Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-11-16
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO.


The City of Springfield, No., and Vicinity
Swept by n Tornado-Four Persons KILL
ed Outright, Many Seriously Injured,
and About ss0O, 900 Damage Done TO
Property-Thirty Dwellings, and the
Large Wooden Mill Demolished.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Nov. 5.
A disastrous tornado swept across the
western portion of Greene County shortly
after two O'Clock this afternoon, leaving
ruin and desolation in its course. 1t came,
as usual, from the southwest, bearing
mainly to the northeast. The village of
Brookline, on the Frisco Road, west of
rumors of similar disaster reach us from
Republic, twelve miles west. Wires are
down, all telegraphic communication in
that direction cut of, and all the news is
brought in by persons on horseback.
Hazell Dell school house, four miles west of
this city, on the Carthage Road, was totally
destroyed, and the building RACED to its
foundation. Although full of children at
the time, none were fatally injured, and
but few are seriously hurt.
The storm-cloud struck Springfield at
2:20 O'Clock, about two blocks south of the
west end of Division street, and swept
clear across the city boundary at the line
of the Frisco Railroad. The course of the
storm across the city varied but two or
three blocks from a due east line from
where it struck to where it passed out into
the open country east of the machine shops.
The time Of its passage could not havo ex-
ceeded three or four minutes, yet the de
struction of property in the city will not
oil hall
are known to have been killed. Two other
women are supposed to be fatally injured.
The recovery of three men Is doubtful, and
the list of minor accidents and injuries
will run into the hundreds.
1t is estimated that about thirty dwell
ing-houses are totally demolished and
nearly 100 others badly damaged. Fortu-
nately for the Underwriters, the tornado
swept across the residence portion of the
city lying along the boundary line between
the old and new towns, where houses stood
further apart, and in some instances were
cheap temporary structures. A strip av-
eraging about one block in width marks the
track of the storm, and nearly every build
ing within its limit was more or less dam
aged.
The south line of the storm crossed Ben
ton avenue few feet north of Mr.. Har-
woods new $4,000 house, doing him no
further damage than tearing down back
fences, upsetting out-houses and bending
down the lightning rods which projected
above his dwelling.
Prof, Oliver Browns house, next north,
had the chimneys blown off, windows
dashed in and out-buildings destroyed.
A new house, partly completed, opposite
Prof. Browns, was not only blown down
but totally wrecked. Mr.. William House,
the contractor, was in it when the storm
came, and saved his life by dropping down
between the foundations as the crashing
building went to windward.
Mr.. II. b. Tranthafn, of the Southwestern,
next north of Prof. Browns, had many oak
trees torn up by the roots in his yard, but
his dwelling stood firm. He also found
two or three oak trees six inches in diam.
eter in his lot, which had been torn up
elsewhere and deposited there by the
storm.
The fine residences of Alfred Harwood,
VIII Crutcher, ID. H. Nichols and others
suffered only broken glass and demolished
chimney tops.
The two-story brick residence of Mr..
Headley, corner Benton avenue and Divis.
lon street, had the second story carried
away. Miss Moore, in the upper story at
the time, had her foot badly crushed and
was severely bruised by the fall, but the in.
mates were otherwise iinhurt.
The upper stories of Louis Beland's house
was blown away. ---.,------ 80
Passing eastward q number of small
houses on Washington avenue were badly
wrecked, including those of DIR. Weir, Ma
jor Abbott and Mr.. Atwood.
The new Catholic Church on Webster
and Denison streets was blown into a mass
of broken brick and plaster.
A half block west of this the house of
Mr.. A. B. Campbell was totally destroyed
and Mrs. Arnquist, Swedish woman, who
happened to be there, was instantly killed
Alonza Wait was badly injured by the
TALL OF his house, and his nose and face
crushed out of all semblance of humanity
Between Boonville street and Robertson
avenue the most notable destruction was
that of Hecker's cigar factory and the resi-
dence Of DR.. Whitworth. Scarcely a ves
the latter is scattered all over the neigh
borhood. Several college students In the
latter building were blown into the street
and the wrecked house piled upon them.
Singularly, nothing worse than bruises and
Commissions resulted.
East of Sherman street Mrs, Dunbar and
Mrs. Finney were killed by their falling
houses, and two other women, names un.
known, badly and perhaps fatally injured.
Miss Berry was badly hurt BY the de.
struction of her fathers house, and was
pulled from under the ruins more dead than
alive. Search was made among the ruins
for tho four-year-old brother for some time,
but the little fellow finally came crawling
from under some heaps of boards and tim
Der at the back end of the lot but little in.
jured.
On Boonville street Johnny Marcroft was
blown out of a wagon, whirled across the
street and dumped against board fence.
A scratched face and hands and miscel.
laneous bruises and Jumps comprise his
hurts.
A student from the University of Arkan.
sas was caught in an clubhouse on Boonville
street and carried in the building, rolling
and tumbling, clear across the block before
he escaped, with the loss of one suit OF
clothes.
The deaths, $50 far as known, are Mrs.
Dunbar, Mrs. Finney, Mrs. Arnquist and
Miss Edmondson. The loss to the wooden
mill is estimated at from 5000 to $4,000.
The track of the storm across the city was
about one block in width and over a mile
in length. Thousands of people rushed to
the scene of destruction, and within twenty
minutes after the storm ceased everything
possible was done to relieve the injured
and house the homeless. Many remarka.
BILE sights mark the storms track across
the city. In some places pieces Of boards
and scantling are driven through the
siding of houses as smoothly as a knife.
blade could be put through potato. In
one place board was driven through six.
inch oak sapling as smoothly an IL O NOR.
tise had been made. an ~