Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-08
SWEPT BY A STORM
The Eastern Watershed of the Rocky
Mountains.
FORTY-THREE LIVES REPORTED LOST
Buildings, Bridges and Crops
Ruined.
THE COUNTRY'S GRANARY

KANSAS CITY. Mo-, July s.-Reports of
storm during the past three days come
over large territory, and show that the
entire eastern watershed of the Rocky
mountains, from the Nebraska and Iowa
lines to Texas. were swept by.a storm
Friday night the severest blow came,
Reports of loss of life and destruction Of
property came with every telegram, and
the downpour, first regarded as a blessing
grew Into wave Of devastation. Fields of
grain that promised the most bountifuI
yield In many years were swept bare Of
vegetation. In several instances the seas
OF rain were abetted in their work of de-
struction by tornadoes. It is too early vet
to sum up the loss, but the total is appal-
ling, and those to whom the angry ele-
ments spared life have little left to sustain
1t. The stories of storm are so similar that
a statistical summary is all there is left to
tell.
The storm focus embraced an area Of
2oO square miles, with the southwestern
corner of Missouri as the center.
The greatest loss of life is reported from
Winona, Mo-. where eleven corpses have
been found-with as many more missing.
AT Baxter Springs. in southwest Kan
sas, five were killed and eleven seri-
MED the storm. One person was drowned
at Columbus and two at Ottawa, Kan. At
Van Buren, Ark. mother and her babe
were drowned. A family Of five was en-
camped on the bank of Fish creek in the
Indian territory. Nothing of them or be-
longings was found except a part of their
wagon on pile of Drift wood. At Thomas
vile, Mo-. where the rain fall was four
inches in one hour, five persons were lost
Unconfirmed reports are received of loss
of life as follows: Three at Fayetteville,
Ark arNo
Kan, and six of e hunting party in The
Indian territory.
FortyThrec Lives Lost.
This gives known and probable loss
of forty-three lives. This total Will be IN
creased when the recedfng waters permit
a thorough search
The loss in property can he placed in the
millions. Dwellings, fences ard farm build
ings were carried off and highway and rail-
eighty buildings in Winona succumbed.
Five residences, church and warehouse
went down at Baxter Springs
Six bridges went out in Russell county,
Kan. About Jefferson City, No, many
square miles of growing grain were de-
stroyed. Traffic on the Fort Scott and
Memphis railway is temporarily suspended
Reports of damage to property other than
the above noted come from five points in
Kansas, nine in Missouri, six in Arkansas
and two in the Indian territory.
ing lost its force, proved a blessing to
crops
The above summaries are only a fraction
of loss in property. The greatest burden
falls upon the farmers, as the season is too
far spent to plant new crops, and suffering
must surely follow in the storms wake
The country's granary has been cleaned
out.
Details of individual suffering and ex-
periences would fill volumes and recite the
horrors of the Johnstown disaster.
CHETOPA, Kan, July S.-Last evening a
tornado swept over this region, doing con-
siderable damage to growing crops 1t also
did great damage to many buildings, tear
ing down awnings, porches and outbuild-
ings; the smoke stack OF the arc light plant
was blown down, placing the town in dark
ness. The storm lasted about one hour and
came from the west.
TOPEKA, Kan, July S.-Last evening
the little town of Canton was struck by q
tornado and great damage was done Near
iy every house In the village was moro
or less injured. Many houses and barns
were entirely demolished, and a score of
persons are reported injured. James Sny-
der had an arm broken and received other
injuries from which he is not expected to
recover. The High School building was
badly damaged, and a number of persons
were injured by flying timbers and debris.
A large number of farm houses lying in
the path of the storm are known to have
been damaged.
EATONTON, Ga, July S.-A terrific cy-
clcne swept across this and Morgan coun-
ties yesterday afternoon. Twenty persons
are known to have been badly injured, and
the list of fatalities will hardly be less
than ten.
FORT WORTH, Tex, July S.-A report
was received here today giving meager de-
tails of a cyclone which struck Chickasha,
/. T., last night about Q o'clock. About
nine buildings were blown down, among
which the Rock Island freight depot
and large grst mill near by. The storm
passed Hennessey. doing much damage.
Nobody killed, so far as known.
INDEPENDENCE, Kan, July s.-A Sc
we're rain and wind storm visited this Sec
ton last night. The wind blew a gale and
the rain fell in torrents. The streams are
rising rapidly. The wind blew down many
trees and outbuidings and took of the
roof from the new mill here but no dam
age was done TO crops, far as reported.
At Neodesha it blew over several buildings.
NEWTON, Kan, July S.-A tornado of
terrible violence and widespread extent
swept over the country between this city
and Canton between Z and o'clock last
night, destroying everything in its path.
In this city four lcuses We're wrecked and
thirty farm houses are known to have
been completely destroyed 1t is reported
that twenty,fi re people were injured, seven
of them fatally.