Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-05-14
A Fearful storm.


morning ominous storm clouds began
gathering over Kansas City, Missouri.
They first appeared ia the northeast,
and snrging westwardly across the city,
turned suddenly about in their course,
and descending rapidly, broke upon the
city In terrific gusts Of wind and rain,
that swept light objects before them.
The darkness was almost like night,
and people fled to the nearest shelter
and awaited with blanched faces the
fury of the tempest. Clouds seemed to
Craze 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 TWEEN.
ty minutes past eleven and ragged Tor
half an hour. The streets were run
ming rivers of water, carrying boxes
and signs and other similar freight
blown from the buildings or swept up
by the flood. At the Lathrop school
building an appalling tragedy was en-
acted. The building was crowded with
children, many of whom were nearly
frantic with grief over the appalling
darkness and the stiffness which pre-
ceded the tempest. The winds swept
madly across Broadway from the west,
and seemed To concentrate its force IN
I 81
with a crash, and carrying down the
heavy bell plunged through the several
floors TO the basement. The main build
ing is a mass of ruins, only scattered
walls still stand. The wing was COM
paratively uninjured, aud the scholars
i'm there unhurt. In the main building,
however, the effect was awful. The
falling floors carried with them to the
basement the terrified children, and
there masses of bricks and beams
crushed them to the ground and buried
them from view. Persons near hear
ing the crash, made their way AS best
they could against the beating storm 10
the scene. The gale quickly subsidized
| and the work OF the rescue was begun
by eager hands.
Owing to the prevailing excitement,
the first. work was not very effective,
but the fire department and police soon
arrived and an organized search was
commenced. The dead and wounded
we're taxed out as rapidly as possible
and carried to the Natatorium adjoining,
which was turned into hospital. Here
the parents and frierds Of the little
ones soon gathered, each searching for
his or her own, and uttering heart-ren-
ding cries as they recognized in the
manned and bleeding forms those whom
they loved. Among those first taken
out several were dead and one or two
were mangled almost beyond recosni-
ton, their clothing torn and their bod
les covered with dust and mortar, the
deathly pallor of the skin showing the
painful contrast against CRIME and
blood stains. A dozen dead were taken
out during the day and the bodies sent
to the homes of the sorrowing families.
Several of the children belonged to
prominent families in the city.
An overall factory on Second street
also succumbed to the fury of the
storm. Fifteen girls were at work on
one of the upper floors when the walls
collapsed. Eight girls have been taken
out of the overall factory, four of whom
are dead. Many others are in the ru-
ms, but there is scarcely hope for
their lives. In the confusion it is i'm
possible to ascertain definitely the ex-
tent of the calamity, but it is said that
over twenty employees are imprisoned in
the basement of the factory.
One span of the north end of the rail-
road bridge acrosSthe Missouri river
was blown into the river, blocking the
Hannibal and st. Joseph, Rock Island
and Wabash and Kansas City, st. Joe's
and Council Bluffs Roads.
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