River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-05-13
THE DEATH HARVEST.
Kansas CitY, Mo, scOurged by wind ano
Ratn---9S killed and . A xkr,,n,t.d

Kansas CITY, Mo-, seourged by wind aud
Rain---2s killed and ga Wounded.
Kansas City was visited by terrible
storm on the forenoon OF the 18th inst.
About half past 10 the clouds began to
gather and an hour later the wind and ra
became terrific. The darkness was almost
like night, and people fed TO the nearest
shelter aud awaited with banched faces
the fury of the tempest. Clouds seemed TO
Craze tine roofs of the highest buildings and
poured out torrents in apparent solid masses
for time. The streets were running
rivers of water, carrying boxes and signs
aud other similar freight blown from the
buildings or swept up by the flood. A mum
Der of vehicles were overturned, and in
many instances drivers abandoned their
horses TO their fate and sought refuge in
stores and houses.
/ The Lathrop school building occupied
I prominent site at the corner of Eighth
/ and Main stree ;. 1t consisted of main
/ building, TO which an art wing had been
added. The building was surmounted by
I a tower, which for some time had been
considered unsafe. IL had been twice con
demnad. once within few weeks but no
action had been taken in the matter. The
/ building was crowded with children, many
/ of whom went nearly frantic with grief
over the appalling darkness aud stiffness
which preceded the tempest. Winds
swept madly across Broadway from
/ the west, aud seemed to concentrate
/ its force in descent upon the
/ tower, which yielded with crash, and
carrying the heavy bell, plunged through
the intervening floors TO the basement
/ The main building is a mass of ruins with
l ia shattered walls, which still stand. The
/ wing was comparatively uninjured, and
/ the scholars in there were unhurG. In the
main building, however the effect was aw-
/ ful. the failing floors precIpitated the
! terrified children to the basement where
/ masses of bricks and beams crushed them
/ TO the ground and buried them from view.
/ Persons near, hearing the crash, made their
way as best they could against the beating
storm TO the scene. The gate was quick y
broken in and the work OF rescuing " as
/ und ertakeu 10y eager hands. The dead Al a
/ wounded were taken out as quickly as pos
! sible and carried 10 the natat orium ad loIu-
I ing, which was turned INTO a hospital, here
/ the parents and friends of the little ones
{ soon gathered, each searching for his or her
/ own aud uttering heart-rending cries as
/ they recognized IN the manned and bleed
4 ing forms those whom they loved. Among
\ the first taken OUT several were dead and
one or two almost beyond recognition /,
I their clothing torn and their bodies cover
I ed with dust and mortar. The deadly pal
Tor of their skins showing IN painful con
! tFasU with the CRIME and blood stains. Many
I heroic scenes were enacted during the res
cue ana some OF the wounded children
I seemed TO have greater control than their
/ elders. One little girl half buried in debris,
over whom the rescuers were busy, begged
I them TO leave her ami help a boy beside her,
/ because, she said, he was only years old
I A three story brick building on west Third
\ st. occupied on the first and 2nd floors 10y
z a paper company aud on tine Bird hy-a over
] ali factory was blown down and twenty
I five girls buried in the ruins. Four were
I killed outright and nearly all severely III
/ jured. The county court house stands at
I Second and Main streets on the hill exposed
{ to winds from the north and west The
building was erected nearly twenty years
ago for hotel purposes, but when com
pIeted was purchased 10y the county for
I S3OJ.0O0 and converted into a court house.
Z the building has always been considered
rather unsatisfactory, aud the roof has
frequently suffered injury from high winds.
The storm struck the northwest corner to-
I day. blowing in the roof and the major pOr-
. tiOn of the walls OF the thiTd.and fourth stO-
ries. The south wall at the east end was bow
I into the street, and Deputy Sheriff Dougber-
u was caught and Killed. All OtGeTs sue
+ ceeded in getting out Of the building alive
I ihe jail is located IN the basement Of the
7 building, and that portion escaped injury.
4 The prisoners were intensely alarmed, hut
became quiet when the crisis had passed
and they found themselves unhuTt. Judge
StOreT had been holding court on the third
floor and had adjourned just before the
stOrm-descended. A portion of the roof in
i falling struck the char the Judge had just
vacated. Opposite the court house was
a ten story brick building erected IN 1850
10y the santa Fe Stage company, but now
occupied by Z. s. Engineers This was
blown down and demolished in falling
three story brick building adjoining owned
by Smith 4 MOffat and used as a spice
factory. Smith was killed and Moffat and
three Others badly injured. The
Hannibal & st. Joe railroad bridge over
the Missouri vas also blown down.
The death roll at night showed Is school
children and one teacher killed. A. the
overall factory s. At the spice mills and
at the court house two, a total Of -
Over 81 are known to be injured some of
whom will die. The damage to property
mas IN ll0