The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-07-13

Baxter Springs, Kan, in Rims, the Work
of a Cyclone.
BAXTER SPRINGS. Kan, July T.
Baxter Springs is in ruins, nine people
killed and about twenty others in
jured. as a result of a tornado or cy-
clone that struck the town Friday
evening about 6 o'clock. The dead
are:
Sallie Webster.
Florence Webster.
Ralph Webster.
H. Hibbs.
NJ. 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, n 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
depot, doing serious damage, but when
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 vas 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
a good deal of damage until it reached
a point just west Of J. VI. Cooper's
large store, where it turned directly
east, striking the store building, cav
ing in the west end and badly wreck
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 a
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 u
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. Hanback,,
Mr.. Childs and Ira Perkins are in
ruins and u~ntenable.
The Occidental hotel, now used as
an opera house, was struck by light
ming and somewhat damaged. Four
large hay barns in the neighborhood
of the freight depot were completely
wrecked.
A conservative estimate of the dam
age places it at 500, 600. There was
little, if any, cyclone insurance.
The damageato property west of
Baxter Springs cannot be fully deter
mined. 1t is repor d that for many
miles in the track i the storm, fences
and barns are blown down, and crops
more or less destroyed.
The west part of Lyon township
seems to have had a 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-oid 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 a c~loud-burst and
the entire country was flooded. Re
ports of further fatalities seem almost
certain, when the roads are opened up.
A Missouri Town Swept to Destruction
with Great Loss of Life.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, July IA special
to the Republican from Winona, Mo-,
says:
Winona. in point of population and
business Importance the leading town
of Shannon county, was totally wiped