The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-17
A Destructive Storm Passes Over
the East and Northwest.
Houses Carried Away Bodily by the
Furious Hurricane.
More than a Hundred Lives Lost at
Reading, Pa.
Even the Navy Yard at Brooklyn
Worstsd by the Wind.

1t was OF short duration, DuC udLnaSoO
property 20 the amount of $500, goo.
Houses were unroofed, awnings torn
down and several buildings were
wrecked. The storm came from the
west. The wind had avolocity of seven
ty five miles an hour and was accom-
panied by a raw and chilling rain fall.
In the heart of the city where the
buildings are nigh and compact the
storm rounded the corners with such
q terrific force as to carry every oDSta-
Gle before it. In several instances wa
CONS, the drivers of which had sought
shelter WERE overturned and the har-
ness on the animals attached completely
ripped off. a woman in attempting to
cross Third street at Walnut WAS pick
ed up and thrown violently against an
iron fence and considerably injured.
AS far as can be ascertaiDed no one was
fatally injured, though quite lumber
were hurt. The most damaging result
of the storm was to the Mt. Pleasant
school building. The entire roofing,
and cupalo were lifted off and carried
several hundred feet, pieces of scant-
ling being driven through weather
boarding Of houses on the Opposit side OF
the street. When the storm struck
the school building there were over
four hundred children busily engaged
at their studies. The edifice shook as
il it would be twisted to pieces. Moth
ing could stop them and a panic was
the result, but fortunately all were
gotten out without serious enjury,
though many were badly bruised.
HOUSES CARRIED AWAY.
WHEELING, w. Va, Jan. 10.-The
storm yesterday did a great amount of
damage in this city and neighboring
towns and surrounding country. Roofs
are blown away and telegraphic COM
munication is seriously interfered with.
There was little rain here, but at Park
ersburg and points below water fell in
perfect deluge and the streams are
badly swollen.
At Belleville one family narrowly es-
capped death by falling house.
Reports continue to come in of great
damage by the storm throughout West
Virginia counties touching on the
Ohio, and in eastern Kentucky. No
loss of life has been reported, but
buildings have been unroofed or 9th
erwise seriously injured, and in many
cases houses were carried away bodily.
On the river several steamboats, We're
blown ashore. The fury of the wind
was so great in this city that a train of
loaded freight cars at the Block tobac-
co works were run along the rails for a
square.
OVER A HUNDRED KILLED.
READING, Pa, Jan. 9.-Bulletin.-A
cyclone passed over this city doing con-
siderable damage and killing more than
100 people. A silk mill in which $50
girls were employed blew down just be-
fore the hour for quitting work. Every
thing is in confusion. The loss of life
is probably much heavier than at first
reported. About the same time there
was an explosion and fire in the same
neighborhood, by which eight men were
burned to death.
AS BAD AS FIRST REPORTED.
READING, Pa, Jan. 10.-There is
mourning and sorrow in many house
holds in Reading to-day. A pail of
death hangs over the city. Fathers
and mothers, brothers and sisters, rel
atives and friends, are grief-stricken
over the wreck of last night. Over
one hundred spirits are hushed forever
in death a. a result of the wreck and
ruin wrought in this city by the storm.
The cyclone left the entire city in
darkness, which was only relieved by
the electric lights and huge bonfires
which shed their lurid glare on the
scene of death. All night long brave
ana willing hands assisted in the work
of rescue OF the dead. The disaster is
fully as bad as reported in the dis
patches last night. The list of fatal
cases will fully reach one hundred
and perhaps more. The under
takers establishments are flied with
victims. The physicians are all busy
and many private houses have beer
opened for the accommodation of the in.
jured. When the first gray streaks OF
early morning revealed Il smiling sur
everything was in direct contrast
with the fury of last night. To-day
everything is again bright and glorious
in the heavens, as though mocking the
work of last night. The Polish church
disaster; Of several months ago, was
one OF the most horrible accidents that
has startled this community. But the
loss of life by that fatal .caVe-in sinks
into comparative insignihcance wheI
placed in parallel with the awful
visitation of last evening.
Words of sympathy and heartfelt
tokens of coincidence will doubtless not
be wanting but they will be meaning less
expressions unaccompanied with some
substantial offer of assistance to some
of the families who have been So sud.
denly and heavily stricken. For the
purpose of obtaining this needed aiC
Mayor Kenny, at 2 O'Clock this morn.
ing, issued proclamation asking as
sistance.
The work of rescue was greatly re-
tarded from the Singular manner in
which the silk mill collapsed. The bull
works were bodily crushed down, fall
ing in on itself in one mass. Not yes
tage of the walls are standing above
the stone foundation. The rafters anC
timbers of the flooring projected in al
directions. AS the building was steam
heated the ruins did not take fire. 9th
erwise not one of the unfortunate.
could possibly have escaped death il
the most appalling form.
Teams of every description, omini-
buses, funeral coaches, fire wagons
10,
were pressed into service and running
rapidly TO and from the scene of thu
disaster all night long, bearing the
bodies of the wounded and dying anC
dead to their homes or to the differ
emit holpitals. From the statement o.
some of those who escaped from tn,
building it appears to have gone dowI
in an instant. There was louC
crash of breaking timber and persons il
the mill all rushed toward the maiI
doors. A good many of them sue
ceeding in getting out while four girl!
saved themselves by jumping from TIT
second story windows. The frs
rumbling was followed instantly b,
the falling OF the building, its upper
stories going first with its human load
Had it not been for the fact that bu
few of the hands were on the third AN,
fourth floors, scarcely a life woul,
have been saved Mr.. George Grimshav
one or the proprietors of the mill
who was in the office at the time, bare
ly escaped with his life, having re
ceived several severe wounds on tn
head. lie stated that there were, L
the best of his knowledge, about tw
hundred and seventy-iiVe persons
principally girls and boys, in the estab
.lishment at the time of the occurrence
Up to s O'Clock this morning a larp
majority of the victims are still in III
ruins. George Grimshaw, Just befor
daylight, gave out the list of killed AN
injured and missing reported to hiT
upto few hours before. The list aC
counts for about two hundred of tn
employees.
GENERAL IN THE NORTHWEST.
CHICAGO, Jan. 10.-Dispatehes frnE
many points in Michigan, Indiana. IL