The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-05-20
KANSAS CITY TORNADO.
Twenty Eight Men and Children Hurled
into Eternity. Thir;y-FOur Injured.
Buildings and Bridge De-
strOyed. t'

ButIO1ng0 anu DrluSe D0-
stroyed.
Kansas City was visited by terrible
storm on the forenoon Of tho 11th inst.
About half past 10 the clouds began to
gather and an hour later the wind and ra n
became terrific. The darkness WAS almost
like night, aud people fed to til. nearest
shelter and awaited with blanched faces
the fury Of the tempest. Clouds seemed to
Craze the roofs Of the highest buildings and
poured out torrents In apparent solid masses
for time. The streets were running
rivers Of water, carrying boxes and signs
and other similar freight blown from the
buildings or swept up by the Hood. A num-
Der Of vehicles were overturned, and in
many instances drivers abandoned their
horses to their fate and sought refuge in
stores and houses.
The Lathrop school building occupied
prominent site at the corner of Eighth
aud Main streets. It consisted Of q main
building. to which an arI wing had been
added. The building was surmounted by
tower, which for some time had been
considered unsafe. 1t had been twice con-
demnod, once within few weeks, but no
action had been taken in the matter. The
building was crowded with children, many
of whom went nearly frantic with grief
which preceded the tempest. Winds
swept madly across Broadway from
the west, and seemed to concentrate
its force in descent upon the
tower, which yielded with . crash, and
the intervening floors to the basement.
The main building is mass Of ruins with
in shattered walls, which still stand. The
wing was comparatively uninjured, and
the scholars IN there were unhurt. In the
full. 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.
Persons near, hearing the crash, made their
way as best they could against the beating
broken in and the work Of rescuing was
undertaken by eager hands. The dead and
wounded were taken out as quickly as pos
sible and carried to the nata sorium adjoin-
ing, 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 heart-rending cries as
they recognized in the manned and bleed
ing forms those whom they loved. Among
the first taken out several were dead and
one or two almost beyond recognition !;
their clothing torn aud their bodies cover
cd with dust and mortar. The deadly pal
lor OF their skins showing in painful con-
trast with the CRIME and blood stains. Many
heroic scenes wero enacted during the res
cue and some OF the wounded children
seemed to have greater control than their
elders. One little girl half buried in debris,
over whom the rescuers were busy, begged
them to leave her and help boy beside her,
because, she said, he was only years old.
A three story brick building on west Third
st. occupied on the first and End floors by
n - OIL L..
all factory was blown down and twenty.
five girls buried in the ruins. Four were
killed outright and nearly all severely in
jured. The county court house stands at
Second 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
S2OJ.00) aud converted into court house.
The building has always been considered
rather unsatisfactory, and the roof has
frequently suffered injury from high winds.
The storm struck the northwest corner to.
day, blowing III the roof aud the major por.
tion of the walls Of the third.and fourth sto
ries. The south wall at the east end was blow
into the street, and Deputy Sheriff Dougher
ty was caught and killed. All others sue
ceed"i III getting out OF the building alive
| The Jail is located in the basement Of the
building, and that portion escaped injury
| The prisoners were intensely alarmed, but
| became quiet when the crisis had passed
| and they found themselves unhurt. Judge
| floor and had adjourned just before tb,
storm-descended. A portion of the roof II
falling struck the chair the Judge had jus
vacated. Opposite the court house wa
| ten story brick building erected in 1856,
by the Santa Fe stage company, but nov
blown down and demolished In falling
three story brick building adjoining owne,
| by Smith Il Moffat and used as spic
factory. Smith was killed and Moffat an,
three others badly injured. Tn
| Hannibal Il St Joe railroad bridge owe
tho Missouri was also blown down
The death roll ut night showed ID schoo
children and one teacher killed. At tn
| overall factory 6. At the spice mills 1 an.
1t the court house two, q total OF z
/ Over 81 are known to be injured some q
whom will die. The damage to propert
| was &15O,OO0.