The herald., 1895-07-09
The Widespread Storm Claimed
Forty.Three Victims
DEVASTATION EVERYWHERE
Loss Of Property Amounts to Millions
of Dollars
Rain to the Extent Of Pour Inches an Hour
and Hail Like Hens Eggs-Feat.
ures Of the Storm
Associated Press Special wire.


mountains to the Nebraska and Iowa
lines, and to Texas, were swept Friday
night by the severest blow. Fields of
grain that promised the most bountiful
yield in many years were swept bare of
vegetation. Seas of rain were abetted in
the work of destruction by tornadoes. 1t
Is yet too early to sum up the loss, but
the total is appalling, and those to whom
the angry elements spared life have little
left to sustain it. Stories of the storm
are SO similar that statistical sum mary
is all there is left to tell. The storm was
furious and embraced an area of 200
miles square, with the southwest corner
of Missouri as the center. The greatest
loss of life is reported from Winona
Mimi, where eleven oorpses have been
found, Wi tn as many more missing.
At Baxter Springs. in Southwestern
Kansas, five were killed and eleven se-
riousIy injured by the cyclone that ac-
drowned at Columbu and two at Ottawa,
Kan. At Van Buren,, Ark, a mother
and babe were drowned. A family of
five was encamp ped on the banks of Fish
creek, Indian Territory. Nothing Of them
or their belongings was found except part
of a wagon on pile of driftwood.
W
was four inches in one hour, five persons
are lost. Unconfirmed reports are that
the loss of life is as follows: Three at Fay
ettevilIe, Ark. one at Paola. Kan. one
at Richards, Kan., six Of hunting party
In Indian Territory; This gives. the
lives. This total will be increased when
search. The loss OF property can be
placed in the millions. Dwellings, fences
and farm buildings were carried away
and highway and railroad bridges swept
winona succumbed. Five residences.
church and warehouse went down at
Baxter Springs. Six bridges went out IN
Baxter county. About Jefferson, Mo-,
many square miles of growing grain were
destroyed. Traffic on the Fort Scott and
Memphis railroad is temporarily sus-
pended. Reports of damage to property
other than the above come from five
points III Kansas, nine in Missouri. six
in Arkansas, two In Indian Territory.
The storm spent itself in Illinois, but hav-
ing lost its force proved blessing to the
crops. The above summaries are only
fraction of the loss of property. The
greatest burden falls on the farmers. The
season is too far spent to plant new
crops. The country's grRnary has been
cleaned out. Details OF the individual
sufferings and experiences would fill vol
UmeS anu E6p0aV JIG nOITOIb OF INC JOQ06-
INDEPENDENCE. Kan, July s.-A
severe rain and wind storm visited this
section last night. Streams are rising
rapidly. The wind blew down many
trees and outbuildings and took the root
off the new mill. At Neodesha several
buildings blew over.
TOPEKA, KAN, July s.-The Rock
Island Railroad company reports heavy
wind storm at Canton, MCPHERSON coun-
ty, yesterday afternoon. A dozen houses
were blown down. No fatalities are re.
ported.
CHETOPA, KAN. July s.-Iast even
doing considerable damage to growing
crops and to outbuildlngs.
DENVER, July 8.-Reports of the food
at Winona, Mo-, published heretofore. are
now known to have told only part of the
horrors of the disaster. Owing to the
gion. almost inaccessible by wagon, and
tnat the railway is washed away news
of the flood is hard to obtain. Railway
connection will be established this after
noon by running train on either end of
the Current river branch of the Kansas
City, Fort Scott and Memphis road, but
it will be several days before the gap can
be closed up in the road. Several officials
of the railway and other parties left for
Winona on a special train this morning.
to render all the assistance possible to the
flood-stricken people. The bodies of Rev.
g. W. Duncan and daughter, Matte. and
Miss Norma Nevins we're found under q
large drift of broken timbers about mile
below Winona. also the body of an un-
known man, who had been stopping at
one of the hotels. A terrible stencil
arises from a mass of hugs, horses. cattle
and other animals drowned. It is charged
that some visitors are stripping bodies OF
oryth Cf oil
below Winona may be seen wagons and
household goods and all kinds Of dead
animals. Over two hundred people were
searching yesterday for bodies. The body
Of George Evans daughter was found
this forenoon; The BODY of LLOYD
news from Thomasville, Oregon county,
shows that while great damage was done
there was no loss of life.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, July 8.-A severe
electric rain storm swept along James
river and as far as Ozark last night. Live
stock was killed by the wind and light
ming. Crops were badly damaged by the
storm. Three houses at Sparta were de-
stroyed by lightning.
MILWAUKEE,, July 8.-As result OF
last nights storm the only reliable means
of quick communication this morning
was the long distance telephone.
The Western Union lines, as well as
those of the Postal and Chicago and Mil
waukee telegraph, were prostrated to such
an extent that, aside from the telephone,
railroad trains were the best substitute
available to move the accumulation of
commercial messages and press dis
patches. From about p. m. Sunday,
all through the night and well into the
business day Monday, the telegraph otfic-
ials seemed utterly helpless to straighten
out the confusion and wreck. So appar-
entity inextrlcable was the tangle that
matter offered the Western Union at out
side points for Milwaukee and other
owing to prossrate wires.
tween Milwaukee and Chicago had the
effect of developing quickly method of
transmitting press matter by wire that is
new in the west. Typewriter operators
with telephone receivers at their ears
we're seated in newspaper offices at Mil
waukee and the news was telephoned to
them from Chicago at the rate OF eighty
words minute.
WASHINGTON, July s.-A telegram
from Michigan City, Ind. indicates that
the schooner May Brown capslzed near
the life saving station at O'Clock last
night, the crew of three persons being
saved by a surf boat.
GUTHRIE, OKLA, July ga terrific
wlnd storm prevailed mere last night.
Hail fell as large as ben's eggs, doing an
I'm mense amount OF damage to crops and
breaking hundreds of windows.t In one
township there was waterspOut and
bridges were washed away.
FORT WORTH, Tex, July ga replF