Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-05-19
DARKNESS AND DEATH.
Kansas City, Mo-, Visited by q Destructive
Storm-Bui1dings Wrecked and Many
People Killed-A School House Filled
With Children Crushed-A List of the
Dead The County Court House In
Ruins.

About noon on the 18th O. 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 q time. The storm struck the city
in full force about 2Ominutes past 1,
and ragged for half 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
q structure which has long been con-
sidered unsafe and has been twice con-
demned, was filled with children. The
tower with it's 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 subsidized, and the work of res
cuipg was undertaken by eager hands.
Owing to the prevailing excitement, the
| first work WIS not very effective, but
the fire department and police soon
arrived, and an organized search was
commenced. The dead and wounded
were taken out as quickly BIS possible
and carried to the natatorium adJoin-
| ing, which was turned into a 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 as 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 RACED entirely
to the earth, and most OF the
affrighted girls were caught in the
ruins. Four were taken out dead,
q number of others wounded, and
some are still missing. The
courthouse stands at Second
to windsfrom thenorth and west. The
building was erected nearly twenty
years ago for hotel purposes, but,
when completed, was purchased by
the county for 100000 and convert
ed into q courthouse. The building
has always been considered rather un-
satisfactory, and the roof has fire.
quently suffered injury from high
winds. The storm struck the north
west corner, blowing in the roof and
the major portion of the walls OF the
third and fourth stories. The south
wall, at the east end, was blown into
the street and Deputy Sheriff Dougher-
ty 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, 8 years;
Nellie Ellis, II years; Julia Ramey, IL
years; Ruth Jamison, 10 years; Edna
6. Evans, II years; Edith Patch;
Frank Madison; Matte Moore, Gard
ner, Kas.; Martin Jones; Robert p.
Sprague, II years, son OF the
superintendent of telegraph OF the
Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Road;
l.. T. Moore, Jr., ~ years, son OF L..
T. Moore, one of the most prominent
men in the city; Richard Terry, IL
years; Mary Lambert, 2years, Tenth
and Bluff; Mary Bishop, 9 years, BOB
West Twelfth; Mrs. Ida Bowes, super
intendent, on the second floor OF the
school, was terribly 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 lehman, aged 10, chest crushed.
badly mangled, Kansas City, Kas.;
Nina Crane, aged %, skull broken;
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 & Moffat's: Frank
O. Smith, proprietor, SO years, hole
in the left temple, boarded at the
Centropolis; John Kane, coffee roast
er, aged %, skull broken; Henry
jackson. colored, head crushed, badly
smashed, Wyandotte; Sam Black,
aged 18, neck broken, residence un-
known; Killed at the courthouse:
Henry Dougherty, deputy sheriff, %
years; VIM. Hedges, deputy recorder.
John Flaherty was struck on the
head by falling flagstaff in West
Kansas City, and was killed. Twenty
nine persons are reported injured.
The total damage is roughly esti-
mated at $4,000, the largest losses
being the bridge, courthouse, Frank
Oglesby's building, Smith & Moffat
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 g. statement say
ing they considered the building safe.
At Nortonville, Kas., $50, 900 damage
was done by thestorm; at Wyandotue,
$4,000; at Parkville, the depot and
Touring mill were wrecked; at Sc.
Joseph. no great damage; at Odessa,
churches, warehouses and dwellings
uoro wrncka0