Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-29
AWFUL SCENES Of DEVASTATION
The Kansas Cyclones Work Of
Destruction.
Loss Of Life and Property at Well
ingt0n Is Enormous.
Harper, Raeo and Argonia Also in the
Path OF the Tornado-A Cloud
burst Augmented the
Damage.
BY the Asaociste Prem.

@0s@@@-~~~
Damage.
By. the Associated Press.
WELLNaToN, KAN, May 28.-The de-
struction to life and property by last
nights cyclone was terrible. In the
darkness and confusion last night it was
not possible to realize the extent OF
the calamity. The light Of day, how
ever, invests the scene Of destruction
with q distinct and awful realization of
its scope.
The loss Of life is appalling. The de-
struction Of PROPERTY is great.
The storm was rotary in it's motion,
coming from the southwest. It descend
ed on the city with appalling force, sud-
denly rose, sucking everything mp, and
as suddenly dropping it. Trees were
torn from their roots, and houses spun
around; freight cars were lifted and
carried 200 feet; stoves were lifted up
to the second stories. In one instance
horses were taken up and deposited on
. two-story building. A little child was
taken ont Of its cradle and carried two
blocks, and deposited on the ground un-
injured. 7sa
AWFUL DESTRUCTION.
Itwas O'Clock when the tornado de-
scended on the town. The Lutheran
church was turned completely over.
The court house was demolished. The
Presbyterian church was reduced to
splinters, and Of the Specknock block,
on the principal street, composed Of half
adoxen brick buildings, nothing IL left
but 3 pile OF bricks. mortar aud laths.
The Standard block, consistinR OF six
brick buildings, was completely wrecked.
The Wellington Daily Mail and the
Summer County Standard were published
in this block. Their plants are utterly
destroyed, as are also the Monitor Press
and the Voice in the 6pecknock block.
The foundry and stove works were
'leveIed to the ground. On Washington
avenue every house on each side of the
street was unroofed. The opera house
is wreck, and the Phillips hotel is
ruined. Half q dozen or more bodies
will be taken from its debris. The
principal churches are In splinters; the
school house 10 e total wreck. Only one
telegraph wire is in operation.
Messages from Danyille report very
disastrous cyclone ct Harper.
Two hundred men are ct work clear.
ing away the Phillips house wreck. At
least two more bedies are expected to
be found there. A special train brought
twelve physicians from Wichita.
as oGl3 List 0F.THE oAsUALrrHs. f
All the casualties are not yet known,
but the following is % accurate . list %
can now be made; nt,.p
Killed James Hastie; Frank Camp
bell James Mayor, Of Kansas City
Mrs; 6aeher, thebride Of young hus-
band, who isuow raving; Mise Strand,
Mrs. Sasher's sister; Henry Adamson
Fatally wounded - Charles Adamson !;
Nm. Capt. Mahan; Nh. " T. s. Han
nah; Mfs. N. Karp Charles Stoner, 9
Santa Fe conductor; little Maggie, King
Ed Foreythe Sylvia Forsythe; Walter
Forsythe; ex-Eheriff Thralb; child of
Mrs. Robert Millard; James Miller,
Republican candidate for attorney gem
eral, leg and arm broken; Lieutenant
French and Cadet Simmons, Of the SAL
walton Army; Matte Hodges; Guy
Colby; Dick Weaver; Carrie Mitchell;
E. ]. Forsythe. eaS Il
Missing: Professor Mayer and Hart
Upson.
Forty or fifty more are injured. but
not seriously.
THE PROPERTY LOSS. =
Az to property, inthis city alone halk a
million dollars damage was done. Near
ly al the houses and goods in the city
were destroyed. A cloudburst, which
followed the cyclone, completed the de-
struction. Reports from the country
west Of here are very discouraging while
there ID no definite news, the indications
are that the destruction was terrible.
It ie safe to say that tI1b0 buildings were
wrecked and as many more partially de-
molished.
The greater portion Of the city is com
pletely devastated. The entire commu-
nifty, consisting of 5000 to 5000 people,
was thrown into CONSERVATION. The
shouts of the rescuers mingled with
the cries of the suffering, while the un-
hurt rushed from their homes, partially
dressed. Az soon az the wind subsided
every available man in the city engaged
in the work Of rescue under the leader
ship of George Whistler, president of
the council.
D.
OTHER TOWNS DEVASTATED.
Topeka, Kan, May 28.-Meagre ad.
vices to the Santa Fe road state that the
cyclone which demolished Wellington,
also struck Harper and tOrgonia. The
latter is Q town of 760 inhabitante in
Summer county the former the county
seat Of Harper county, has .2300 inhabi-
tants. 1t is not known whether there
was any loss of life, but : train which
took physiciane from Wichita to Well
ington, has gone on to these places with
all the doctors who can be spared.
THE TORNADO. AT HARPER.
HUTCHINSON, Kan, May 2S.-At 7:4O
O'Clock last night terrible tornado
burst upon Harper, accompanied by
rain and hail. Nearly all the business
houses In the city were either totally
destroyed or badly twisted. Both the
Santa Fe and the Athison and Southern
depots were entirely blown away. The
end was blown out of the fine school
building. A church was wrecked and
many hne residences ruined.
Patterson's hotel was blown down and
the opera house and rolling mill de-
strQyed! Will Stevenson had his neck
broken Seven deaths are reported and
many people were badly injured. All
communication is cut OF for twelve
miles, and the wires are still down.