The morning call., 1893-04-30
BURIED IN RUINS.
One Town Wiped Out of
Existence.
FEW HOUSES LEFT STANDING
And Over Twenty Persons Met
With Instant Death.
HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WOUNDED
The Appalling Tragedy That One Night
Worked in the Little City
of Cisco.
HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WOUNDED
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

sim ly dppaillug. IHere are not more tudu
twenty-five or thirty houses standing, and
up to the time the train passed, at 2 o'clock
this afternoon. twenty one bodies had been
recovered from the ruins and there we're
ten or twelve more persons missing.
Strong one-st0ry buildings. with walls two
feet thick, were leyeled TO the ground. a
heavy freight engine and whole train OF
cars were blown from the track and de-.
moIished and several hundred feet OF side
track Of the railroad were torn up. The
number of injured runs up into the
hundreds. a number of citizens from
Weatherford went out this morning to rem
der any assistance possible. The building
which Frank Hickman occupied was blown
down and five children were killed.
Late this evening Mayor Levy received
the following from Bell and Coleman:
THE town is nearly all demolished Twen-
ty-one killed and 125 injured. Hundreds
are without food or shelter. Raise ali the
relief possible and send to j ohm F. Patter-
son, chairman of the relief committee"
The following telegram was also received
by Mayor Levy from Cisco:
"Clsco has been destroyed by the most
destructive cyclone that ever visited Texas.
More than four-fifths of the people are
and wounded. Help is needed to bury the
dead. to take care OF the wounded and to
relieve those dependent who have lost
everything.
wv c. DAVENPORT County Judge.
&c. w. GRAVES, Mayor"
Mayor Loayy called meeting of the citi-
zens of Weatherford at once to take meas
urea for tue relief of the sufferers.
,T ,t,,
Mayor ROLLS received a message this after
noon from County Judge Davenport of
Eastlaud County aud Mayor Graves of
Cisco appealing for aid for the storm suf-
ferers at Cisco. Mayor Rollins at once is
sued an appeal 10 the citizens of Gainesville
for contributions.
A message from Valley View states that
a severe storm passed over the town at $50
p. NJ. last night blowing down several
houses aud doing much damage to property,
No one was hurt.
At Ringgold, Montague County. the storm
unroofed the house of Mrs. Birge. blew
several freight cars off sdetrack and
caused the terrified people to take refuge 10
a large cellar, where they suffered grea :
from lack Of air. No one was seTiSas;s
injured.
r. f. Willie, who arrived at Dallas to-
night. was at Cisco an hour and a half.
Il says that twenty-one dead persons have
been found aud over 100 wounded have been
counted,
The five children of Mr.. Hickman, who
were in bed asleep, were crushed to death
by the falling of the house. Hickman and
wife had gore outside to see what the roar
ing noise was and were blown off their feet.
Hickman himself was seriously injured.
A news special from Cisco confirms the
worst features OF the cyclone. Less than
fifty houses remain standing. the storm hay-
ing wrecked everything in its path, three
quarters of mile. through Eastland
County Not church or schoolhouse is
standing and but one business house is in
tact It is impossible to detail the damage
done to life and property, but a partial list
of the dead includes the following:
Mrs. Jones and baby.
Davis Cameron.
Captain Whtesides.
Five children of W. A. Hickman.
one child OF NJ. B. Owens of Bedsoe.
Mrs. B. r. Thomas.
Mrs. Horton.
Mrs. Knight.
Frank Vernon.
Mrs. Davis.
Jim Hayes.
A daughter of Mrs. Stevens.
Mrs. Powers and daughter.
Mrs. r. w. Jones.
George Harris.
Mrs. Kennard.
A section boss. name unknown, and wife.
II. l.. Bidwell.
Everything is in such confusion that it is
more difficult to get the names OF theinjured
than OF the dead.
Seven miles northeast of Cisco Mrs. L. D.
Ladd was killed, and three miles further on
MI Ferguson met death.
After the cyclone had passed much of
the wreckage was burned, having caught
from overturned stoves, and it is therefore
probable that most Of the missing, about a
score, were burned to death and their
bodies cremqted Many of the streets are
impossible on foot. The physicians esti-
mate not less than 200 are injured, of whom
forty will die. The property loss will ex-
ceed S2.000O0O.
The business portion OF the town was
totally destroyed Out of forty-five busi-
ness-hOuses forty were blown to fragments
ana four others so damaged as to be useless.
twenty-five residences were wiped out of
SA'oNeHCep dhu tueIe is scarcely mouse IN
town that escaped serious damage. Be-
sides fifteen know n to be dead there are
several who have not been accounted for
and those are undoubtedly buried some
where in the debris of ruined buildings.
Communication with the outside world is
extremely difficult, there being but one
telegraph wire working into the place The
Mayor of Fort Worth. Tex, sent $500 by
wire tonight and stated that badly needed
supplies were on the way here.
ST. LOUIS. Mo-, April GA dispatch
from the operator at Cisco, Texas, says;
The cyclone here blew the passenger depot
to pieces. and twenty-five people standing
on the platform were killed outright The
freight depot was also destroyed, and five
miles Of telegraph line was literally swept
out of existence. There was no telsgrapnc
communication with Cisco from 10 o'clock
last night till $40 this evening. Every
effort is being made to get report OF the
storm.
PoNCA AGENCY, /. T., April 29-Last
evening a cyclone visited this vicinity. Five
persons were kiled-Jack Keithley, his wife
and two children and Charles Jackson.