People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-06-03
DESOLAT|ON!
DEARH-DEALING CYCLONE SWEEPS
THROUGH SUMNER and HAIR
Per COUNTIES.
Eleven Lives Destroyed at
Wellington and Six
at Harper City.
4 Large Number Of Other UnfortunateR
WOunded-Tho Business Sections Of
Both Towns Badly Wrecked.
The Damage to Property at Wellington
Placed at Half Million DollarS-A
Like Total at Harper.
4 Terrible Scene During the Fire at Well
iDgton-A Young Wife Burned 10
Death Before Her Husbands Eyes
Thirty Farm Houses Swept Out Of Exist
enoe Southwest Of Harper - Monu-
ment8 in the Cemetery at the Lat
ter Point Blown DOWn-Ths
Fair Grounds Buildings
D.8trOyed-Destiiu
49, ton and Want.
= Storm Notes
A Terrible Scene During the Fire at Well
iugton-A Young Wife Burned 10
Death Before Her Husbands Eyes
From the Wichita Daily Eagle.

From The Wichita Daily Eagle.
WELLINGTON, May 2S-If all the artill-
cry in the national arsenals had been firing
grape and canisterinto Wellington for the
past fOrty.eight hours the wreck and ruin
could not be so complete as it was this
morning when the gray streaks of tho
dawning day shed sufficient light on th9
scene of devastation to reveal. through the
eye, TO the senses, the full measure of the
ruin that had been wrought by the ell
ragged and ferocious elements. 1t is inn
possible for the brains of those who have
not seen the wreck to conceive its extent
or to form an idea of the peculiar sensai
tons it inspires.
The scene was peculiarly impressive this
morning at 4 O'Clock, when the special
train bearing fifteen doctors came in from
Wichita. Amantle of appalling darkness
Overspread the city and lanterns dimly
burning were seen fitting about, as
though floating in mid-air or carried by
invisible hands. A fire was lighting in
the middle of the street, in front of the
fated Phillips house, and as the gaunt
shadows of men hoped about the circular
edges of its halo no one could fail to re-
member the ghosts and goblens that filled
his youthful imaginatiOns. Every now
and then Il quartette or sixtette of silent
men would solemnly and suddenly wind
around corner or emerge from the dark
ness bearing stretcher with a PROSTATE
form upon it, and you wouldinvoluntarily
halt and shudder and shy away from it
and try in vain to force your flesh from
creeping and crawling and wriggling from
the Soles of the feet to the crown Of your
head. The majesty Of death, as it appears
in form suddenly stricken from the roll
OF the animate, is truly awe inspiring, and
fills tie soul with seriousness that is be.
yond description, particularly when this
form-wrapped ina ghostly white sheet
emerges suddenly from darkness of
Egyptian density. The genius only Of .
Poe could do justice to such subject
When the eastern sun gradually lower
ed the veil of the horizon from his face
and showed to the world a cheerful coun.
tenance-for beautiful sun arose this
morning. as if in mockery of the dismal
pail that overhung this part of the world
the women and childaen timidly ventured
out, the latter clinging tendciously to the
corners Of the aprons of the former, to
view the wreck Every woman had tear
in her eye and burden of sorrow in her
heart They met on corners in groups,
with faces blanched with some peculiar
nervous dread, and there they talked in
subdued tones, as If they were afraid of
awakening the dead. Every sigh and sob
that escaped them sank into the little
souls of their little offspring and miEe
them cling closer to the maternal apron. :
Poor Wellington, the beautiful city tina
stood yesterday in the middle of an emer-
aid ocean of billowy prairie, monument
to the enterprise of her energetic and pro-
grcssive children, is today partially buried
in her own ruins. Some who feign wis
dom may say that she will never recovel
from the blow the elements dealt her. but
these people do not know the spirit of the
men Of Wellington-they do not know The
phoenix-like:proclivities of the capital oil
grand old sumner, with an annual wealth
producing power of an empire. The fer
God decended on Wellington few year,
ago, with fury equal to last nights tor.
nado, and reduced great part of it t,
ashes. But Wellington rose from tn
ashes. She was borne up by the enter
prise of her citizens, and stood forth. the
next dsy as it were, ten times finer cit,
than it was before.
Yes, Wellington will rise from her ruin
as she rose from her ashes; she will b
borne up by the grit and mettle of he
children, and a year hence she will he
more beautiful city than she was yes,er
day, when she was blooming like the ros
that bedecked the soft verdure Of the 200
600 acres of land of which she is the cap
lOl. LUIS 10 q plCulONtOu OdSSu VI Tue IcN
ord Of her past. Her generous bosom wi
yield as good brick as that which ha
been crumbled into dust and the grit G
her sons and the genius of her fair daugh
tiers will build and beautify as many fin
homes as she prided herself in posSessio
of yesterday.
THE STORM.
The storm commenced its work OF rui
and devastation at few minutes after
O'Clock. Its course was from the west an
its roar was terrible to hear. The moi,
Immediately ceased, anda moments dea
calm followed. Then the roar commence
again, and for three minutes everythin
was chaos. There is high ridge in II
western part Of the city, which is occupie
by palatial residences. Immediately eai
of this. and between the opposite hi
where the main part Of the city stand