The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-01-17
THE uE,uISG CYCLONE.

REAnINtI, PA, Jan. 10 A cyclone
swept over the nOr.hern part OF the
city after noon yesterday, laying
waste everything In its path and
causing terrible loss of life. IL had
been raining all day, but about four
o'clock u cli AIRED up and the sun be-
gan la shine. suddenly heavy banks
of clouds gathered, the wind roarPd
and tore, and the storm swept
through the city, cutting q narrow
$wath, hut sweeping everything to
the ground. The track IL only 30
feet wide and touched only the sub
urbs. IL first cut off a portion OF the
Mount Penn stove works; then Il de-
rooted a portion of J. II. Sternberg's
rolling mill a number Of dwellings
near by were unrOOfed as neatly a.
though Of paper. Then the storm
swept across the property OF the
Reading Railway company, break
ing into splinters 4 sleeping car
which stood on the track. Beside
the Reading tracks stood the COM
pany's paint shops, q One-stOry
building, GOXIO0 feet, in which was
employed thirty men. The building
was struck squafely In the center
W.
The gas in the tanks y! the completed
ears exploded and large can OF gas
Oline WAS igniied. Ia moment the
entire building WAS ia flames. Four
uG the wOTkmpn were caught In the
debris aud quickly roasted to death
still the storm hurried forward at
the rate oi l00 miles an hour. Some
dozen houses were struck and un-
Al
id winch Ia girls were work
ing. This building was four stories
and hasemen,, 30 feet long by 80
broad, surmnunted 10y n tower reach
ing fully 100 feet from the ground.
II was une of the most important in
'lustrIrs nG the city. The storm cloud
struck this building in the centre Of
its longest side. aud il fell in pieces
a. il II had been built Of empty
boxes, and fully 3D human beings
were buried underneath its crumbIe6
walls aud floors.
The enc that followed can never
I've desrTihea.Girl with broken limbs,
blarkencd faces aud bruised and
bleeding bodies dragged themselves
from the ruins, or were pulled out by
their friends. About lUO were thus
saved, all more ar less injured and
II il believed that at least
eighty men met their death in the
wreck. The usual number Of girls
employed i'm the building, WAS 80,
hut eighty had been dismissed at I
o'clock and had scarcely reached
their homes in safety when the storm
came. The alarm from the mills
brought the fire companies which
had commenced To work at the Read |
ing paint shop, aud fully 1000 citi-
len~ gathered. built b niirPs to dis |
pei the darkness, aud commenced TO |
pile over the bricks and wrettage |
aud taking cut the suffering aud the
lead. la the basement five bodies |
II girls were found PINNED down |
under heavy timbers, their life |
out. One body which was
secured early Ia the search was COM
rle'Ply heheaded. Hut horrible as
VAS the sight Of the mSnRIed dead,
The sufierinRs Of the stiIl living were
wen more terrible and sickening.
The work Of rescue Was continued
Al night. The pay roll OF the mills
i lost and 10 u impossible to state
with eXactuess the number buried
a the ruins.
The silk mills building cost $50
sD four years ago and the Grimshaw
'ruthers Tho held the leasr put SIS
IA worth Of machinery into il. The
nss of the Reading Railway Com
any on it, psint shops IL fully tT5-
~. u u impossible tu estimate the
damage done 20 other buildings In
he city, but il will swell the aggre-
'ate To not less thsn 4SD,OOO.