, 1892-05-28
TERRIFIC CYCLONE.
Destruction Of Life and Property
in Kansas.
frees Twisted Like Reeds, Houses
Demolished and Freight Cars
Lifted up and Carried Before
the Fury of the wind.


the Fury of the wind.
WELLINGTON, Kas., May 28-The destruc-
ton to life and property by last nights cy-
clone is terrible. In the darkness and con-
fusion of last night it was not possible to
realize the enormity Of the calamity. The
light of day invests the scene ofdestruction
with distinct and awful realization of its
scope. The loss of life is appalling, and
the destruction to property is great The
storm was rotary, coming FROM the south
west, and descended on the city with terri
BILE force. 1t suddenly rose sucking every
thing up, and as suddenly dropping it..
Trees were torn from their roots, houses
were spun around, freight cars lifted and
carried 200 feet, and stoves lifted up to
second stories. In one instance horse
was taken up and deposited on a two-story
building. A little child was taken out of
a cradle, carried two blocks and deposited
on the ground uninjured.
The loss to property in this city alone is
half million. Nearly all the large stocks
of goods in the city were destroyed by a
cloud-burst which followed the cyclone.
1t is safe to say fifteen buildings were
wrecked, and as many more partially de-
molished. All the casualties are not yet
known, but the following list of the killed
and wounded is as accurate as can now be
made; Mrs. Sasher, Miss Strand, Mrs.
sasher's sister; Henry Adamson, James
Weaver, Ida Jones, fatally wounded; Chas.
Adamson, Mrs. Captain Mahan, Mrs. ]. T.
Hanna, Mrs. Murphy, Chas. Stoner.
Santa Fe conductor; Little Maggie King,
Ed. Forsythe, Silva Forsythe, Walter For
sythe, ex-Sherif Thralls and children,
Mrs. Robert Millard, James Miller, repub-
Ican candidate for attorney general, leg
and arm broken; Lieutenant William
French and Cadet Simmons, of the Saliva
ton Army; Matte Hodges, Guy Colby,
Dick Weaver, Carrie Mitchell; E. J. For
sythe is missing; Prof. Mayer and Hart
Upson. Forty or fifty more are injured,
but not seriously.
The greater portion of the city is COM
pletely devastated. The entire community
consisting of 5000 to COCO people were
thrown into CONSERVATION by the shouts
of rescuers mingled with the cries of the
suffering, while the unhurt rushed from
their homes partially dressed. AS soon as
the wind subsided, every available man in
the city engaged in the work of rescue un-
der the leadership Of George Whittier, pres
ident of the council At O'Clock, when
the tornado descended on the town, the
Lutheran church was turned completely
over, the court house demolished, the Pres
byterian church reduced to splinters and
the Specknock block, on the principal
street composed of halfa a dozen brick build
ings, was completely wreked, nothing be-
ing left but pile of brick, mortar and laths.
The Standard block, consisting of six build
ings was also completely wrecked. The Well
ington Daily Mail, and the Sumner County
Standard, was published in this block.
Their plants were utterly destroyed. as
were the Monitor, Press and Voice, in the
Specknock block. The foundry and stove
works, were leveled to the ground. On
Washington avenue every house on each
side of the street was unroofed. The opera
house was wrecked and the Phillips hotel
ruined. Over half a dozen bodies have
been taken from its debris The principle
church is in splinters, and the school
houses a total wreck. Only one telegraph
wire is in operation.
Messages from Danville report a very dis
astrous cyclone at Harper.
Two hundred men are at work clearing
away the Phillips house wreck At least
two more bodies are expected to be found
there. A special train thi smorning brought
twelve physicians from Wichita.
Topeka, May 28.-Meagre advices to the
Santa Fe road state that the cyclone which
demolished Wellington also struck Harper
and Argonia. The latter is town of $50
inhabitants in Summer county, and the
former is the county seat Of Harper county,
and has 23O0 inhabitants. 1t is not known
whether there is any loss of life, but the
train which took the physicians from
Wichita to Wellington have gone to those
places with all the doctors who can be
spared.