New-York tribune., 1886-05-12
AWFUL WORK OF "A TORNADO
LIVES LOST AND HOUSES WRECKED.
TWENTY PERSONS KILLED AND MANY
WOUNDED.
WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION IN KANSAS CITY-TIE
STREETS TURNED TO RIvERs-sCENEs
AMONG THE DEAD AND DYING.


| clouds began gathering the city about half
past % to-day. They first appeared in the north
east and surgng westwardly across the city turned
| suddenly about in their course aud descending
| rapidly, broke upon the city in terrific bursts of
wind and rain. The darkness was almost like
nlght and people fled to the nearest shelter and
awaited with blanchcd faces the fury of the tenn
| pest Clouds seemed 10 graze roofs of the highest
buildings and poured out their torrents in appar-
emily solid masses for time The storm struck
the city in full force about 1920 and ragged for
hall an hour The streets running rivers, carry
ing boxes and signs and other similar freight blown
from the buildings swept up by the flood. We
hicles 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.
Windows in large number of buildings were
blown in ami goods and furniture were water
soaked. All this however. proved entirely insig-
nihcant when the full extent of the disaster
wrought by the storm becane known.
The Lathrop school building occupied promi
ncnt site at Eighth and Main sts 1t consisted of
a main bnilling to which art wing had been
added The house was surmounted by a tower,
which for some time has been considered unsafe.
1t has been twice condemned once within few
weeks, but no action had been taken in the mat
ter. This morning the building was crowded with
children, many of whom were nearly frantic with
grief over the appalling darkness and the stiffness
which preceded the tempest. The winds swept
madly across Broadway from the west and seemed
to concentrate ITS force in descent upon the tower
which yielded with a crash and carrying down the
he avy bell. plunged through the intervening floor
to the basement. The main building is a mass of
ruins within shattered walls. The wing com
paratively nninjured and the scholars in there un-
hurt. In the main building the falling floors pre-
cipitated the terrified children to the basement,
where masses OF brick and beams crushed them to
the ground and buried them from view. Persons
ne ar hearing the crash made their way to the
scene. The gale quickly subsidized and the work of
resc ue was undertaken by eager hands. The fire
department and police soon arrived and an organ
lied search begun. The dead and wounded
were taken ont as quickly us possible and carried
to the Natatorum adjonng which was turned into
n hospital Here the parents and friends of the
little gathered each searching for his or
her IN, and uttering heartrcndng cries as they
recognized in the III aimed and bleeding forms those
whom they loved. Among the first taken out sew
eral dead and one Or two manged almost be-
yond recognition, their clothing torn and their
bodies covered with dust and mortar. One little
girl. half buried in the wreck, over whom rescuers
were busy, begged them to leave her and help
boy beside her because she said, he was only five
years old. The scenes in the Natatorum as the
little ones were brought in and laid upon inn
proviscd cots, the dead placed together upon one
side were ptiful beyond expression. Twelve dead
children were taken out in the course of the day
and their bodies sent to the houses of their parents
Several OF tho children belonged TO prominent
families in the city.
At No. 40 West Thrd-st. stood three story
brick building in the middle of the block the third
floor of which used as an overall factory con-
Quoted by Ilaar Bros The first and second iioors
we're occupied BY the Graham Paper Company. In
the factory about twenty-five employees.
chiefly girls. They, when the storm broke out,
started for the cellar. The building fell with Il
crash being razed to the earth and most OF tine
atirighted girls were caught IN the ruins. -Four
have been taken ont dead others are wounded and
some are still missing force OF laGorers was busy
tonight blythe ilickering lantern lights upturnng
confused masses of bricks and timber
The County court-ho stands at Second and
Main sts on the hill exposed to winds from the
north and west. The building was erected nearly
twenty years ago for hotel purposes, but when
completed was purchased by the county for
100000 and converted into a courthouse
The storm struck the northwest corner to-day,
blowing in the roof and the major portion OF the
walls of the third and fourth stories The south
wall at the east end blown into the street and
Deputy Sheriff Dougherty was caught and Killed.
All others succeeded IN getting out OF the building
alive. The Jail is IN the basement OF the building,
and that portion escaped injury. The prisoners
were intensely alarmed but became quiet when the
Crisis had passed aud they found themselves un-
hurt Judge Stover had been holding court on the
third floor, and had adjourned just before the
storm descended. A portion of the roof in falling
l..Ll ,ta1
On the other side of the street from the court-
house stood a two-story brick building erected in
1860 by the Santa Fe Stage Company, one of the
oldest buildings III the city, from
which the stages formerly were started
across the plains in stage-coachng days
The building has of late years been occupied by
the United States Engineers. Adjoining that In
the west a three-stOry brick coffee and spice
mill owned by Smith & Mohatt. This building
was demolished, falling over upon the ADJOINING
one and both were wrecked. Frank Smith. the
senior partner of the firm, was taken bleeding from
the ruins. and died short time. Mr. Monatt
was badly hurt and three employees were taken out
The wreckage is being removed tonight In search
for any who may yet be buried beneath.
The second span from the north end of the bridge
across the Missouri, opposite the city, was pio"h
into The river the piers being left apparently un-
injured. A large number of telegraph wires was
carried down with the broken span. Workmen
will be busy all night raising wires from the wreck
and 1t is hoped communication in that direction
will be restored by tomorrow morning. The bridge
Is owned by the Hannibal and ST. Joseph Company
and Is used by that road, the Wabash the
Rock Island aud Kansas City, and the
ST. Joe and Council Bluffs. The bridge
authorities say they expect to repair the damage
IN ten days. Meanwhile the railroads VIII make
temporary arrangements for transporting pasSen-
gers and freight The Wabash vii! send It's trains
Moberly.
Two locomotives were bio wn from the track II
the Hannibal and ~. Joe yards. Three boats were
sunk III the river and two lives reported lost
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
The following list is as nearly accurate as can be