The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-29

house at the time and Nick Phyneman.
the owner escaped with his life alone, be
ing badly burned and bruised. To re-
porter he told the following story: Il was
| standing in the bar at the back OF the
| store and was talking to the three men
who are now dead and to two other men.
| About $50 O'Clock we heard a terrible roar
| and a tearing sound and then the house
| rocked back and forth Ben Scheildt
had just said that he was going
! home, but he had scarcely said it
| when the door was blown TO and we were
| caught. l tried to open it but could not.
| My wife and children screamed bat ran
| safely ont the back way. but they had
scarcely gone out before that part of the
house was blown down. We tried the win
dows, but just then the floor fell in and
Schieldt, Sullivan and Deemer went
through to the cellar. Iclung to the side
of the house and escaped through a
broken window with two other men.
| The screams of the men We're terrible to
| hear as they were held in by the roof and
the building rapidly biazed and burnt.
! They cried for help but we could do moth
ing. We tried, but it was in vain, and
! crushed and mangied they burnt TO death
before our eyes. They were soon burnt TO
death, and their horrible cries for help
were soon stopped, but it was terrible.
THE DEVASTATION COMPLETE.
| Inc warehouses OF 1dlbPF-DD. I1eNIN q
/ Co, pork packers, at Fourteenth and Wal
nut, viii probably have to be raised and
rebuilt. On Chestnut, from Thirteenth TO
/ Seventeenth street almost the entire
/ neighborhOod was wrecked. The devaSta-
tiOn through the streets surrounding BaX-
! ter square was complete. st. John ;
| church was completely wrecked, trees in
| the park were uproOted, fountains laid
I fiat, and the very mud from the streets
was dashed against the wrecked houses
and walls, Brand * Bethels tobacco
! house, on the south side of the square, is
almost ruined. The freakish tornado took
most OF the Louisville City Railway COM
pany's building at Twelfth and Jefferson
streets, southwest corner, leaving the
north and south ends intact. 1t looks as if
/ an immense scoop had taken out the
middle The track Of the tornado
ended at Twelfth street, on JEFF
| ferSon, and while the destruction be-
tween Eleventh and Twelfth was so terrific.
the block between Twelfth and Thirteenth
was intact except an unrOofed house or
two besides the city railways building.
The residence Of Edmund \. Gibbs, the
contractor Of ll3l West Jefferson, was a
total wreck In the house with him resid
ed his sister, Mrs Clarke and her children.
1t was reported that Mrs Clarke was killed
but the report was denied by neIghbors
this morning who may be supposed to be
considerably hurt, however.
SIGHTS OF sICKENING HORROR.
The scene at the ruins of Virgil Weights
cigar store wreck this afternoon when the
four mangled bodies of the Louisville hotel
laundry girls was found simply ter
rible. \ huge mass of humanity actuated
by curiosity. made a rush for the debris
when it was announced that the bodies
were. proUuding and it took. the
moral suasion Of squad of po-
lice armed with billieS to keep them
back The four unfortunates were found
in the cellar directly in the spot under
what was the second floor front room.
They We're wedged in so tightly that sutfo-
cation must have been swift and picks had
to be called into reqWsitIon to remove
them, 50 tight was the bricks and mortar
pressed around them. They were horribly
cut and maugled
Maggie Ryan was sitting upright and
her face was first fully exposed to view by
the removal of piece of plank. She had
the awful palOr of death on her features
and agony was written in every feature.
Maggie Campbell was also sitting upright.
Mary Grove was lying PROSTATE on her
back and her hands were elevated above
her head As if to shut out the awful
destruction which she saw impending.
The posture was agOniZing. Mary Nc
Ginty lay as if she had thrown herself
face downward on the floor as if to shut
out the awful calamity at any cost. The
women were all tenderly lifted and cared
for. and their bruised forms were as sa-
cred to the busy diggers as if they had
worn silk instead of calico. Their removal
concluded the work of digging for the
present at the site OF the cigar store and
the saloon.
The coroner and corps of assistants he
has pressed into service are asSiduously |
Cerning the dead and missing a can pos |
sibly be had in the awful confusion that /
exists. The reporters have assisted him /
greatly in the work, though there is scarce |
~ man in the terror stricken, gaping /
crowd that hangs about the ruins who can /
tell an intelligent story or whose statement !
the missing and killed can be .
relied upon.
At 9;45 the rescuing party heard cries at /
the rear of the fallen building. Twenty /
anxious men rushed to this spot Beneath /
a mass OF timber and iron roofing smoth- /
cred grOans were heard The crowd went
to work with a Will. In an incredible short
time the strong arms had dragged the
heavy timbers from the Tlace and rolled
back the debris on every side. 4 bout seven
feet beneath the level of the surrounding
pile the form of woman was seen. 4
heavy timber lying across her stomach
pinned her to the wreck. The other tim
JtIN iidti tOTiuOii al dItH dbONe tltT ntt3N .
and prevented her from being crushed TO
death. When the rescuing party reached
her she was still breathing but was uncon- !.
5clOuS. She was quiCklyreScucG and placed
in the No. patrol wagon. None of the
,rOwd knew her. Her face, head and shout
iers were badly cut. but if she is not in
ernally injured she viii probably recover.
She was taken TO the hospital.
Az AUTHORITATIVE STATEMENT
A considerable diversity of opinion as to
lcrual property loss is expressed. The
owest estimates put It at SlOGO.000. the
highest at S3,000,O0J, and the best ground
.d upon facts presented place it at $2.5OO.-
NO. There is almost no insurance
1t was finally voted at the board of trade
Meeting that the chairman Of the general
should prepare a statement to
Ie aUt nOTitive for the use Of the AsSOciat-
d Press. Il is as follows:
TO the People: The calamity that has
,vertakeD the city Of Louisville 10y the
vclCne uf last night spread over a terri
0rv covering a space OF ground some four
hundred yards wide aud three miles in
ength through the business and residence
lalt OF the city The loss of life Is in the
icIghborhoOd, it : believed. of some
twenty-five persons. and the loss To the
itr by the calamity in damage to houses
ma goods iS believed not 10 exceed S2.uUG-
40. While the C9lamitviS a great one. our
irizeuS feel able TO cope with ii and are
lot cast down but viii at once proceed to
epair and resume in the channels now IN
errupJed In al ocher portions Of the
ity business Is rgsuning Its usual chan
.elS.-'
The streets are thronEed with muItitudes
f Sorr0wing people They stand upon the
ornerS with tear dinlmed eyes SolemAIy }