Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-05-20
Kansas City Visited by a Terrible
Wind and Rain Storm-Seyeral
Buildingt Destroyed and
Many Lives Lost.
Much Of the Loss Of Life Due 10 the
Falling Of Condemned Buildings
List Of the Killed and
Injured.
How the Storm Clouds Gathered and Wrought
Their Deadly Work.

/ AhNii hNduty Nbihs
/ KANSAS CRY, May 13.-About 1920 this
morning ominous storm clouds began
/ gathering over the city. They first APP
! peared 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 dark
ness was almost night, and the people fed
| to the nearest shelter and awaited with
blanched faces the fury of the tempest.
! The clouds seemed to Craze the roofs of
the highest buildings and poured out their
/ torrents in an apparently solid mass for a
| time. The storm struck the city in full
/ force about II O'Clock, and ragged half an
/ hour. The streets were running rivers of
water, carrying boxes, signs and other
similar freight which was blown from
buildings and swept away by the food. A
number of vehicles were overturned and
in numerous instances the drivers left to
their fate, and sought refuge in stores
and houses.
TIE LATHRoP SCHOOL.
The Lathrop school building occupied
a pre- minent site at the corner of Eighth
and Main street. 1t consisted Of a main
building to which an art wing had been
added. The building was surmounted by
a TO yer which for some time was con
sidered unsafe 1t had been twice con
demned; once within a few weeks, but no
action had been taken in the matter
This morning the building was crowded
with children, many of whom went nearly
frantsc with fright over the appalling
darkness and the stiffness which preceded
the tempest. The winds swept madly
across Broadway from the west and seem
ed to concentrate its force in a decent up
on the tower, which yielded with a crash
and, carrying down the heavy bell, plung-
ed through the intervening floors to the
basement The main building Is a mass
of ruins, within the shattered walls which
still stand. The wing was comparatively
uninjured, and the scholars in there were
unhurt In the main building, however,
the effect was awful The falling floors
precepitated 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 gale
quickly subsidized and the work of rescu-
ing was undertaken by eager hands. Ow-
ing to the prevailing excitement, the first
work was not very effective, but the ire
department and the 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 adjoining, which was turned
into hospital
HEARrRREDING SCENES.
Here the parents and friends OF the
little ones soon gathered, each searching
for his or her own, and uttering heart
rending 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 dust
and mortar, the deathly pallor of the
skin showing in painful contrast against
CRIME and bloodstains. Many heroic
scenes were enacted during the rescue,
and some of the wounded children seem
ed to have greater self-control than their
/ elders. One little girl, half-buried in the
debris, over whom rescuers were busy.
begged them to leave her and help a boy
beside her because, she said, he was only
five years old. The scenes in the nata-
forum as the little ones were brought in
and laid upon impoverished cots, the dead
being placed together upon one side, were
pitiful beyond expression. A dozen dead
were taken out during the day and their
bodies being sent to the houses of sorrow
ing families. Several of the children be-
longed TO prominent families in the city.
OTHER STRUCTURES WRECKED.
At ITO West Third street stood & three
stony brick building in the middle Of the
block, the third floor of which was used
as an overall factory, conducted by Harr
Bros, and the first and second floors by
the Graham Paper company. In the fac
tory were were about twenty-five employ
es, chiefly girls When the storm broke
out they started for the cellar. The build
ing fell with a crash, being RACED entirely
to the earth and most of the affrighted
girls were oought in the ruins. -Four have
been taken ont dead, and number of
others are wounded.
The county court house stands at Sec
ond 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
pleted, was purchased by the county for
100000. and converted into a court
house. The south wall at the east end
was was blown into the street and Deputy
Sheriff Dougherty was caught and killed,
An others succeeded in getting out of the
building. Judge Slower had been hold
ing court, and had adjourned just before
the storm descended. A portion of the
roof in falling struck tt chair he had
just vacated.
Revised List Of the Killed and Injured
KANSAS CRY, May - The following is
a list of the killed and wounded as far as
can be ascertained at 10 O'Clock tonight.
Killed at school house:
JOSIE Mason, T. years.
Bessie ISCRE, years.
NELLIE ELLIS, II years,
JULIA RAMEY. II years.
RUTH AMEsoN, 10 years.
EDNA c. EVANS, IL years.
RoRrRr SPRAGUE. Il years, son of the
superintendent of telegraph of the Kansas
City, Ft Scott & Gulf road.
n ~ NToopr II vpars son of l.. /,