St. Landry democrat., 1883-04-28
WIND AND WATER.
Destructive Gale and Rain-Storm in this
West and outh.

Destructive Gale and Rain.storm in this
West and South.
OZARK, Ark, April l6.
At nearly one o'clock Saturday morning a
disastrous tornado struck White Oak, sta
ton on the Little Rock &c Fort Smith
Railway, ten miles west of this town. The
wind blew from the southwest, and the force
was beyond the power of description. The
sides of the mountains, which before the
storm were covered with trees now show none
standing, even the oaks being snapped in
twain like pipe-stems. After this came a
hail-storm, which lasted till the ground was
covered with ice. Many stones were nearly
as large as hens eggs. F. II. Risor, the
postmaster, lost his store and residence and
probably most of the mail. Three hundred
dollars in currency was also scat
tered by the winds, eighty-nine dollars being
found. He was seriously injured about
the spine L. r. I'll. Wallace's resi-
dence, stable and store, occupied by j. e.
Cox, were leveled, as were also the resi-
dences of j. c. w. Murray and all others at
that place. The storm averaged three miles
in width. It came from the south of the
river, at point near White Oak. The tel
egraph wire was blown down fornearly four
miles, and no fence can be seen anywhere.
Trees two and three feet in diameter
were uprooted, broken and twisted like
twigs. One more than two feet thick lay
over the railroad track, the iron rail beneath
it broken in pieces. Pile after pile OF great
railroad ties were found blown around as If
they had been matches, and carload OF
lumber had been emptied, the side-stakes
broken short off. Reports of destruction Of
property and loss of life come from every
direction.
At Gays Mill, two miles west, one small
residence is all that remains standing. T.
J. Lewis house and half a dozen others are
in ruins.
A storm of such severity was never before.
known here. The tornado reached Conway,
Faulkner County, on the same railway, at.
three p. M, from the northeast No one
was killed, but several were badly injured.
OMAHA, Neb., April 16.
the storm has Frustrated nearly every
telegraph line west of the Mississippi River,
and in consequence railway trains have to-
run cautiously for lack of orders, and have
failed to make time. Some damage by
hail and wind is reported from different
sections, but owing to the lack of communi-
cation little can be learned. Several build
ings in this city have been undermined by
pletely wrecked.
TOPEKA, Kas., April 49,
a wind-storm of more than usual
violence prevailed here for thirty-six hours,
blowing down trees and unroofng many
light buildings Reports received here in
dictate that the storm has extended to the.
interior of the State and in some localities was
very severe. The wind was accompanied
by sharp lightning with light falls of rain,
the air being very cold. A few miles west
of here boy named McGonigle was struck
by lightning and instantly killed.
DAVENPORT, Ia, April 16.
A very severe storm of wind and rain, ac-
companied by vivid lightning, swept over
this region Saturday afternoon, doing some
damage to fences and outllouses. A section
hand employed on the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific Railroad, one mile southwest of the
city, attempted to seek shelter under a,
freight-car standing ON a side-track, and was
in the act of crawling beneath it when he.
was struck by lightning and instantly killed.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, April ls.
A wind-storm here Saturday afternoon
unroofed the residence of the jailer and tore
away the porch and tin roof of one of the
largest business buildings in the city. No
Injury to life or limb is reported. A heavy
rain fell at the time of the wind, which
seemed to be part of a cyclone that may
have done much damage elsewhere, as a.
roaring high in the air seemed to Indicate
that the fiercest part OF the storm must have,
passed over us and struck elsewhere.
ST. PAIL, Mimi, April le.
The storm has cut off all Geographic CONF
munieation with the West and North fur
ther than Brainertl, in this State.