The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1886-05-22
DEATH In THE GALE.
Disastrous Storm at Kansas City Build
tngs Blown Away and Many People
Killed-A School House Wrecked and
Dozen Children Crushed In the


Ruins-The County Court House De-
molished.
About noon on the 18th a terrible
storm struck Kansas City, Mo. The
clouds seemed to Craze the roofs of the
highest building and poured out their
torrents in apparently solid masses
for time. The storm struck the city
in full force about 20 minutes past II,
and ragged for hall an hour. The
streets were running rivers of water,
carrying boxes and signs and other
similar freight, blown from the
| buildings or swept up by the
flood. The Lathrop school building,
structure which has long been con-
sidered unsafe and has been twice con-
demned, was filled with children. The
tower with its heavy bell was lifted
by the wind and went crashing through
the roof, carrying the floors with it to
the basement. In the main building,
the effect was awful. 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 storm to the scene. The gale
quickly subsided, and the work of res
cuing was undertaken by eager hands.
Owing to the prevailing excitement,
the first work was not very effec i've,
but the fire department and police
soon arrived, and an organized search
was commenced. The dead and wound
ed were taken out as quickly as pos
sible and carried to the natatorium
adjoining, which was turned into q
hospital.
At ITO West Third Street stood a
three-story brick building in the mid
die of the block, the third floor of
which was used rs an overall factory,
conducted by Haar Bros, and the first
and second floors by the Graham
Paper Company. In the factory were
about twenty-five employees, chiefly
girls. When the storm broke out they
started for the cellar. The building
fell with a crash, being razed entirely
to the earth, and most of the
affrighted girls were caught in the
ruins. Four were taken out dead,
number of others wounded, and
some are still missing. The
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 completed, was purchased by
the county for $500, 900 and converted
into a court house. The building has
| ALWAYS been considered rather unsat-
isfactory, and the oof has frequently
suffered injury from high winds. The
storm struck the northwest corner,
blowing in the roof and the major por-
tlon OF the walls of the third and
fourth stories. The south wall, at the
east end, was blown into the street
and Deputy Sheriff Dougherty was
caught and killed.
The following is list of the killed
and wounded as far as ascertained
Killed at the school-house: Josie Mas
tin, aged IL; Bessie Inscre, 9 years;
Nellie Ellis, IL years; Julia Ramey IL
years; Ruth Jamison, 10 years; Edna
c. Evans, IL years; Edith Patch,
Frank Madison; Matte Moore, Gard
ner, Kas.; Martin Jones; Robert 2.
| Sprague, IL years, son of the
superintendent of telegraph of the
Kansas City, Fort Scott & Cult Road;
| L. T. Moore, Jr., II years, son of l..
| L. Moore, one OF the most prominent
men in the city; Richard Terry, II
years; Mary Lambert, II years, Tenth
and Bluff; Mary Bishop, 8 years, 303
West Twelfth; Mrs. Ida Bowes, super
intendent, on the second floor of the
| school, was terrible crushed about
the head and hips and died. Killed at
the overall factory: Jennie FitZger-
aid, aged 20, skull crushed and neck
broken, home Kansas City, Kas.;
Willie Echman, aged 16, chest crushed,
badly mangled, Kansas City, Kas.;
Nina Crane, aged %, skull brok
en-; Nellie Cavanaugh, aged 81, head
and chest crushed, Armourdale;
Kate Creelman, injured about the
head; w. r. Towne, aged 10,
face crushed beyond recognition.
Killed at Smith & Moffatt's: Frank
0. Smith, proprietor, 80 years, hole
in the left temple, boarded at the Cen
tropolis; John Kane, coffee roaster,
aged 2S, skull broken; Henry Jackson,
colored, head crushed, badly smashed,
Wyandotte; Sam Black, aged Is, neck
broken, residence unknown. Killed at
the courthouse: Henry Dougherty,
deputy sheriff, % years; VIM. Hedges,
deputy recorder. John Flaherty was
struck on the head by d falling flag
staff IN West Kansas City, and was
killed. Twenty-nine persons are re-
ported injured.
The total damage is roughly esti-
mated at S15O,OOO, the largest losses
being the bridge, courthouse, Frank
Oglesby's building, Smith & Moffatt
stock, the Central Presbyterian
Church and twenty-five unfinished
buildings blown down. Yates Ice Com
pany's stables were wrecked, hundreds
of windows in the city broken and
minor damage done everywhere. The
school board issued a statement say.
ing they considered the building safe.
At Nortonville, Kas., $50, 1000 damage
was done by the storm; at Wyandotte,
$4,000; at Parkville, the depot and
Touring mill were wrecked; at st.
Joseph, no great damage; at Odessa,
churches, warehouses and dwellings
! were wrecked