The Helena independent., 1892-04-02
WRECK AND Ruin
Spread C1ver Kansas and Missouri
by VI. Storm That Ragged
for Hours.
several Small Villages Completely
SWe 'pt From the Face ot
.- the Earth.
oumne County the Worst Sufferer
Fi ON the Ravages OF the
Elements.
Seve' raj Houses In WELLINGTON
W rocked and Many Inmates
Killed or Manned.
Otna pr Flhces IN Kansas visited-st.-
oseph and Kansas City--A Chicago
building Wrecked

ANsAs Cry, April Tornado O. made de-
stft tctiyeness swept over Kansas last night.
isu' fler county seems to have suffered the
gre atest havoc. Tonawanda was wiped off
| the race Of the earth, and Au-
guf fta, four miles distant, bnffeted ont
OF al semblance to it's former self. AT
70 noWanda the town was asleep when the
stt 'fm swept down, and not a house or
OF nld1nR was left standing. The storm
~ lsed everything in its path,
and left dad bodies lying in
y ss wake. Fonr have already been reoov-
red from the ruins searched Twenty
}ersons were fatally injured and forty
more or less seriously. besides a
l'lrge number slightly. At Augusta.
llerman Haskills, James Barnes, and
an infant child of Will Rhodes.
were killed outright. Fifteen others were
hurt moro or less seriously. Wires are all
/ down and it is impossible to get detailed
account from either place.
I In Kiowa, the Pacific depot and
number Of buildings were demolished.
! though no loss Of life is known. Several
nishaps are reported. The damage TO
property was great. AT Wellington, Wm.
Little's house was wrecked and Little and
A
was carried from it's foundation and thir-
teen inmates more o. less injured. Butter
worth'H house. with it's occupants were car
risd several hundred yards and some
fatally hurt. From Indications. the
storm swept across the country from
Indian territory through Barber, HarreY.
summer and Butler counties. Villages and
farm houses were carried away as It swept
along. The tornado continued in Kansas
and Northwest territory, but was less de-
structive. Southeastern Kansas was also
visited BY the most destructive storm in
ten years. No fatalities are reported, but
considerable damage was done.
| Atchlson was visited by tornado to-day
noon; Several buildings were unroofed
and demolished. and signs and awnings
depot was unroofed and the '''ssi sohol 81
astic convent demolished. Thrall
d Co.'s warehouse was destroyed
and the grocery store of
Taylor d Go. is in ruins, The prison roof
molished. A small house in the Missouri
Pacific yards was blown into the river.
Hundreds of chimneys we're blown down
and great deal OF minor damage done.
Fruit suffered badly in the country. No
one was injured. At Leavenworth the
rooted and work suspended for the day.
At st. Joseph mostly every telegraph and
telephone wire in the city has
been torn down. A number
of small houses we're demolished
and large ones unroofed. Thousands OF
dollars of damage was caused by breaking
plate glass in store windows. In the east
ern part of the citv brick house was
blown down, seriously injuring a child. Al
the factory of Toole, Horssa IL Co. there
was stampede of several hundred
girls when tho wind tore q portion Of the
| roof off. No one was seriously injured.
| A dispatch from Lawrence. Kan, SAYS the
wind has been blowing gale there since
midnight. many buildings being uuroofed
and houses demolished.
| The roof of the Haskell hospital was
blown away and it was necessary to anchor
| the building with cables to prsvent it blow
ing over.
In Kansas City the damage consisted
principally OF roofs blown away and
plato glass windows broken. The
roof of the high school ut Locust
and Twelfth streets were blown off. There
was not panic, but school was dismissed,
Signs were blown down all over the oity,
windows i'll the center of the business
portion. Telephone and telegraph
wires are prostrated. There has been no
loss of life. The greatest damage was suf-
fered bv telegraph companies. The West
ern Union repoits no communication what
ever with points west OF the center OF
Kansas and has but few wires
east. Messages are being received
subject to delay. Telegraph poles all along
tho railways east of here are prostrated,
causing woeful tangle OF wires. with
which wiremen struggled all day apparently
with little success