The Globe-republican., 1895-07-12
NINETEEN DROWNED.
WINONA, MO-, WRECKED BY
A CLOUDBURST.
Thirty Houses Destroyed by the Fury OF
the Elemen:s-Rev. q. w. Duncan ana
Family Among Those That Pertshed-
Heavy Financial Loss.

OfRlNIflEl1D, ANO.s July o'
o'clock Friday night terrible cloud
burst occurred on the mountains above
Winona, a sawmill town in Shannon
county, on the Current river branch OF
the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Mem
phis railroad, and the flood, gathering
in the valley in which Winona is stu
ated, swept down in mighty wall OF
water, destroying thirty buildings,
stores and dwellings as though they
were cardboard and causing the deaths
of at least eleven persons, while eight
more are missing and there is little
doubt that these also persisted.
Those positively known to be dead
are as follows:
The Rev. G. w. Duncan, Mrs. u. w.
Duncan, Matte Duncan, small child,
Mrs. Crawford, married daughter OF
the Rev. and Mrs. Duncan, Crawford
Cert. George Nevins, Mrs. Nevins,
Norma Nevins, little daughter of
Lloyd Wright, Maggie Cannon and
John Norris.
The bodies of Rev G. w. Duncan,
his wife and daughter, George Nevins,
Norma Nevins. and the Wright girl
were recovered, but the others have
not been found. A slashing rain pre-
ceded by a stunning wind set in at
o'clock. While the wind closed the
rain increased intensely until at 10
O'Clock it became a tumult. At 1915
four feet of water was on the streets
In fifteen minutes more buildings
could no longer stand the strain and
began to careen and dissolve in the
waters. Vivid flashes of lightning
pierced the downpour which came
like the falls of Niagara. Houses were
smashing and in the waters were hun
dreds of men, women and children.
When the torrent bad in a degree
subsidized, the men who had seen to
their own families, turned their atten-
ton to others, and by o'clock in the
morning the worst was over. Those
who had escaped the sweep of the de-
vastation stood shivering without
clothing or without an opportunity to
dry themselves. When day dawned
there was nothing of their homes in
the town. There was no shelter, no
food, no clothing.
AS soon as the destroyed telegraphlc
communication was restored Mayor b..
F. Evans telegraphed to surrounding
towns for aid.
The railroad follows the valley east
and west and deep ravine runs north
west toward the river. The houses Of
those who suffered were along this ra-
vine. They We're principally men en-
ployed by the Ozark Lumber company,
which operates large sawmills. When
the cloudburst came water ran down
this ravine or valley almost mountain
high and with such terrific speed chat
the people had no time to seek places
of safety. The railway tracks were
torn up and houses went down with
the torrent SO many straws.
Rev. G. \. ,uncan, who lost his life,
was pastor of the Winona circuit and
was but recently ordained. He was
formerly an engineer on the Iron
Mountain railroad.
The flood swept into the Current
river, turning it into torrent and
partially inundating the town of Birch
Tree No lives were lost there, but
heavy damage was done to property
lying on the low land near the stream.
Other towns along the stream suffered
more or less. but none seriously SO far
as heard from.
Winona was the principal town in
Shannon county, both as to business
and population, having about 700 pop
ulation. The Current River railroad,
q branch of the Memphis route, runs
east and west through the county in
the Hutton valley, and surrounding
the town is great pine lumber region.