The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-05-19
APPALLING CALAMITY.
Kansas City, Missouri, Visited by Furious
Tornado.
SEVERAL PERSONS INSTANTLY KILLED.
SehOOl-House Blown Down and Scores Of Chill
drsn Buried in the Debris.
The COurt-HOuse Demolished and tle Dep
uty Sheriff KiIIed-Other Buildings
Yrecked-List of the Killed
and Wounded.

KANSAS CITY, May 11.-About 1920 this
morning ominous storm clouds began gath
ering over the city. They first appeared in
the northeast, and, surging westward across
the city, turned suddenly about in their
course, and, descending rapidly, broke upon
the city in terrific bursts of wind and rain
that swept all lighter objects before them.
The darkness was almost like night, and
with blanched faces the fury of the tenn
pest. The clouds seemed to Craze the roofs
OF the highest buildings and poured out
their torrents in apparently solid masses
for time. The storm struck the city in
full force about II 20, and ragged for half an
hour. The streets were running rivers of
water carrying boxes and signs and other
similar freight blown from the buildings or
swept up by the food. A number Of
vehicles were overturned, and in numerous
instances drivers abandoned their horses to
their fate and sought refuge in stores and
houses. Some hail accompanied the storm,
but the fall was not great; otherwise the
loss to property would have been enormous
from water streaming in at broken windows.
As it was windows in quite large number of
buildings we're blown in and goods and furli.
tuTe were water-soaked. All this, however,
proved entirely insignificant when the full
extent of the disaster wrought by the storm
became known. The Lathrop school build
ingoccupied an important site on Broadway,
to which an east wing has been added. The
building was surmounted by tower, which
for some time has been considered unsafe.
1t has been twice condemned, once within a
few weeks, but no action has been taken in
the matter. This morning the building was
crowded with children, many OF whom were
nearly frantic with fear over the appalling
darkness and the stiffness which pre-
ceded the tempest. The wind swept
madly across Broadway from the west, and
seemed to concentrate its force in descent
upon the tower, which yielded with crash,
and carrying down the heavy bell, plunged
through the intervening floors to the base
ment- The main building is a mass of ruins
within shattered walls, which still stand.
The wing is comparatively uninjured, and
the scholars IN there were unhurt In the
main building, however, the effect was aw-
full The falling floors precipitated the .er-
ror-stricken children to the basement, where
masses OF brick and beams crushed them to
the ground and buried them from view. Per-
sons near, hearing the crash, made
their way as best they could
against the pelting storm to
the scene. The gale quickly subsidized, and
the work of rescue was undertaken by eager
hands. Owing to prevailing excitement, the
first work was not very effective, but the fire
department and police soon arrived and an
organized search was commenced. The dead
and wounded were taken out as quickly as
possible, and carried to the Natatorium adj
joining, which was turned into hospital.
Here the parents and friends of the little
ones soon gathered each searching for his or
her own. and uttering heart rending cries
when they recognized in the mangled and
bleeding forms those whom they loved.
Among the first taken out several were
dead and one or two mangled almost beyond
recognition, their clothing torn, and the
bodies covered with dust and mortar, the
deathly palOr of the skin showing in painful
contrast against grim and blood stained.
One little girl half buried in the debris
over whom rescuers were busted, begged
them to leave her and help boy beside her,
because, she said he was only five years old.
The scenes in the Natatorium, as the little
ones were brought in and laid upon i'm
provised cots, the dead placed together
upon one side, wers pitiful beyond
expression. dozen dead were taken
out during the day, and the
bodies sent to the houses of sorrowing fam
lilies, and several of the children belonged
to prominent families in the city. At IL
West Third street stood three-story brick
building in the middle of the block. the
third floor of which was used as an overall
factory, conducted by Hoar Brothers. The
first and second floors were occupied by the
Graham Paper Company. In the factory
were about twenty-five employees, chiefly
girls. When the storm broke out they
started for the cellar. The building fell
with crash, being RACED entirely to the
earth, and most of the affrighted girls were