The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-30
The ''Twister" Travelled Over Course Shaped
Like Letter "s," and Everything in Its
Path for Fifteen Miles Was Laid In Ruin.
First Struck Harper, Where 1t Wrecked
150 Houses, Killed Six Persons
Mortally Wounded Fourteen More, and Thea
Went on to Wellington, Leaving Death and
Destruction in Its Path-Flooded Towns.
TORNADO CASUALTIES.

HARPER, Kan, May 90 Reports from the
country around through which the tornado
of Friday passed demonstrate the losses
to be greater than at first reported. The
course of the storm, as indicated by its
trail, represents an imperfect letter IS"
and swept in that form distance of ct least
fifteen miles. In Garden Plains township
two brothers were picked up and carried
distance of two hundred yards and laid
down almost side by side. One of them
was badly injured in the fall while the
other escaped without a scratch.
Nothing escaped the storms fury. and
great damage was not only done to houses.
and crops, and trees. but thousands OF
dollars worth of stock has been killed and
injured. The nuclens of the tornado began
forming q few miles west of here ct 6:30.
and. for over an hour. the clouds moved
about in great agitation. having north
western tendency. At 7:40 the tornado
assumed its characteristic shape. and st
once commenced its work of destruction.
leaving ruin and devastation In Its trail.
1t struck the city a regular broadside. Its
greatest force was in the northern portion,
where the destruction is complete.
Ii is impossible at present to estimate
the entire loss sustained by the city and
surrounding country with any degree of
accuracy. but men who have travelled over
it's course, say it will not fall far short of
$500. Not more than six out of the
eight hundred or nine hundred residencea
of the city have escaped damage, but q
large majority of them are only slightly
eafi fah hae
nearly $50 houses are total wreck. while
as many more are badly damaged. The
Harper Mercantile Company's building is q
complete wreck and nearly all it extensive
stock of general merchandise Is ruined.
The amount of cyclone insurance in the
town is very light, while in the country 10
Is comparatively nothing. Another serious
loss is the new fourteen n-thousand-d0lla
school house, which is q complete wreck
from the foundation to the roof. The
storm struck the cemetery and swept down
fully two-thirds of the tombstones.
breaking msny of them. There 10
scarcely residence recognizable a.
such on Central avenue from tho
Presbyte terian Church north. About all
the stores in the north half of the
city are in ruins and their contents greatly
damaged. Many of the people are not only
destitute of shelter, but of food and cloth
ing as well. The correct list of the dead so
far as ascertalned up to O'clock this even
ing is as follows: w. L. Stranathan, Mrs.
Thomas Gallagher and her four-year-old
child, Louis Harrison, Mrs. Howard Tom
Inns child.
The supposed fatally wounded are: Mra
Howard 1omliu. Mr.. and Mrs. Felrath. Pete
Girard, Mrs. A. Frey. Mrs. l.. Harrison, Mr..
IL
enson. S. C. Challis. wife and baby, Thomas
Gallagher. The seriously wounded are: 5.
+. Cole. Robert Liebrecht. Peter Corby.
James Dickenson, A. +. Mallory and wife.
Mrs. Minor. Ezra Evans Mrs. Baker. Win.
ME Baker, Mrs. Matthews. w. q. Lind.
Scenes at Wellington.
WELLINGTON. Kan, May 29-Welling.
toms cyclone visitation has made it. for
the time the chief object of interest for all
southern Kansas. Fifteen thousand per-
sops visited this city to-day. 1t is the
common remark of those who have wit.
messed similar scenes that in the extent
and completeness of the destruction 10
transcen6s anything in their experience.
Other like caIamlties have been attended
with greater loss of life. but rarely has .
picture of such utter desolation and ruin
been presented as that seen in the devas-
tated district. The marvel of it all is thas
the loss of life was not fourfold greater.
This is to be attribute to the fact that
the churches and schoOl-houses in the tor
nado's path were all empty and the bust
ness blocks practically deserted, excepting
the two hotels. where eight of the ten cas-.
ualtIes far reported occurred.
The death list remains at the figures
given in the dispatches given yesterday,
with all the injured ones in fair way to
recover. except Mrs. Murphy, the aged
woman who was taken from the burning
ruins of the Coie- Robinson Block. and
Jesse Brown, the coiored barber. The
funerals of six of the tOrnado's victims
Mrs. Sasher, her sister, Miss X little Strahan.
Leonard Adamson. Ida Jones. Horton Up
son and Prof. Jawes Mayer-took place this
afternoon from the Methodist church.
James Hasty was buried later in
s,. the DAY pov,, Dy the oda c.,Sa fsil0T.: W:
rites of sepuIture tomorrow. The body
of Thomas Cornwell has been forwarded To
his home near Belle Plaine. and that OF
Frank Campbell to Williamsburg. Ky.
The ruins have been diligently searched.
Tomorrow the work of clearing away the
wreck will be vigorously and systematic.
ally begun. Notwithstanding the charao-
ter of the Cay. since daylight carpenters.
DI1ck-layere anQ Ilu0eEs nave Decu DuBy
making the partially wrecked buildings
habitable. Temporary shelter has been
provided for homeless unfortunates. and
a relief organization has been organized
to raise the necessary funds to keep them
from absolute destitution and want The
Presbyterian aud Lutheran Churches were
we'll protected by tornado policies and will
be rebuilt at once. The twenty thousand
dollar school-ho viii in like manner be
In part restored by the insurance company.
OF tornado insurance on residence and
business property, there was so little as 20
be hardly worth mentioning. The absolute
loss will be quarter OF a million OF dollars.
When the Wichita excursion crowd cams
in during the early afternoon Its members
reported that bulletin had been posted
stating that the conditions were favorable
for another tornado at 4 o'clock. The sky
at that time was q typical Italian sky, and
the Wichita report was treated as q Jest.
At o'clock, however. dense cloud came
up over the southern horizon, which was
heavily charged with electricity. and
great alarm spread among the people. The
calm lnded investigated the report and
found IL correct, for a small but fully de-
velOped twlster was seen travelling rapidly
in northwestern direction. This in-
creased the excitement and the terror. Tho
alarm subsidized somewhat in few minutes.
when the twister had disappeared entirely.
An outside stairway between two build
ings, in which about fifteen people sought
refuge. yielded beneath their weight. but
Ne one was hurt A heavy rstn followed.