The Portland daily press., 1886-05-12
AN AWFUL CALAMITY.
Death and Destruction Caused by a
Tornado In Kansas City, Mo.
Many Buildings Demolished and
Occupants Buried In the Ruins.
Twenty-three Persons Killed and as
Many More Injured.

IathrOp school DulIdlng on Eighth street
was partially wrecked and many children
caught in the ruins. An overall factory on
Second street and the old water works build
ing near the court house were also blown
down and many persons buried.
One span at the north end of the railroad
bridge across the Missouri river was blown
into the river, blocking the Hannibal & ST..
Joseph, Rock Island, Wabash & Kansas
City, st. Joe & Council Bluffs roads.
Eight girls have been taken out of the
overall factory, four Of whom are dead.
Many others are in the ruins. but there is
scarcely hope for their lives. In the con-
fusion it is impossible to ascertain definitely
the extent of the calamity, but it is said over
twenty employees are imprisoned in the base
ment of the factory.
The disastrous fury of the storm was con-
fined to the north end of the city except in
the destruction of the Lathrop school build
ing on Eighth street, and buildings generally,
excepting those mentioned, withstood the
fury of the storm. The main office of the
| Western Union Telegraph Company is in
this portion of the city, and the poles are
heavily weighted with wires which were
| broken off, letting the wires down in a
tangled heap. Many wires were also carried
| down with the broken bridge.
Another Account.
| About half past 10 o'clock this morning
storm clouds began gathering over the city.
| They first appeared in the northeast, and
surging westwardly across the city, turned
| suddenly about in their course, and, descend
! ing 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 people fled to the nearest shelter and
| awaited with blaRched faces the fury of the
| tempest 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 20 minutes past II, and ragged for
| half an hour. The streets were running
rivers of water, carrying boxes and signs
and other similar freight blown from build
ings OF swept up by the food All the dam
age by water, however, proved entirely
| insignificant when the full extent of the
disaster wrought by the storm became
| known.
The Lathrop School Building
| occupied a prominent site at the corner of
Eighth and Main streets. Itconsisted of the
main building, to which an art wing had
| been added The building was surmounted
| by a tower, which for some time had been
| considered unsafe and it had been twice con-
! demned bHt no action had been taken In the
matter. This morning the building was
crowded with children. The wind swept
madly across Broadway from the west and
4 seemed to concentrate its force in its 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 Mass Of Ruins.
The wing was comparatively uninjured.
| In the main building, however, the effect
was awful. The falling floors precipitated
| the terrified children to the basement, where
masses of bricks 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 beating storm
| to the scene.
The gale quickly subsidized and the work of
| rescuing was undertaken by eager hands.
Owing to the prevailing excitement the first
work was not very effective, but the fire de-
partment 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 ad-
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 heartrending cries as
they recognized in the MANNED 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 their bodies covered
with dirt and mortar.
a Dozen Dead Bodies Were Taken
Out
during the day and their bodies sent to the
houses of the sorrowing families. Several
of the children belonged to prominent fami-
lies in the city.
On West Third street stood three story
brick building in the middle of block, the
third floor of which was used as an overall
factory by Hoar Bros, while the first and
second floors were occupied by the Graham
Paper Company. In the factory were about
25 employees, chiefly girls. They when the
storm broke out had started for the cellar,
when suddenly
The Building Fell with a Crash,
being razed entirely to the earth and most OF
the affrighted girls were caught in the ruins.
Four have been taken out dead, number of
others are wounded and some are still
missing.
mi of Spr0nd
and Main streets, on the hill, exposed to the
winds from the north and west. The build
ing has always been considered rather un-
safe as a factory, and the roof has frequently
suffered injury from high winds. The storm
struck the northwest corner,
Blowing in the Roof
and the major part of the walls of the third
and fourth stories. The south wall at the
east end vas blown into the street, and
| Deputy Sheriff Dougherty was caught and
killed. All the others succeeded in getting
out of the building alive. The Jail is in the
basement, and that portion escaped injury.
Judge Stone had been holding court ON the
third floor and had adjourned just before the
storm descended. A portion of the roof in
falling struck the chair the judge had just
vacated.
Across the street stood a two story brick
building, erected in 1860 by the Santa Fe
Stage Company, one of the Oldest in the city.
The building has of late years been occu-
pied by the United States engineers. Ad-
joining that on the west was the three story
brick coffee and spice mills, owned by Smith
and Moffatt. This building was demolished
falling over upon the adjoining one, and
both were completely wrecked. Frank
Smith, senior partner of the firm, was taken
bleeding from the ruins, and died in short
time. Moffatt was badly hurt, and three
employees were taken out The debris is be-
ing removed tonight in the search for any
who may yet be buried beneath.
Latest reports show that in all % persons
were killed and as many more seriously in
jured.
LEAvENwoRTH, Kas., May 11.--At II this
forenoon this city was visited by a fierce
tornado that did an immense amount of dam
age to property although but one life is re-
ported lost here.
FOUR PERSONS DROWNED.