The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-02
Nebraska and Kansas Towns Wrecked
by High Winds.
CHICAGO CAUGHT BY A CLOUDDURST.
4 Large Brick Building Blown Down-Seyeral
Houses Crushed by Falling Walls-Many
Persons Badly Injured.
epeeiai to THE MORNING CALI

KANSAS CITY, April IA tornado of
great destructiveness swept over Kansas
last night. Butler County seems to have
suffered the greatest havoc. Tonawapda
was wiped off the face of the earth and
Augusta, few miles distant. was buffeted
out Of ali semblance to its former appear
ance.
At Tonawanda the town was asleep when
the storm swept down, and not house or
building was left standing. The storm
razed everything in its path and left dead
bodies in its wake. Four already have been
recovered from the ruins searched. Twenty
persons were fatally injured and 40 more or
less seriously, besides g large number
slightly.
At Augusta Herman Haskells, James
Barns and an infant child of W. Rhodes
were killed outright Fifteen others were
hurt more or less seriously. Wires are all
down and it is impossible to get detailed
account from either place.
In Kiowa the Missouri Pacific depot and a
number of buildings were demolished. Sew
erai mishaps are reported. The damage to
property is very great.
At Wellington William Little's house was
wrecked and Little and four children were
killed. Jae Walters house was carried
less injured. Butterworlh's house, with its
occupants. was carried several hundred
yards and some of the inmates were fatally
hurt.
From the indications the storm swept
across the country from the Indian Terri
tory through Barbour, Frazier. Sumner and
Butler counties. carrying away villages and
farmhouses as it swept along The tor
nado continued in Kansas and Northwest
ern Missouri. but was less destructive.
Southeastern Kansas was also visited last
night by one of the most destructive storms
in years. No fatalities are reported but
considerable damage was done.
Tornado at Atchfson.
Atchison was visited by tornado to-day
at noon. Several buildings were unroofed
and demolished and signs and awnings
scattered in every direction. The Santa
Fe depot was unroofed. the Schol-
astic convent demolished, Thrall & Co.'S
warehouse was destroyed and the grocery
store OF Tavlor & Co. is in ruins. Tie
prison roof was carried off and the buildin g
partly demolished. A small house in the
Missouri Pacific yards was blown into the
river. Hundreds of chimneys were blown
down and a great deal of minor damage
done. Fruit suffered badly in the country.
No one was injured.
At Leavenworth the Great Western Stove
Works was partially unroofed and work
will be SUSPENDED for some days.
At ST. Joseph nearly every telegraph aud
telephone wire in the city was torn down
Numerous small houses were demolished
and large ones unroofed. Thousands of
dollars damage was caused by the breaking
OF plate glass in the store windows. In the
eastern part of the city brick house was
blown down, seriously injuriDg a child. At
the factory OF Tootle. Hosea s. Co. there
was stampede OF several hundred girls
when the wind tore portion of the roof
off. Ne one was seriously injured.
a dispatch from Lawrence, Kans.. says
the wind has been blowing a gale there
since midnight. Many buildings were un-
rooted and houses demolished. Professor
HaskelPs hospital was blown away. and ii
was necessary TO anchor the buildings with
cables to prevent their blowing over.
In Kansas City the damage consisted
principally of roofs blown away and plate
glass windows broken. The roof of the
High School was blown off. but there was
no panic, though the school was dismissed
Signs were blown down all over the city,
some OF them crashing through costly
plate-glass windows in the center of the
business portion. Telephone and telegraph
wires are Frustrated. There has been no
loss OF life. The greatest damage was
suffered by the telegraph companies.
The Western Union reports no communi-
cation whatever with the west or center of
Kansas. and but a few wires east Messages
are being received subject to indefinite de-
lay. The telegraph poles along the rail-
n oil
woeful tangle, with which the linemen have
struggled all day, apparently with little
success.
Northern Nebraska Damaged.
OMAHA, Nebr., April Telegraph wires
all over the State are prostrated. and 1t is
difficult TO obtain the news of the extent of
last nights storm. The Western Union has
but one wire in operation in Nebraska, that
being along the EIkhorn road.
A dispatch TO the Bee from Norfolk, in the
northern part of the State, says The cyclone
struck there just before midnight last night
and did much damage. If this is the same
storm that devastated Nelson, the destruc-
ton between these points must have been
very great. and tie storm must have
traversed 80 miles of the richest farming
section, dotted with small cities and vii
lagos. In Omaha it is still blowing tonight,
and the wires are down on all sides.
Cioudburst mt Chicago.
CHICAGO, April About $50 o'clock
this evening the sky, which had been
threatening all the afternoon, became
densely black. and In another moment a
cloudburst occurred. The wind blew a
hurricane and swept everything before it,
At the corner of Halstead and Pierce
streets the cyclone blew down seven-
story brick building surrounded by one
and two story frame buildings, crushing
them to the earth, killing three people and
fatally or seriously iniuring many others.
In Thomas Huletfs house, Immediately
In the rear OF the seven-st0ry brick, the
family were all at supper when the brick
building fell and 1t crushed the Hulett res
idence. Thirteen persons were at the table.
A six-month-old baby was crushed into a
shapeless mass. Horace Mott, aged ., and
Edie Mott. aged 2, we're also instantly
killed. The others were pinicned under the
broken timbers and bricks and were soon
rescued.
The injured are: Alice Huett, aged s;
Mrs. Alex Keoun, Horace Wygant, Mary
Wygant, James Mott Jr and Mamie Mott.
James McGowan, wife and son, and Mary
Walsh are among the missing and are sup
posed TO be In the ruins. There is little
hope that they are alive.
Gus Diecb, a teamster, while driving
along the street. was struck by falling
s~ar oxx1 L.. s.-..