The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-20
AWFUL HAVOC.
Pennsylvania Towns Struck by
a Terrific Cyclone.
Over a Score Of Persons Killed and
Many Others Injured.
Portions Of RilkeSbarre In Absolute Ruins.
The Village OF SummerVille
Annihilated.
Special Dispatches to THE MORNING CALL.

WILKEsBARRE Pa.), Aug. 10. = At
o'clock this afternoon the most terrible
cyclone that was ever experienced in this
locality struck this city. 1t came up the
river, and the suddenness of its coming
was one Of its awful features. The
heavens were as black as night and the
wind blew with most frightful velocity.
Whole rows Of trees were blown down.
Following this, hundreds of houses were
unroofed, partially blown over or COM
petely demolished and worse than all,
visitation of death was sent upon number
of people. Large districts in several Sec
tions of the city are in absolute ruin and
women and children are in the streets cry
ing and wringing their hands in absolute
dismay.
The damage will reach hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. Passenger trains and
locomotives at the depot were blown
over and every wire in the city of the
electric light. telephone and telegraph COM
panies is down. The devastation Is to he
compared with nothing in the memory OF
the oldest inhabitant. Everybody is re-
joicing that no fires as yet have taken place,
for the streets are impossible with trees
and fallen buildings, and the engines could
not be drawn through them.
The total death list so far as ascertained
is twelve. Four men are known to have
been killed in the Hazard Wire-rope Works.
A house on Scott street, occupied by miners,
who had just returned from work, fell In
and three of the inmates were killed. The
huge smokestack oPthe Kytle planning mills
fell on i man and two horses aud all were
killed. little colored girl was killed by a
falling building on South Main street. Two
men suffered death by the falling of por-
ton OF Stegmaier's brick brewery, and a
third incurred the same fate through the
almost complete demolition OF 5. j.. Browns
brick business block on Market street.
There are undoubtedly fifteOn or sixteen
others killed
Many poor people suffered heavy losses
and it will be months before all the damage
done can be repaired. Fully 200 buildings
have been blown down or otherwise dam
aged. Many of the structures were of large
size and of great value. The Murray shaft
farmhouse was blown down and the shaft
stopped. There are twenty-seven men in
the mine. but it is hoped they can be got
out safely.
Reports have come from Sugar Notch,
mining town three miles from here, that the
destruction of property was terrible and
fifteen persons were killed.
~ diSObo MIL Nitth, lOul tniiCo
from here. the cOal-breakers in all direc-
tiOns have been more or less damaged.
Terrible was the scene in the Hazard
Wre-rope Works. The dead and dying lay
on the lour, and heaTtTending cries and
groans filled the air in the room. The cy-
clone struck the rear of the large brick
building, about 200 men being employed in
the works. The roof and side walls were
crushed in and lay in ruins all about.
Bricks and pOnderous machinery were
LII han IN
imminent the men rushed for the door, but
many of them were caught in the ruins. As
soon as calm succeeded the awful cyclone.
men rushed into the ruins and carried the
injured into portion OF the building which
was untouched and laid them upon the
floor and physicians were summoned.
ST. MaTy's Cathedral is a total wreck.
The number killed will reach ten. Tele-
graph wires are down in all directions and
communication is shut off. The names OF
those killed as far as known are:
BENDENMEYER, BURRELL, salesman.
FRITZ, JOHN f., Ia )orer.
FRANTZ ADAM.
HAMILTON, GEORGE.
HAMILTON, GEORGE.
KERN, JOSEPH, milkman.
kLEINHAUFF, JOHN.
MARTIN EvI, baker.
ROUSE, SAMUEL, machinist
RITTENMEYER, PETER.
THOMPSON, MAMIE.
A Hungarian entered barn for shelter
and the large double doors We're blown in,
killing him instantly and fatally injuring
two others.
Berlin Vandermask had his head crushed
and legs broken, and cannot recover Max
Cramer was fatally injured BY falling
wall. Jessie HUuser had her legs broken
and was internally injured by falling
roof. Nj. Brinkman was injured internally.
Ambrose Constine, a liquor-dealer. was in
jured internally.
Mayor Sutton tonight issued proclama-
tion calling the Ninth Regiment to assem-
BILE at the armory Tomorrow to aid in the
supervision of the city.
The estimated loss at midnight is half u
million, although it may reach higher
figure. The suffering is great.
A terrible raln-stOrm set In shortly after
the cyclone and drenched the exposed prop
erty which lies in its track. At midnight
the rain is pouring down in torrents.
A special to the Record from New
Milford, Susauehanna County, says the
cyclone struck that region at precisely the
same moment Wilkesbarre was struck.
Farmer Coles house was demolished and
Mrs. Cole killed. His family was i'm
prisOned in the wreck and all badly hurt.
A dispatch to the Record says W tie cyclone
struck Harveyvlle, killing two persons.
The Methodist Episcopal Church and the
adjoining parsonage were blown down.
Nearly all the houses in the village and the
buildings Of farmers were unroofed and the
crops ruined.
SCRANTON Pa.), Aug. 19.-Trainmen on
incoming trains report that the village of
Summerville, thirty miles west of Scran-
ton, was struck by the cyclone and totally
annihlated. Engineer Fischer. in giving
an account of his experiences while
passing through the cyclone, said the
engine was lifted from the track, the cab
blown off and all the windows in the cars
were crushed in by the terrible force Of the
wind. Two of the train-hands were seri-
ously injured. Any definite account of the
storm or damage done by it is difficult to
down