Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-18
SWEPT By A GALE
a Cyclones Terrible Work in
the Lone Star State
IT DEALS OUT DISASTER
Five Persons Known to Have Been killtd
and Many Hur,-A Hufranee in
New Zealand.


GAISEsyrILk. Tex, May News
has reached here OF a terrible cyclone
In the Turkey valley in Greer county.
IL swept from one end OF that
fertile spot 20 the other, liter
ally demoiishing everything In its
path. Even dIg-outs were unroofed
and people lifted ont of them
aud hauled along the ground for in
credible distances. The extent of the
loss of life cannot vet be ascertained-
Five. however. are known TO have been
killed and ten probably fatally hurt.
Hardly person in the valley escaped
without injury of some kind. Collins are
being hauled from the nearest towns.
In New Zealand
WEILISaroN. May IA terrible
hurricane has passed over central New
Zealand and the damage done is eror-
nous. Long before the hurricane broke
the barometer gave warning OF
its coming, but very little could
be done TO protect property from
its fury. Gigantic trees swayed
almost to the ground beneath the
force of the wind and then. when
they could stand the strain no longer,
snapped like dried twigs in the hands
of a strong man. In some eases the
whole tops of trees were whipped of,
caught up and carried OF to wind
ward. floating on the gale as
easily and lightly as q bit OF
down in the summer breeze.
Naught could be heard above the din
of the clements. The rain fell in
sheets, thrashing remaining leaves
from the trees, causing the small
streams and brooks to become rushing
torrexts. All along the coast the sea
waters were discolored by the quanti-
ties of earth carried into them from the
shore.
Railroads and Crops Damaged.
Long stretches of the railroad en-
bankment were washed away Ivy the
rushing waters and traffic was COM
pletely suspended until section
hands could be hastily dispatched
to where the breaks in the line
had occurred to patch up the damage.
Owing to the fury with which the
storm ragged the work could not be well
done and traffic is still greatly inter
rupted. Heavily loaded trains cannot
pass over the line until the repairs arc
effected in a more thorough manner.
Thousands of wild birds. helpless and
frightened, were blown out to sea. there
to perish.
Flew for Hours.
Hour after hour passed and there was
no abatement in the hurricanes tori
bic energy. Muttering and roaring, and
anon wailing and shricking. the winds
worked their destruction. 1t is
late autumn in the antipodes
and in many places crops were
awaiting the hands of the harvesters.
Hundreds of acres of wheat. corn,
oats and barley were ruined, the stand
ing crops haing Seaten down and badly
twisted and matted. At sea the scene
defied description. The vessels in the
ofing. which before the gale could be
seen lying under storm sails, were soon
lost to view in the swirling cloud rack.
Great Loss Of Life Feared.
After the storm had passed it was
found that many coasting vessels had
been piled up on the shores, and it is
believed that the loss of life when al
the details have been received
will provo to have been very heavy.
Reports from all parts of the couu-
try visited By the hurricane show
that the buildings have been either
blown down or unroofed in every diroc
ton. Tho money damage caused by
the storm cannot be estimated. 1t is
thought that many of the men in the
wood-cutting camps in the forests have
been killed by falling trees, but no lie
tails from the interior are as yet prac
ticable owing TO the washing out Of
roads and the cutting on Of all means
of communication.