New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-02
SWEPT BY FEARFUL WINDS
WESTERN STATES RAvAGED BY ToRNAbOEs.
SCORES OF PEOPLE KILLED TOWNS BLOWN AWAY
AND DESTRUCTION SPREAD OVER
VAST TERRIToRY-KAYsAs THE
CHIEF SUFFERER.

Kansas City, Mo-, April IA tornado of fearful
dcstructivcncss swept over Kansas last night.
Butler County seems to have been the scene of the
greatest havoc. The town of Towanda was entirely
wiped OF the face of the earth, and Augusta, a
few mics distant was bufetcd out Of all semblance
to a town. Not house or building was left stand
ing in Towanda The town was asleep when the
storm swept down. raized everything in it's PATH
and left dead bodies lying in its wake. Four bodies
have been recovered from the ruins already
Twenty persons are fatally hurt and forty mora
seriously injured besides large number more or
less manned.
Towanda is village OF 300 inhabitants, stu
ated ten miles west of Eldorado. The storm laid
the whole town flat with the earth, and left not
single house standing. OF the eighty families
comprising the population, there is not one to-
night that is not either mourning for dead
dying member sorrOwing with the suffering.
Four persons were killed outright and several are
so badly injured that they cannot live. Tie killed
are: Herschl Cupp, William Bartlcy DR.. d. ID.
Godfrey and an infant child Of John Blake.
Those fatally wounded are a little girl, blown
from the second story of hotel a distance of 30
feet, badly crushed Mrs. G.. A. Robbins skull
fractured by flying TIM eis Elmer Hahn, internally
injured; Mrs. Walter Mooney, head crushed;
Alice Thornton, George Conelius and wife, badly
I crushed.
Among those seriously injured A. Roche,
Mrs Tcne Carey, Mrs. John Kerr II. II. Guber
and wife, G. c. Westcott, Louis Peterborough.
Mr.. apd Mrs. j. n. Sorter Frank Chccl and wife,
frorgc Maxwell and three children. William
Mitchell, wife and child Mrs. Homer Bck. Mrs.
Horton and her young son, and Postmaster Gordon.
Many Others were less seriously hurt Physicians
attending the wounded. They ca.nc from
Eldorado the first train, and but for their
timely assistance many more Of those injured
must have died.
AZ Strong City the storm ragged furiously. The
houses Of Joseph Clare and James GlaSscn
completely demolished Giasscn's wife, and
child killed outright. Several others were
injured but none fdtol,y.
AZ Augusta three persons were killed outright
Harmon Hoskins. James Barnes and the infant
child of William Rhodes, who was blown out Of his
mother's arms and dashed against brick wall.
Rhodes himself is fatally injured is also the wife
Of Harmon IIosllins. Fifteen others were hurt
less seriously, according to present reports,
hut all wires are down. and il Is impossible TO get
any detailed account from either place
Apparently the same storm touched a. Kiowa
ond Wellington. Ia Kiowa the Missouri Pacific
depot and a number of dwellings and buildings
were demolished, and though no loss OF life is
known. several minor mishaps reported. The
damage 10 property is said to be great.
Wellington and vicinity suffered ccnsi lcrabiy
aud several people were killed.
William Titles house, south Of Wellington.
was blown 10 spnters, and Little and four
pLil.lrrn wee k,'sd
joe Waltons house was picked up and thirteen
of tie occupants more or less injured. d" SAM
Bu,tcr~orths housc and its occupants acre carried
200 ,nrds in thr air and somc Of fhe fouilv Xcra
fatally hurt
The storm. az far as can be determined. swept
across the country from the Indian Territory in
thc southwest part of Barber County, Kan, TAX
inc the little town Of kiowa in its path In a
northeasterly direction il passed through Frazier
County, and through the centre Of Sumner County
Bending bow. it passed almost directly north,
through the remainder Of Sumner County and
along the western part of Butler County Viii
lageS and farmh0uscs were carried away as it
swept along The tornado continued in Kansas
and the northwestern part Of Missouri to-day, but
was less destructive
dispatch from Fort Scott states that South
eastern Kansas WAS visited last night by one Of
the strongest wind storms for years No reports
Of injuries TO persons have been received, though
many country barns and their outbuildings and
hay-tacks. and occasionally wcll-constructed
dwelling were destroyed.
The wind az lcaycnworth at noon had become
Il hurricane. and blew away part of the roof
of the Great Western Stove Works. and work
was suspended for the day.
The roof of the Great Western Machine Works
in this city was lifted several feet at once and
dropped again. Men were put To work TO
securely anchor it. The tin roof of Carwird's
Opera House and the roof of the Caldwell build /
inc Inin nat
AZ st. Joseph nearly every telegraph and tclc-
phone wire in the city has been torn down, num- |
crous small houses demolished, and many large
ones unroofcd. Thousands Of dollars worth OF
damage was caused by the breaking Of plate glass
in store windows. In the eastern part Of the |
city bricl, house was blown down burying |
1ile Bushnell aged seven, and seriously iniuring |
her. At the factory OF ToOtc Hosea X Co..
there a stampede OF the several hundred |
girls About 10 o'clock a violent gust Of wind /
tore Il portion of the roof OF the factory. No
one was injured however.
4 dispatch from Lawrence. Kan. says THE
wind has been blowing gale here since midnight
taken by Chancellor Snow of the
State University, showed that the wind at times
attained u velocity Of cghty-four miles an hour.
Many buildings were nnr00fed and outh0uses de-
molishetl The roof Of the Haskell Hospital was
blown away, and IL was necessary to aIch0r the
building with cables to prevent it blowing over
30 one was injured, and the patients at the hos
oital are being cared for elsewhere.
In Kansas City the wind reached velocity of
,xty-four miles. The damage consisted princ
,allv of roofs blown away and plate glass windows
broken The roof of the High School at Locust
md Twelfth sts was blown of. There was no
,anc but the scholars dismissed. it being
cared that the building Unsafe EXamna-
ion, however, proved that the structure had been
The roof of an apartmcnt-house at
renfh and Charlotte SITS was blown away and =
,rocery store at Ninth-st. and Troostave lost its
oof and portion of it's front. Signs were blown
lown all over tho city, some of them crashing ,
through costly platc-gasS windows In the centre
+ the business portion Of the city. Other :
yindows were crushed in by. the force OF the {
Wind Telephone wires throushout the city were