The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-07-12
RAGING ELEMENTS
Wreak Their Vengeance Upon Life
and Property.
Great Destruction Occasioned In Kansa
and Missouri Accompanied by
the Loss of Many Prec-
iOus Human Lives

/
BAXTER SPRINGS. Kan, July -
Baxter Springs is in ruins, nine people
killed and about twenty others in
| jured. as a result of tornado or cy-
clone that struck the town Friday
evening about o'clock. The dead
are:
Sallie Webster
Florence Webster.
Ralph Webster.
II. Hibbs
M. B. Hibbs: died from excitement,
falling dead in a store.
Infant child of Thomas Shields
Mother, daughter and son near the
city, three members of the Webster
family, were killed by lightning and
another son was probably fatally in
| jured.
| Two currents of wind struck the
town, one going north and the other
going west. They met near the Meth
odist Episcopal church, Joined forces
and turned east. The separate cur
rents of air did serious damage to
property before meeting, but after
| joining forces the destruction of prop
erty was complete.
In the track of the current going
north, the passenger depot was the
first thing damaged. Further on
much damage was done to residence
property, shade trees and everything
in its way.
The current going east seems to have
been the stronger. 1t struck some of
the residences west of the freight
I0Sn 40, h,,4 ,Iav,
it came to the yards of the railroad
twenty-eight freight cars were thrown
from the track and badly damaged.
The depot was moved on the founda-
tion and wrecked about the roof, and
the building was badly flooded.
From the railroad track to the point
of meeting the other current the
damage to property was not great.
The first object after the meeting,
was the Methodist Episcopal church.
This was totally destroyed, and it lies
in a heap of ruins. The current
turned slightly to the southeast, doing
good deal of damage until it reached
a point just west of j. NJ. Cooper's
large store, where it turned directly
east, striking the store building, cav
ing the roof The floor was flooded
and much damage done to the goods.
The next object of the storms fury
was the old blacksmith shop on the
northwest corner of Military and
River streets, which was completely
swept away. The Christian church
was directly in the path. 1t lies like
pile of kindling wood. The Episcopal
church was not touched, but the
storm struck further up the street on
the south side, and from there not a
residence escaped from being badly
wrecked.
J. NJ. Cooper had seven houses, In
Guiding the one in which he lived,
very badly damaged. The residences
of Col. William March, A. A. Hanbeck,
Mr.. Childs and Ira Perkins are in
ruins and untenable.
The Occidental hotel, now used as
an opera house, was struck by light
ming and somewhat damaged. Four
large hay barns in the neighborhood
wrecked.
conservative estimate Of the dam
age places it at $1,000 There was
little, if any, cyclone insurance.
The damage to property west of
Baxter Springs cannot be fully deter
mined. 1t is reported that for many
miles in the track of the storm, fences
and barns are blown down, and crops
more or less destroyed.
The west part of Lyon township
seems to have had touch of it, per-
haps the same twister that lit down
on Baxter. 1t struck the farmhouse
of Thomas Shields, of Lyon, demolish-
ing his house and barns
Mrs Shields and her two children
were in the building at the time the
storm struck it. One of the children,
a 2-year-old girl, was killed, the older
child's leg was dislocated and it was
injured in the back and spine. She
will die. One or two other farms in
the immediate vicinity of Mr.. Shields
were damaged, fences, trees, etc, be-
ing blown away.
W. L. Archer, better known as Lutte,
was found dead on the Noolan farm in
Sheridan township He left McCue
Thursday afternoon about 4 o'clock,
where he had been on business for his
employer, A. Hood. 1t is supposed
that he was drowned while crossing a
creek.
Forty miners at work in mine AZ, of !
the Kansas and Texas Coal Co. at
Weir City, had no knowledge of the
storm until the mine was deluged |
with torrents of waters from above. |
All narrowly escaped, but every mule |
in the mine was drowned.
The rain was the most violent ever
known, resembling cloud-burst and |
the entire country was flooded Re
ports of further fatalities seem almost |
certain, when the roads are opened up. |
A MissozrT Town Swept TO Destruction |
with Great Loss of Life.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, July IA special |
to the Republican from Winona. No. |
says:
Winona, in point of population and
business Importance the leading town
of Shannon county, was totally wiped
out of existence by a cloud-burst or
torrent similar in devastation between
1920 and 1 o'clock Friday morning.
Winona is situated on the Current
River branch of the Memphis railroad,
123 miles east and little south of
Springfield. 1t had population of
61O.
Birch Tree, eight miles west on the
same railroad, with population of
525. suffered great damage, but no loss
of life.
Twelve persons were drowned at
Wiaona aRd the apaHcsal loss wiz