Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-05-02
A FEARFuL CYCLONE.

A FEARFUL CYCLONE.
About four o'clock yesterday after,
noon fearful cyclone devastated q
strip of country several hundred yards
wide, and at least sixteen miles in
length, in Kansas, killing six persons
outright, and seriously ipjuripg several
others, while many have received
slight injuries. The cyclone struck
the house of Mrs. Fry, widow lady
who lived about nine miles southwest
of Halstead, completely destroying it,
and slightly injuring Mrs. Fry. 1t
picked up the house of John Schultz
back and scattered it in every direc-
ton. The fine two-story house of JOS
eph Weir was entirely swept away,
killing Mrs. Joseph Weir, Grace Weir,
aged eleven; Herman Weir, aged five,
and fye-weeks,old baby. Mr.. Weir
had previously left the house, and
when the cyclone struck it was about
fifty yards away. He chung to tree,
but was badly injured by flying debris
and will die. Joseph Weir, jr., and
sister, Maud Weir, the only ones in the
family who took to the cellar, escaped
with only slight bruises. The
home of E. G. Caldwell, which was
one hundred yards to the west
of the Weir home, was unroofed
and one side torn away. The family
escaped by taking to the cellar. The
next house in the path of the storm
was William Armstrong's, which was
completely wiped from the face of the
earth. Mr.. Armstrong was killed,
Mrs. Armstrong seriously and, perhaps,
fatally injured, and Grandma Chaplin,
who was there sick in bed, was killed.
About one hundred yards east of the
Armstrong house the large two-story
residence of B. E. Frizzel was picked
up. as was also the large two-story
house of ]. F. Frizzel across the road,
and both, together with all the outbuild-
ings, were completely swept away,
leaving only enough debris to show
that houses had stood there. The
families of both the Frizzels escaped
injury, with the exception of. Mrs.
J. F. Frizzel, who was considerably
bruised about the head. The next
place visited wss the home of Captain
William White, which was only partly
destroyed, one wing of the house being
torn away. Across the road from
Whites the home of Cyrus Hinkston
was entirely carried away. Mr.. Hink-
ston received painful, but not serious
Injuries. Spencer Ross house WIS in
the line of the tornado and was carried
away, as were also the houses of A. S.
Powell, S. A. Comas and Rev. Thomp-
son and Memo Hege. Miss Daisy
Neff at Powell's house was badly in
iured, as was Mrs. J. Comas.
At the Hege district school the child
rem had just been dismissed. Hege
saw the storm approaching, and, fear.
ing its results. hurried the scholars to
his cyclone celler. His foresightedness
prevented an awful loss of life, for just
as the last child had been safety slowed
away in the cellar the cyclone struck
the house over them and demolished
it. As it was, not one of them was
even slightly injured. The fury of the
storm seems to have done its worst
about five miles west of Halstead,
where all six of the persons were killed.
Near the Frizzle home dead horses,
cattle, hogs and chickens are scattered
all over the wheat field. Those who
first saw the disaster coming say it
made very slow progress, travelling not
faster than a person could run. 1t
seemed to waver first in one direction,
then in another. AS far as heard from,
covering distance of eighteen miles
across the country from southwest to
northwest. twenty residences, nearly
all of them large ones, were completely
destroyed. The loss will fall not less
than 100000, besides the six deaths
and the injured, two or three of whom
will probably die.
At daybreak this morning party. of
doctors and assistants started from Hal
stead following the track of the cyclone
which extends over twenty miles.
Daisy Nef, aged Is, who was among
the injured died this morning and sew
eral more are not expected to live.