The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-23
THE STORM KING.
Winfield Visited By a Disastrous
Storm Wednesday Night.
The Loss TO Property Valued at $50,
900. Personal Injuries Wonder
fully Light.

1eSterday morning, lew minutes after
the EAGLE went to press short dispatch
arrived barely stating the fact that a
cyclone had visited Winfield. One wire
had been set to work at that time and the
deluge of private messages that were sent
over it was too great to allow any news
paper correspondents to get IN their work
except the EAGLE man who was just a
minute too late.
The early morning train, however,
brought in many Wichita people who
were down to hear Henry George. From
them the reporter procured the follow
ing information; At $3.50 the storm
struck the town. IL was not
a regular twister known commonly as a
cyclone. Its progress seemed to be on a
straight line and it leveled buildings be-
fore it from its direct force. The city WIS
full of visitors and great CONSERVATION
prevailed. The wind was accompanied by
an electrical storm which illumined the
sky in every direction. adding greatly to
the fright of the people. The roar of the
storm was heard fully ten minutes before
its full force struck the city and the terror
of the people, particularly the visitors,
was intense. Hundreds of people
were on the streets and in the
stores when the roar of the approaching
storm was heard, and never was such a
stampede witnessed. People fairly tramp
led on each other in their mad efforts TO
gain place OF safety, and everywhere a
cellar could be found people rushed into
them. regardless of the safety they afford
ed. SO long asst was "A cellar they focked
towards 1t, not seeming to realize that
some cellars are exceedingly dangerous in
a cyclone. 1t is considered a perfect won
der why aigood many lives were not lost.
j. S. Jennings of this city, writes from
Winfield as follows, concerning the Storm
Coming down on the Santa Fe train
this morning my attention was first at
| tracted to the recent devastation in this
vicinity at the junction of the Missouri
| Pacific railway, where an engine and one
Car was deraied by misplaced switch
and both lay helplessly upon their sides,
just in clearing distance from our train.
But this was not the effects of the storm,
but the same place where the trains ran
together and produced the wreck few
days ago. On arriving at this city,
L Immediately began to investigate the
| effects OF the last nights terrible storm.
1t began about O'Clock, the threatening
clouds dispensing the people at the assem-
| bly, somewhat before that time. The
storm current seems to have formed just
north of this city and east Of the assembly
gorund, one current coming ia from a
northwestern direction and carrying down
with 1t the Frisco railway bridge across
Timber creek. Another current came
! from the northeast, passing over Charley
Smiths green house and wrecking Mr..
| Pugh's stable and the rear part of Napol-
| con Davis house. The other current
! coming down from the wrecked
bridge, carried five small houses with
it before the two currents met. Mrs.
keefe was considerably hurt in one OF
them. In another THAT was completely
hattened out, and the family OF q. /. Men,
ard fastened beneath the debris. They
We're extricated without injury excepting
his small boy who was slightly but not
seriously injured. Rev. j. H. Twins
new residence was blown down leaving
Mrs. Irwin standing near the west side
unhurt. Two cars standing on the South
ern Kansas track were turned over on
their sides. The roof was nearly carried
off the Missouri Pacific depot, leaving
that depot wreck. From this point the
line of the storm was confined- al
most exclusively between LOOMS
and Church streets, completely
wreclling the new frame Episcopal church,
also taking off about twenty feet of the
front roof of the Christian church. The
gable and two floors of the west wing of
the court house was also destroyed. The
entire roof and all of the windows of the
Thompson block, in which the postoffice
was located, was completely wrecked ex-
cepting the walls, which are stone. This
necessitates the moving of all business out
of this block The p6stoffice is being
moved onto Main street. Hundreds and
thousands of fruit and shade trees were
swept down in the path of the storm. Sew
eral other houses were blown down at the
extreme south end of those streets
and one man and bis wife severely but
not fatally hurt. Mrs. Reels residence,
near Mr.. Cations, WAS one that was swept
by the storm king.
"One popularity about this storm is the
fact that there was but little indication of
there having been much rain on the north
side, while there was a heavy rain on the
south side of the city. Ii is too early to
damage by the storm. but it was certainly
the most disastrous in Kansas this year
1t seems almost miraculous that no lives |
were lost
A LATER ACCOUNT.
A dispatch from Winfield at o'clock /
yesterday says:
The storms which brought destruction |
in their wake came from the northwest |
and northeast and conferred on Fuller aud |
Church street where the greatest damage |
was done.
The Missouri Pacific depot was IN
rooted and three box cars and one stock /
car were turned over.
The Episcopal church, vslae 5000, IS 4 /
complete wreck. Mrs. Keith's residence !
was blown down and she was severely in. /
jured.
The front of the Babbitt house was /
blown out and other damage was done TO
the building.
The cornice 10 the Christian church was j
blown off-damases about $500.
McDermont and Johnsons was moved /
several feet from the foundation.
The Thompson block, roof off aud /
wrecked -jnternally-the wall is spread.
lug. The postofice and Masonic lodge |
have moved out.
Dobhs' shoe shop was completely blown
TO pieces.
The United Brethren church cupalo
gone and large windows broken in.
Damage SS00.
Harvey Jennings residence partly M
rooted and out building torn down.
Joha McDermott's house blown down
McDermott's leg crushed and Mrs Nc