Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-21
WISCONSIN UNDER THE PAIL
Frightful Devastation at Racine anC
Throughout the State.


clone in the history of this city struck
Racine at 7 O'Clock last night, passing
through the extreme northwestern pOr-
tion OF the city, demolishing 100 houses
and barns and killing about 20 persons.
beside inJurlng 100 others more or less Sc
rlously. The day was ushered in bright
and cool, with fresh wind blowing from
the southeast. Towards noon the sky
became overcast and about 4 O'Clock a
sharp electric storm prevailed, although
but little rain fell. The sun again came
out for about an hour during the after
noon, the temperature being about 70 de-
grees. Towards O'Clock heavy masses
OF clouds again gathered in the west, por-
tending storm, and the air was Oppres-
slVely warm. The cyclone was announced
by the breaking of the clouds. ana struck
The earth with a noise which might be
compared With the roar and rumbling of
thousand railroad trains laundering
over bridge. The path of the storm is a
little over half mile long and per-
haps quarter of mile wide.
In this territory building is left stand
ing here and there. Brick and frame
houses alike collapsed, and their sites are
marked only by heaps of debris. Many
occupants of houses escaped by fleeing to
cellars and other places of comparative
safety, but the cyclone came with such
lightning rapidity that many were
killed before escaping to the cellar. in
only few cases were houses moved from
their foundations. Those in the middle
of the storm centre simply fell i'm ruins
where they had stood. Some nearer the
circumference were turned around, and
1t is reported that some light articles, such
as wagons, were swept into the lake.
The cyclone as it moved from the city out
upon the waters of Lake Michigan, pre-
sented grand spectacles. The whirlIng
columns of air We're seen as they flew over
the watery eXpanse, bearing with them
spiral columns of water, and no ship that
encountered this monster of the air could
by any possibility escape destruction.
All the physicians of the city responded
nObly to the call for assistance, and did
what they could to alleviate the sufferIngs
of the wounded, who were at once convey
ed to st. Luke's and st. Mary's hospitals.
Some of the dead were taken to the houses
of friends and others to the court house.
An inquest will be held to-day by Coroner
KeOmas.
An investigation, begun early tins morn
ing, only served to swell the list of
casualties and make more sweeping the
destruction OccasiOned by the cyclone
last night. 1t is now estimated that
fully twenty-five persons were killed and
one hundred injured. One hundred and
fifty houses were demolished, and had the
cyclone struck the business centre the
damage would not easily have been cal
culable.
At Western Union Junction, seven
miles west of Racine, many houses were
wrecked and one young man named
Weber was killed.
The list of the killed at Racine, so far
as known, is as follows: Willie and John
Kastawick, IL and Is years old: little
Il of G
fant child of August Kisner; a young
daughter of Barney Willing and young
son of Mr.. Willing is also missing;
Paul Kuhl and Albert Kuhl, probably
fatally injured; Mrs. kastawick, Simon
Geese, Matt Laun, two children of Fred
Folk, Mrs. McCathry, Mrs. KOrtz, an IN
fant child of Michael JOchiem, Mrs. James
Decker, and Mrs. Wendt. Up to noon the
list of the dead had not been fully
obtained. Men are at work clearing away
the debris. Steps are already being
taken to relieve those in immediate want,
and the Mayor has issued a manifesto
calling upon the citizens for contribU-
tiOns to be left at the office of the CITY
Treasurer. A special meeting of the
Council was called at 10 O'clock this
morning, and action taken toward caring
for the dead, and manned and penniless.
The suffering is confined to the very north
and among mechanics who owned their
little property, which was DESTROYED. A
large brick dwelling, containing fourteen
people, was reduced to huge pile of
ruins, but not one of the inmates was
more than slightly injured.
The financial loss by the storm will not
exceed $150,000. The buildings demOl-
ished are principally frame structures,
and the individual loss will range from $500
to $1,000.
There was a great scarcity of medical
attendance this morning, the physicians
not being numerous enough to attend
promptly to all the wounded. Mayor Fish
now places the number of deaths at thir-
teen.
WATERFOWL, WIS, May l9.-The only
damage done in Jefferson county by the
cyclone was to orchards and window
glass, though it is rumOred that some
buildings were blown down.
MILWAUKEE, WIS, May 20,-A Racine
dispatch says that the number of the
known dead Is nine, and the fatally in-
jured from twelve to fifteen. The num-
ber who received flesh wounds and more
serious hurts has now reached nearly one
hundred. Six people remain unaccOunted
for.