The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-05-19
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
A Terrific Storm Whose Forbid.
ding Power Caused All Spec
tators to Hunt for Safety.
School Building Full Of Children Wrecked
Burying the Little Ones-A Factory
succumbs, Entombins Twenty.
i've Persons, Mostly 0irls-At
Least Twenty -four Per.
sons Killed and Thir.
~ Woundeds

KANSAS CrrY. NO.. May 11.-About 1880
this morning Ominous storm clouds began
gathering ever the city. They first ap-
peared in the Northeast, and, surging West
wardly across the city, turned suddenly
about, and decending 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 fed to the nearest shelter and
awaited with blanched faces the fury OK
the tempest. Clouds seemed to Craze roofs
Of the highest buildings, and for time
poured out their torrents in apparently
solid masses. The storm struck the city
in full force about twenty minutes past II,
and ragged for half an hour. The streets were
running rivers Of water, carrying boxes and
signe and other similar freight. blown from
the buildings or swept up by the food. A
numerous instances drivers abandoned their
horses to their fate, and sought refuge in
stores and houses. Some hail accompanied
the loss to property would have been enor.
nous from water streaming in at broken
windows. As it was, windows in
blown in sna soods Oes and % fnrnisnrs we're
water. soaked. All this however proved
entirely Insignificant when the full extent of
The :yehoo bSdns
pied prominent cite at the corner.of Eighth
and May streets. 1t consisted OF main
building, to which an art wing had been added.
The building was surmounted BY a tower,
which for some time has been considered un-
safe. It has been twice condemned, but no
morning the building was crowded with
children, many of whom were nearly frantic
over the appalling darkness and the stiffness
madiy across broadway from tks
west, and seemed to concentrate its force in
descent upon the tower, which yielded with q
plunged through the intervening doors to the
basement: The main building is q mass of
ruins, within shattered walls which still stand.
the scholars in there unhurt. In the main
building, however, the effect was awful:
The falling floors precipitated the terrified
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 gale quickly subsidized, and the
work of rescuinR was undertaken by eager
hands.
and an organized search was commenced.
The dead and wounded were taken out as
quickly as possible and carried to the Nata-
hospital. Among the first taken out several
were dead and one or two mangled almost
beyond recognition, their clothing torn and
One little girl, half buried in the debris, over
whom rescuers were busy, begged them to
| leave her and help boy beside her, because,
the en
expires sion. A dozen dead were taken out
during the day and the bodies sent to houses
Of eorrowing families, and several of the
children belonged to prominent families in
At liz West Third street stood three story
thrd oor of which Was used Ine a. an overall
| factory, conducted by Hoar Brothers. The
6rst and second q ors were occupied BY the
sboas employees ehey
They, when the storm broke out, started for
the cellar. The building fell with crash,
ss s IS s esnhs n
ruins. Four have been taken out dead. A
! number of others are wounded and some are
Still missing. A force OF IabOrers is bus to-
night upturning confused masses of bricka
Tue county courthouse stands at Second
from the north and west. The Euilding wa,
| erected nearly twenty years ago for hOte
purpo. es, but when completed was purchased
court-hoIse. The building has always
] been considered rather unsatisfactory, and
the, roof has frequently suffered injury from
| corner to-day, blowing in the roof and the
major portion of the walls Of the third
| aud fourth stories. The south wall, at the
uty Sheriff Dougherty was caught and killed.
building alive. The Jail Is located in the
basement Of the building, and that portion
escaped injury. The prisoners were in.
tensely alarmed, but became quiet when the
crisis had passed and they found themselves
unhurt. Judge Slower 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 twostory brick
building, OF late years occupied by the
United states Engineers. Adjoining that
| on the west was q three-story brick coffee
az spd ;piSs, min owned by Smith y i Mo,,..s s
upon The adjoining one. and both both wsre were
| BLEEDING from the ruins and died in 9
short time. Mr.. Moffstt was badly hurt
| and three employees were taken out. The
| debris sis being removed tonight in search
| for any who may yet be buried beneath.
bridge across the Missouri, opposite the city,
apparently uninjured. The bridge 10 owned
By the Hannibal 4 st. Joe Company, and Il
used by that road, the Wabash, the Rocl
! Island, and Kaneas City, 6t. Joe & Council
! Bluffs. The bridge authorities say they ex
| pect to repair the damage in ten days. Mean
| while the railroads will make temporary ar
rangements for TRANSPORTING passengers and
the Missouri Pacific lime via SedsNs and No
Il is probable that the list Of dead ant
wounded will not be completed for . day o.
| two, but up to this time twenty-six dea(
bodies have been taken out of the ruins, an(
| 1t is thought the number of injured 10 abou
thirty, some Of whom will die.