The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-04-07
WOE IN KANSAS.
A Cyclone Sweeps Away Parts of Man
Towns-A Great Number of Lives Lost.


KANSAS CITY, Mo-, April "A tor
nado of mad destructiveness swept
over Kansas Thursday night. Butler
county seems to have been the scene of
the greatest havoc. The town of To
wanda was entirely wiped off the face
of the earth and Augusta, few miles
distant, was buffeted out of all SEM
blance to its former self.
Not house or building was left stand
ing in Towanda. The town was asleep
when the storm swept down, razed
everything in it's path and left dead
bodies lying in it's wake. Six dead
bodies have been recovered from the
ruins already searched. Twenty per-
sons are fatally hurt and forty more
seriously injured, besides a large num-
ber more or less MANNED.
Towanda is village of 500 inhabit-
ants, situated 10 miles west of Eldora-
do. The storm laid the whole town
fiat with the earth and left not single
house standing. OF the eighty families
composing the population there is not
one that is not either mourning for a
dead or dying member or sorrowing
with the suffering. The killed are:
James Bailey John Blake, Herschel Cupp,
William BARLEY, Dr. d. D. Godfrey, infant
child of John Blake.
At Salina, Kan. the house of NJ. A.
Brather was carried from it's founda-
tions and wrecked. The family were
at supper at the time and all were more
or less injured. One daughter had a
10, nd i,,tA irin
Another was hurt about the back and
also sustained internal injuries. Neither
is likely to recover. A young son was
badly injured and bruised about the
head, but not fatally. The house of
Samuel Buchholder was demolished,
but the family escaped without injury.
Mrs. Zimmerman took refuge in the
cellar of her house. The house was de-
molished and Mrs. Zimmerman was
fatally injured.
At Kansas City. Kan. Arm Connors,
aged years, was thrown violently TO
the ground and had his hip crushed.
Del March, girl aged II, was struck
by piece of flying sidewalk and sus-
tanned injuries that may prove fatal.
At Augusta three were killed outright
Harmon Haskins, James Barnes and a
little child of Will Rhodes, who was
blown out of his mothers arms and
dashed against brick wall. Rhodes
himself is fatally injured, as is also the
wife of Harmon Haskins. Fifteen
others were hurt more or less seriously,
according to present reports, but all
wires are down and it is impossible to
get any detailed account from other
places.
Wellington and vicinity suffered con.
siderably and several people were
killed. William Little's house, south
of Wellington, was blown to pieces
and Little and his four children were
killed. Joe Walters house was picked
up and thirteen of the occupants were
more or less injured. Sam Butter
worth's house and it's occupants were
carried 500 yards in the air, and some
of the family were badly hurt.
At St Joseph nearly every telegraph
and telephone wire in the city has beer
torn down, numerous small houses de-
molished and many large ones unroofed
Thousands of dollars worth of damage
was caused by the breaking of plate glass
in store windows. In the eastern part OF
the city brick house was blown down
hurying Tillie Bushnell, aged Z years
and seriously injuring her. A transfer
wagon blew over on Third and Mesanit
streets and the driver, Lee Salisbury
suffered a broken collar bone. Severa
horses were killed and the entire city
is strewn with wrecl1age.
There is hardly house in the city
not damaged more or less, and many
barns, outhouses and fences are leveled
The loss will aggregate $4,000. The
large barn of the King Hill stock farm
is totally destroyed, but all the val
liable stock was removed before the
building was swept away. The loss il
$1,000.
Specials from Hiawatha, Kan; Sene
ca, Oneida, Horton, Lawrence, Bolckov
and Maryville, Mo-, report great loss.
At Atchison the gale began at mid
night Thursday night, but no damage
was done to speak of until nearly nool
Friday, when tornado visited the cit.
and unroofed and demolished severa
large buildings and scattered sign
and awnings in every direction
South Haven suffered severely from
the storm both in the way of materia
damage and in the mum ber of lives lost
The house of John Moorehousc was lev
eled to the ground and Moor, house an,
one child was killed, other members o
the family escaping. John Bur
masters house was crushed like al
eggshell and the whole family wa
killed in an instant. They are: Joh1
Burmaster, wife and three children
Mrs. Frank Sheppard was killed by fly
ing timbers. A score of other people
were injured in the storm, but it is be
lieved no more fatalities occurred.
The storm, as far as can he deter
mined. swept across the country fror
the Indian territory into the south
western part of Barber county, Kan
taking the little town of Kiowa i
its path. In northeasterly d
rection it passed through Frazie
county and also the center G
Sumner county. Bending as bow,
passed almost directly north throug
the remainder of Sumner county an
along the western part of Butler cour
ty. Villages and farm houses wer
ca ried away as it swept along. Th
. tornado continued in Kansas and tn
northwestern part Of Missouri Friday
but was less destructive.
"
Two Lives Lost by Destructive Blaze a
Wilkesbarre.
WLKEsBARRE, Pa, April 2.-Fir
started Friday morning in the mill
/ merry store of the Misses McCurty o
South Main street and rapidly spread t
| Kipples' sporting goods store adjoining
Mrs. Easily, sister of Mr.. Kipples, wh
. lived above the store, escaped. but forge
her 5-year-old daughter, who was aslee
, in her room. She rushed back, got til
child and was returning when sewers
kegs of powder exploded, killing he
and the child. The loss is about $40
600, including three other small store
adjoining, which were gutted.
Six Persons Killed by Dynamite.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, April 2.-Frida