Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-06-03
THE NEWS IN BRIEF,
WRECKED BY \ CYCLONE.
A Large Part OF the Towns of yelling
ton and Harper, Kansas, Destroyed.

Probably 1U People in All Were Killed
---Thc Property Loss in the Two
Places VIII Amount to n Million Dol
Inrs---CuriOus Freaks Of the storm.
Wellington. Kansas. was visited Friday
night by a cyclone which killed 20 people
and DESTROYED many houses in less than
two minutes a heavy wind preceded the
cyclone, and everybody was in doors when
the funnel-shaped cloud struck the place
The residence portion of the city, which
was in the line of the storm, was about
two and a half blocks wide, and Is laid
low. In its path were located many of the
best houses in the city, as well as hundreds
of small. comfortable. though unpreten-
tious homes. All are laid on common
level, and their late occupants form wan
derinC army of homeless, clotheless citi-
zens. Every home left standing is a hos
pital for the reception of the injured The
damage TO property is estimated at up
wards of 100000.
A solid brick block containing half
dozen stores was completely wrecked Fire
broke out in the ruins of one building and
a woman was burned to death. The OF
fees of the four local newspapers were de-
molished The greatest loss of life in a
single building was at the Phillips house.
from the ruins of which seven bodies were
taken \ dance was in progress at this
place and the merry makers had little time
to escape. Hundreds of people were more
or less seriously injured. Those who were
i'm the most serious condition We're taken
To a temporary hospital but all the phvsi-
clans in town could not attend To those
who were i'm need. Scalp wounds and lac
eratiOns were left to be treated 10y yOlun-
teers. The groaus and cries that went up
from that building were terrible. An at
tempt was made 10 keep the hall clear Of
all but the TeScuers. surgeons their assist
ants and messengers. This added to the
agony, for i'm a short time after the catas-
trOphe took place the streets were crowded
with people searching for friends and rela-
tives.
Wellington is the county seat of sum
ner county, and has population of over
. 10000 1t is in the centre of "a thickly
settled agricultural district. 1t is the most
prominent town in southern Kansas.
There are many incidents OF the storm
which are remarkable. one man was found
in the ruins of the Phillips house on sun
day. He had taken refuge in a box when
the storm approached, and although buried
in the debris beneath pile of brick he had
air and was alive. not badly injured. one
man was struck by a big pane of plate
glass and cut entirely in two.
Another strange freak of the cyclone
was its method of handling the infant
child OF Henry Bower. The Bower HON,
was unroofed and the baby taken from it,
cradle. carried four blocks and laid on the
green grass in the mayors yard, where il
was found, crying in the heavy rain storm
IL. Irrraf
Twenty freight cars were standing in tn,
Rock Island yards Ten OF them wer,
taken in one direction and ten in another
the two lunches being found mile apart
The Rock Island lumber ward was one o
the biggest yards in Kansas. The stock i
scattered all over Sumner county. no
enough OF it remaining in the limits OF tn
yard to build hen house
The visitation at the town OF Harpe
was similar 10 that at Wellington. but tn
ruin was more complete. Hardly build
ing in the town escaped demolition. Sey
eral lives were lost. many were seriousl
injured, and scores OF people were slight
+ injured. In the vicinity OF Harper I'll
storm belt was six miles wide. The stou
destroyed - buildings before reachin
Harper. At Harper hundreds of peopl
are without food or shelter. The churche,
opera house and brick blocks were anon
the buildings destroyed.
There was a severe storm at other place
in Kansas and Illinois, but the damage wa
not serious compared with that at Harpt
] and Wellington. The loss at Harper is e.
timated at 100000 and there was but SD
600 cyclone insurance on the property,
b The little village of Crystal Springs nes
Harper, was completely wiped ont of e,
. istenCr.