
wards of hundred casualties.
At Atchison and points west a large amount
Of damage was done in the way OF twisted
buildings, broken trees, demolished barns,
and so forth, and numbers bruised but no
one killed.
The damage TO Kansas City, Wyandotte,
and points further cast, was very great, run
ming up into the hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
The storm was first noted for its severity
in Indiana. sin crossing Illinois considerable
damage was done in places. AT st. Louis
the shipping and elevator interests suffered
largely,