St. Paul daily globe., 1891-06-21
DESOLkTI0NAND RUIN
Southeastern Kansas Afflicted
by the Storm Kings
Wrath.
Property and Crops Ruined
and Terrible Loss OF Life
Feared.
The Losses viii Amount to
Hundreds OF Thousands
in Money.
Some Other Sections Get q
Touch Of the Same Hard
Fortune.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, June 20-The
southwestern part of Kansas was visited
by terrible storm last night, causing a
terrible loss of life. much damage to
property, and serious damage TO grow
ing crops. The storm was of different
natures at different places. AT Fort
Scott it took the form of cloudburst, at
Arkansas City a cyclone, and at Emporia
q tornado. Its effects were the same,
however, wherever its fury was felt.
Towns were flooded, houses blown over.
barns washed away, fences swept away
and crops washed out and laid low. At
Fort Scott water poured down for half
ali hour, the storm having the appear
ance of d clOndburst. The dam i'll Buck
1un, which flows through the center of
the city, was washed away and the
creek was SwelIed to vast proportions,
flooding the bottoms four or five feet
deep and endangering the lives of
many families who reside there
The occupants of the houses escaped as
best they could. Some climbed trees.
while others were rescued by rescuing
parties in boats. One of the relief boats
was manned by John Connalin, .Jr., b.
W. Bowman and Joe Osman, members
OF the tire company, who bravely went
out
Into the Raging Torrent
to save lives. Their boat proved leaky
and had to be abandoned, two of its oc-
cupants saving their lives by clinging to
trees. Connalin caught hold of branch
which gave away, and he was lost in the
darkness and has not since been seen.
There is no doubt that he was drowned.
He was fine young man of nineteen
years and was the only son of
one of Fort SCOTS oldest citi-
Zens. No other lives were lost, but
the damage to crop property was
great. Farmers from the surrounding
country report great loss to the stand
ing crops. 1t is estimated the loss is
S150,000. Several bridges on the Fort
Scott IL Wichita road were washed out.
The damage to the Memphis road is
enormous. at Arkansas City, south
west from Fort Scott, the
storm developed into cyclone.
Little damage was done in the
city Itself, but barns and houses ont of
town were damaged. The homes of
John Bowman, L. l.. Noonnet. Sam
Brown. *. hersey and William Brown
were wrecked. All the inmates es-
capped without serious injury except
Mrs. Elizabeth Bowman. mother of
John Bowman. who was fatally in
Jured. The wife of Mr.. Bennett was in
the cellar and was
Buried Under the Wreck
but escaped unhurt. A large number
of barns were also wrecked. The dam
age to crops in radius of twenty miles
from this ctylS estimated at about S50.-
600. Much of the wheat was in the
shock, and although drenched with rain
a great part of it can be saved The
principal damage was to growing
crops. At Emporia the storm was
tornado accompanied by an eXtraordi-
nary rain. Three and a half inches of
water fell in little less than two hours
Nearly every cellar in the city was
flooded and the lower floors of many.
houses were covered with water, as the
rain poured down faster than it could
be drained. The wind blew hurricane.
but did no particular damage in the
city beyond breaking down shade trees
and shrubs. In the country crops
were washed to the ground and
along the creeks (which overfiowed
their banks were washed out
and ruined. The damage is estimated
at $4,000. At Chabute, the worst wind
and rain storm ever known struck the
town and lasted about forty minutes.
Several buildings were badly damaged.
About 2,00O acres of wheat near the
Neosho river, east of the city, were
ruined, entailing
a Loss of $4,000.
At Osceola. Mo-, there was a terrible
storm Of wind and rain. About three
inches of water fell. flooding cellars in
the city and doing much damage to
crops. The storm could not have come
at worse time for crops. Wheat was
almost ready for the reaper, and some
had been cut and stacked. Much of
the crop where the storm ragged
is Il total loss, and the rest has been
badly damaged. Corn had Just
got fair start and was in
no condition to withstand a heavy
storm. Much of it was washed away,
and much will have to be replanted.
Comparatively meager reports have
been received from the country dis
tricts, where the storms occurred, and a
full estimate of the damage TO crops
cannot be made. From the facts at
hand, however, it is estimated that the
total loss will not fall far short of full
lalf-miliOn of dollars.