Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-05-12
WORK OF THE WINDS.
Kansas City Struck by a Terrible
Blow, Dealing Death and Destruc-
lion Everywhere,
Whole linlldlnss RaYed to the Earth,
Leaving Their Terrified Occupants
IL ihe 0ebris.
Tweusy-rc"r People Rsned Outright
white mans Move w.ro injured
The Dead aud wounded.
nnArn FnoM rnr cl.nrns.

clouds began gathering over the city
They hrst appeared In the northeast, aud
surRing westwardly across the city
turned suddenly ABOUT 10 their course
and, descending rapidly, broke upon the
city ia terrible bursts OF wind aud rain
that swept all the lighter objects before
them. The darkness was almost
like night, aud The people He'd
20 tho nearest shelter aud awaited
with blanchod faces the fury OF the tenn.
pest. The clouds seemed To Craze the
roofs OF the highest buildings aud poured
out their torrents IN an apparently solid
mass for time. The storm struck the
city IN full force about twenty minutes
past ! ! aud regcd for mn hour The streets
were running rivers, carrying boxes and
signs aud other simlinr freight blown
from the buildings or swept up by the
Hood, A nnnbpr OF vehicles were over.
turned and In numerous instances drivers
abandoned the horses 10 their fate and
sought refuge IN stores and hOuses
Some hall accompanied the storm, but
the fall was not great. Otherwise the
loss 70 property would bo enormous from
water streaming into broken WINDOWS.
As IL was the Windows Ia quite large
number Of buildings weto blown IN and
goods and furniture water.soakod All
this, however, proved entirely iuslgnin.
cant when the extent OF the disaster
wrought By the storm became known.
The I.aihrop school building occupies a
prominent slto NJ Tho corner Of Eighth
and MGy elrefis. II consisted of the
main building TO which an east wing had
been added. Tho building was surnOunt.
cd by tower which for sometime hbd
been considered unsafe. IL had
been twice condemned, once
within q few weeks, but
no action had been taken IN the matter,
THIS morning The building was crowded
with children, many Of whom were nearly
frantic with tear over the appalling dark.
ness and Stiffness which preceded the
tempest, The wind swept nadly across
broadway from the west, and seemed u
concentrate itt force I'LL upon the tower
which yielded With q crash, and, carrying
| down tile heavy bell, IL plugged through
the iuturypnia .id0otd - she hRsam9nt
The main building is mass Of ruins
\ within the shattered walls whlel
still slaud The wing was compar
atlyoly uulnjured, aud the scholars thcf,
were uDhurt, In the main building, how
I
ever, the effect was awfal. Tho falling
| doors precipltated the terrified children
| 10 the basement, where masses OF brlckl
and beams crushed them 10 tho grount
and buried them from Wow, Persons
| hearing the crash made their way as gooI
as they could against the boR.ing storm
10 the scene, The storm quickly Sub
sided, aud the work Of the rescue wal
undertaken ny eager hands. Owing I,
the pressing excitement, the first worI
was not very effective, but The nre depart
ment and police soon arrived aud al
organized search was commenced. The
dead aud wounded were taken out ~
quickly as possible and carried {,
the natatorlum adlolningi whicl
was turned Into hospital
Here the parents and friends OF the it'll,
ones soon gathered, each searching ioi
his or her own and utterlnR heart
ronding cries as they recognized ~
manned and bleeding forms thos'
whom they loved. Among the flrat takof
out several were dead and others wer,
maugled almost beyond recognition, theii
clothing torn and bodies covered will
| dust and mortar, the deathly pallor d
the skin she ting 10 painful contrast
against the hloodstains. Many heroic
scenes were enacted during the rescue
and Tue wounded children, or some o.
them, seemed 70 have gfoetcl
control than their elders. one
| little gin half buried Ia The dcbril
over whom the rescuers were busy
begged them to leave her and help DO,
beside her pteausc, she said, he was onll
1--WE years old. The scene n The natato
rum, as the little ones were brought II
and laid upon improvlsed cots together
upon one side, were pltliul beyond ex
PRESTON a dozen dead were taken on
| during the day aud the bodies sent to thi
homes Of the borrowing families. Sew
oral children belong 20 prominent famille
! IN the city.
At ITO West Third street stood three
story brick building IN the middle OF th'
block, Tho third hoor 81 whicl
was factory conducted by Iloal
Bros. The first aud aeoon,
floors were occupied bY the Graham
/