, 1886-05-12
Destructive STORM
Kansas City Struck by a Ter
rible Tornado.
A School Building Succumbs
to the Tempest.
Many Children Killed and
Buried in the Debris.
Kansas City CYCLONE.

appeared in the northeast and surginC
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 like night and people
fed to the nearest shelter and awaited
with blanchod faces the fury Of the temp
est. The clouds seemed to Craze the
roofs of the highest buildings and poured
out their torrents IN apparently solid
masses for a time. The storm struck the
city in full force about ll:20 and ragged
| for half an hour. The streets were run
ming rivers of water, carrying boxes and
signs and other similar freight blown
from buildings or swept up by the flood.
A number OF vehicles were overturned
and in numerous instances the 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, otherwise the loss 10 prop
erty wonld have been enormous from
water coming in at broken windows. As
it was the windows in quite a large
number Of buildings were blown in and
goods and furniture were water soaked
All this, however, proved entirely insig
%nificant when the full extent of the DIS
aster wrought by the storm became known.
The large Lathrop school building o.
cupied a prominent site at the corner Of
Eighth and Main streets. 1t consisted
of the main building, to which a wing had
been added. The building was s%urmounted
by a tower, which for some time had been
considered unsafe. l, 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
frantic with grief over the appalling dark
ness aud stiffness which preceded the
tempest. The winds swept midway across
Broadway from the west, and seemed to
concentrate its force in a descent upon the
tower, which yielded with a crash, and
carrying down a heavy bell plunf ed
through the intervening floors to the
basement. The main building i a mass
u runs %"",n Il s'''u vans
still stand. The wing was comparatively
uninjured, and the scholars in it were not
nui" III inc main Ou,'uine' no"e'er'
sne eieyt was awful NSn,us "'oiS p,'-
cipita'eu tue 'eri.-a enhuren 10 tue
oasenen'' "nere masses VI o''eAs anu
beams crushed them 10 tue grounu anu
ourleu tnem nom view
lersohs near nearing 'ne crasn' maui
.neir way as oes' they cou'u against 'ne
beating storm 10 inc scene, Tue gaze
quickly sups,ue" ana tne work OF rescuine
was uhuer.aAen of eager hanus, O"ins
10 pre'aiilnH excitement tue nis' "oiA
was not very enec'l'e' put 'he nre ueparV'
men' ana police soon arrived anu an OF
eanlAeu seai'u was Vonmeneeu' III
DEAD ana wounded were taken out as
quickly as possible ahu carried o'ne na'A-
.or'um "uJoln'ng' "n'en was .uIneu i"'o q
hospital here parents an" irleuus oi
tue niue ones soon gathered c'ch search
ing ior his OF ner own anu u''er'ns nea,''
renu'hg cries as they III 'ne
'na'neu anu pieeuinR iorms lnoss "noin
WY w. ~,
T.s.I..L
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81 H.. r. III,
g 49, - go -,
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an.;nn ha 100
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- - a. 49, =, IL, -
- l.. Ih-i 80 H. -
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- 80 ~
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,ha u,Ia anos hror.h, II and lac
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Up' 80
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su " y -" 80,
49, ~
AT No. ITO West Third street stood
three story brick building in the middle O