Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-14
Three of Them POunC0 Upon
Kansas City and Level
the SuburbR.
Three Hundred Thousand Dol
lars Worth Of Property
Destroyed.
Several Lives Lost and Many
Injured -Some Miracu-
lous Escapes.
Other Portions of Missouri Ten
dsrly Taken In.
Cyclone In Kansas Citv

Special Dispatch 10 The Ers
KANSAS CITY, May Is "A destruc-
tive CYCLONE swept across the southern
part of this city shortly after 8 o'clock
this evening, unrooting or demollshing
building stor q distance of two miles,
the track of the storm ranging from
half a block to blocks In width. A
number of persons were Injured.
Some fatalities are reported but the
loss Ut life is not 81 great as might
be expected In view of the extent and
destruction of property. Nothing
defoite can bs given be given yet, bat
the loas of property Ia estimated up In
the hundreds of Thousands.
Thestorm made Its appearance about
4 o'clock this afternoon, coming from
the direction Of Wyando tie, In the of
three large, dark, funnel. shaped clouds,
rapidly succeeding one another. Tho
two first did little damage; the last
cloud passed across the city. At the
stock yards 1t unroofed the exchange
building and damaged or destroyed q
number of other building. 1t then
struck the bluff on the Western line OF
the city, moved south until 1t reached
Main street, from whence 1t veered TO
the northeast until 1t reached the east.
ern limits of the city, at which point
Its force seemed to have been spent.
At 11:30 three deaths reported
and many more injured, but
only a few dangerously SO. The loss
of property Is now roughly estimated
at $500. 900. None of the finest resi-.
dences of the city suffered, yet many
houses of well to do citlz Ems are raised
and c7ttsg 8 snd shanties innumerable
torn to pieces. Miraculous deliveries
and escapes are beyond number. The
English Lutheran brick church was
completely wrecked. Only fifteen
minutes before the storm struck the
church a large Sunday school had been
dismissed. The walls of the church
came together and fell in like an egg.
sholl crushed under foot. One family
were at supper In the basement when
the house was blown completely off
its foundations, leaving the family
unhurt at the table. A gentleman
sitting at an open window near the
track of the storm was. blown across
the room through another window
and down n passage way, and escaped
with little injury. Another gentls
man with q little child in his arms
wa, blown 800 feet and coma down
un,r areo. One woman was blown
against a tree and had her neck
broken. A large number of families
were rendered homeless. The mayor
has issued a proclamation for q meet.
Ing of citizens tomorrow for relief
purposes.
Specials report the storm did con
siderable damage at Liberty, Mo-,
damaging large buildings and blowing
down smaller ones. The large por.
ton of the Marshall Jewell college
was torn away. Damage to slmilar
extent Ia reported from Pattonsburg
In Davis county. The Olondsga, St.
Louis and Santa Fe road is said to have
suffered severely, but nothing definite.
ly Is learned yet. The wires In this
vicinity, north and west, are down
and communication with towns In
those directions shut off. The tele'
graph company report the inter.
rupticns are south of St. Joseph and
east of Topeka, therefore If the other
towns suffered they must be within
comparatively small radius of this
city. 1t is thought there has
been no disastrous results ex.
cept those occurring here
Very meagre information has been re-
cslved here that a cyclone passed ovel
the lead mining region In southwest
Missouri, between 7 and 8 o'clock to
night, doing great damage to the little
towns of Oronogo and Webb City, OF
the Kansas branch of the st. Loui
and San Francisco railroad. 1t Is sale
both towns were nearly destroyed ant
q number of lives lost. The TELEGRAPH
lines are down and no particulars cal
be obtained.