St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-11-17
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO.


ed Outright, Many Seriously Injured,
Property-Thirty Dwellings and the
Large Woo1en Mill Demolished.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Nov. $.
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
here, is reported as totally destroyed, and
rumors of similar disaster reach us from
Republic, twelve miles west. Wires are
down, all Geographic communication in
that direction cut off, and all the news is
brought in by persons on horseback.
HAZEL 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 strdck 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 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 have ex-
ceeded three or four minutes, yet the de.
struction of property in the city will not
fall much below 100000. Four women
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 OF 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. s
iioL. ohvei Dio"H mouse, ileAG ioItAs
had the chimneys blown off, windows
dashed in and out buildings destroyed.
A new house, partly completed, opposite
froi. Browns, was not only Diown down
put totally wrecked. MT. Wlilam House,
tne contractor, was IN ~ Wnen 1ne STORM
came, ana saved ms NE oy cropping down
peeMeen 1he lounua1lohs as tne crashing
pullc1ng wemt TO WlnaWaId.
Mr.. H. B. Trantham, of the Southwestern,
next north of Prof. Browns, had many oak
Stees torm up py bhe Ioo1s III ms yara, pu5
ms u"gillns seoou nlin' ne also isund
Two or enIee OAK trees SIX ihches m nam-
eIeI ~ us 10Y, wnion nao peeh Iorh 4 up
e etsrm anu ueposl'eu 'nefe ny tne
ss nm ~ g. :5o - .,fs u
WIN me c me Iesiog 81 On Alareo harWoou,
VII ~ % =. II. Nicnois anu G.1efs
s =! . GU only VI oAen 51aos anu oeiAoiisheu
CHIMNEY I'LL .ops.
M ."o.ssoly pltch lesiuence ~ WI
aeaa,sy, tol hd t,, as1nue anu nasls,
aom seie Nyi.. n I'LL Sno se.Ju s.oay tarrie4
a away. MISS k, h p ~ sne upper s.oly az
we. Ine tliile, nau nea l911 pauiy ufusnen anu
90 -. ~ ua ~ Iiio 49, oi' ou' JUG III
'iia. ne. WIZ o.aei i 90 Ii,nui
ne uppsl ~ A-outs peiaiu ho'tse
was plowh away. :,
RAISING eastward NUMBER OF small
houses on Washington avenue were Dadly
wrecked, lhcludilg those OF III. Weir, Ma
JOE Aopott ana MI. Atwood.
me new Catholic Church on webster
ana henson sgfeeps was blown INTO q mass
OF broken prlck ana plaster.
"A halI Dlock west OF TINS the mouse or
MT. a. b. campbell was totally destroyed
ana MRS. Arnquast, Swedish woman, who
happened TO De there, was instantly Killed.
Alonza Walt was badly injured by the
1all OF MS house, and his nose ana race
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 DE-. Whitworth. Scarcely yes.
tlge is left OF the former. and the debris OF
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.