Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-05-20
YlIE TERRIBLE CYCLONE
AfUGH DlMAGB IN ILLINOIS AND
THREE OTHER STATES.
Frebnbiy Forty Persons Killed
Farther Particulars about the
. AtDrM.


KANSAS Cry, No., May 12.-From evi-
dence 30 far collected il is probable that
40 persons have lost their lives in the
storm of yesterday. The buildings se-
leoted for destruction were those which
were filed with human beings, and the
consequences were simply appalling. The
undertakers' rooms have been, since the
storm, occupied with bodies manned and
crushed, in some instances beyond recog-
milton. From the Lathrop school came
the remains of children belonging to
leading families, as we'll as TO those in
humber walks of life. The tears and
cries of mothers of all classes and ranks
in life were mingled together. The
destruction TO property on the west side
and in the bottoms is enormous. Tele-
graph poles strew the streets in every
direction.
The storm came up suddenly. II had
been lowering and cloudy all the morn
ing, but not so as to indicate unusual dis
turbance. The course of the clouds was
peculiar. They appeared first in the
northeast, and moved across north of
the city TO the northwest, then, quickly
turning, came with fearful force directly
ut the town. The wind blew at the rate
of 65 miles an hour, and the rain and
hail fell in masses with the momentum Of
solid bodies. Fifteen dead bodies of
school children have been taken from the
Lathrop school building. 1t was filled
with about 800 children from to ~
years of age. The teachers in some of
the rooms dismissed the children when
the sky became threatening, but in others
they were detained, even being locked in
the rooms by one or two of the teachers,
When the wind was at its hight the belfry
tottered and the huge bell came dashing
down through the centre. The floors
gave way beneath the weight and nearly
100 children were buried.
The news of the frightful death scene
ut the school building spread through the
city with great rapidity and in few
minutes the streets leading to the build
ing were crowded with people. Parents
who had children in the building ran to
the spot weeping and crying aloud for
the little ones. The large yard about the
building was soon mass of people, and
every face blanched to the wliteness of
death as the groans and pleadings of the
children came from the mountain of
debris. Men rushed up the steps, down
the wrecked stairs and tore at the timbers
which covered the dying and dead like
madmen. They even climbed to the win
dows, tore down the blinds, and smashed
the glass in order to enter the building.
Their very anxiety to reach the i'm
prisoned children prevented the work of
rescue being pushed rapidly. Soon, how
ever, policemen and fremen arrived,
and in q few minutes the first
injured child was taken out. 1t was
Martha Gardner, little child whose
home is at No. 1913 Grand avenue. Her
first words were 81 want to GO home
to mother" Then another little girl, her
face covered with blood was carried
through the crowd. As fast as the chill
dren were taken from the debris they
were carried to the Natatorium, where
the living were cared for by physicians
who volunteered their services. The in
jured bore their sufferings with forti-
tude that was heroic, and allowed their
wounds to be dressed without finching.
They even tried to cheer their weeping
parents who bent above the cots. The
crowd became so great that the door had
to be closed against all save those who
had dead or injured children lying in
the room. Men half crazed with
grief struck the door with their
fists, and pleaded for adnittRnees
my God" exclaimed one, ''you have
not the feelings of parent or you would
not keep me out" One poor woman
whose child was among the missing was
completely crazed with grief. With
hands clasped above her head, she walked
from cot to cot the perfect picture of a
maniac. Her utterances were incoherent
and her actions wild. Without the door
louder wall than any yet heard echoed
through the long bath room. 1t was the
wall OF mother following two stalwart
men who bore the dead body of her
daughter between them. ''Dead ?" asked
the doctor as the men entered the room.
"Dead," said one of the men as he
tenderly laid down the lifeless child upon
the cot. "Yes, dead, cried the mother
in tones which those who heard will
never forget.
1t is believed that 10 persons have lost
their lives in the overall factory, that
number of employees being unaccounted
for. In addition to Henry Dougherty,
deputy sheriff, Will Hedges, deputy re-
corder, was killed at the courthouse by
falling walls. A teamstername Flaherty
was killed while fleeing for safety, being
hit by flying timbers, and an inmate Of
the Sisters Hospital died from fright
while the storm was at its hight.