Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-06-02
KILLED AND INJURED.
MOST APPALLING RESULTS OF THE
KANSAS CYCLONE.
Pathetic scenes Witnessed in tho Search
Among the Ruins for Relatives aud
Friends-Doad VIII Number between
Twenty and Thirty.

Twenty and Thirty.
WELLINGTON, Kan, May 20-Details
of the cyclone which struck this city
Friday night show that it was fraught
with great loss OF human life and de-
struction of valuable property. Twelve
bodies have been recovered from the
ruins, and least seventyfve persons,
more or less seriously injured, have been
taken to places of safety. There is now
no doubt that over twenty persons have
lost their lives in the city, while in the
surrounding country, which is thickly
settled, many moro have probably met
the same fate The number of those who
have received injuries will reach above
100, and the financial loss in this city
alone will go far into the thousands of
dollars. Saturday the streets were filled
with crowds Of people who were seeking
friends or relatives, and lamentations
were heard on all sides from those who
had found those whom they were seeking
among the dead, or found that they were
buried under tbs ruins of some building
House after house has been tumbled to
pieces, and travel through the streets
is dangerous, and in some places almost
impossible.
Among the buildings which were COM
hetely wrecked are the First ward school
house, the Presbyterian and the Lutheran
churches, the Smith 81 Spicknell block,
the Cole 81 Robinson brick block, the
Standard building, the Huestie, Burgess
& Stoue stables and more than 100 frame
business buildings and residences The
Cole q Robinson block ruins took fire,
and strenuous efforts were made to rescue
the people known to have been buried
there.
An Appalling Scene.
The most appalling scene was til at at
the Phillips House, where ball was in
progress when the cyclone burst. The
dancers were given little opportunity to
escape from the topping structure. As
the building began to sway in the terrific
gale the people in the ball room made a
frantic rush for the doors. The stairways
and halls were immediately filled by the
frantic men and women, who tore at each
other in their mad rush for the open air.
With the crash Of the walls about and
over them there arose great wall of des-
spair from the imprisoned and doomed
multitude AS the timbers crushed down
upon the stru ggling merrymakers their
hoarse cries we throttlcd by the weight of
the mass of timbers above them. Then
came the silence of death and insensibility,
only to be followed moment later by the
shrill blasts of the tempest as it rushed on
to other destructive work, and the
agonized shrieks of the injured or dying
who were pinned down in the mass of de-
bris.
Those who escaped from the building
began Immediately the work of rescue
Some of those who fed from the build
ing had left wives and sweethearts hus-
bands or brothers behind These they
sought in the pile of bricks and timbers.
AS fast as the bodies were taken out they
were surrounded by crowd of anxious
people, who vainly tried to identify the
napgled remains.
\ meeting of the Salvation Army was
in progress in the hall near the Robinson
block, which also gave way, and it is
known that two were killed. 1t was past
the time for the army to adjourn, but the
storm kept the meeting in. One of the
members was engaged in prayer when tue
cyclone struck the Robinson block. Be
fore any of the soldiers could rise from
their knees the walls of the building gave
way with a crash. How any of them es-
capped alive is a marvel.
The scene at the temporary hospital was
| one such as is rarely witnessed except
upon the battlefield. The floor was satur-
ated with blood which gushed from the
many wounds of the many persons who
| were taken there a. soon as they could be
| eXtricated from = v-'Nc'lcd building
| All the physicians Ia town hastcned to
| the spot, but there were not enough to at
/ tend to all the calls upon them. They
! could in no case afford more than tenn
| porary relief. Not a wound could be
dressed beyond the immediate require
| mentS of the case. In some instances
| limbs were amputated in a hurried man
| ner that was common on the fields of
! Dattlc thirty years ago. Scalp wounds
| and decorations were left to be attended &c
| by volunteers, as he surgeons had THEN
hands full relieving the more seriously
hurt.
The groans and cries that went up from
that building were terrific. An attempt
was made to keep the hall clear of all but
the roscuers, surgeons their assistants
and messengers. This added to the agony
for in short time after the catastrophe
occurred the streets were crowded with
people searching for friends and relatives
Everyone wanted 10 go into the hospital
and with difficulty they were prevented
from crowding in upon the surgeons anC
sufferers.
Loss VIII Be 100000.
ST. LOUIS, May 3O.-The Globe-Demo
Gratis Wellington special says that tn,
loss by the cyclone will aggregate $500, 900
Two hundred brick and wooden building.
were destroyed.