The Coconino weekly sun., 1895-05-09
MANY PEOPLE KILLED.
An Awful Cyclone Sweeps Over
 Northwestern Iowa.
Schoolhouses Blown Down and Children and Teachers Perish-sevcral Towns Destroycd-Tclegraph Lines
 Down-Details Meager.

SIOUX CITY, la, May 4.-Dispatches were received here by the Sioux City < Northern Railway Co. at 4:30 yester- day afternoon from their agent at SiouX Center, 45 miles north of here, telling of terrible cyclone near there in which a number of people were killed and injured and much property destroyed The wires where the storm was were blown down and telegraph reports are conse- ouently very meager. The first dispatch received by the Northern road said: "A cyclone passed miles northeast of here at 5:S0. A school house near town was destroyed, the teachers killed and a number of chil- -dreu killed and injured, but have not vet been able to learn exact number or names. The whole country in the path of the storm is devastated, The Sioux City ,S Northern track between Perl<- ips and Doon is washed out for several miles,
 Dispatches from Sioux Center at S:30 n m. say three schoolhouses and at least twenty residences and barns were swept away. At the schoolhouses two teachers and three pupils were killed and many injured. Two women were found dead about o'clock not far from the point where one of the school buildings stood. One man who ar rived in Sioux Center late in the evening reported his house
 ... l1 ,,,,,, ox,,ov apd b;S fa m, ilx- lyilla1 He himself escaped and reports that at least 200 or 300 people must have been killed. Parties have been sent out from Hull, Sioux Center and Orange City, neighboring towns, but their work is being carried on in total darkness in the midst of tremendous wind and rain storm. It is conse- quently progressing slowly. A number of bodies have already been recovered, although the exact number cannot be learned. Everyone is violently ex- cited and definite accounts cannot be obtained.
 It is said Perkins, a small town be- tween Sioux Center and Doon, was directly in the path of the storm and was almost entirely wiped out. The wires leading to it are all down, the railroad tracks are all washed out and the wagon roads cannot safely be travelled over owing to the manner in which they were gullied by the rain.
 More definite reports were beginning to come in later as to the path followed by the cyclone. The storm originated about 115 miles southwest of Sioux Center. It moved from there in a northeasterly direction and passed di. rectly through Perkins. Late last evening news was received from Sibley to the effect that a storm struck there about 5 p. m., destroying the house of John Watterson, killing Mrs. Waiter son and injuring Watterson and his son.
 The Sioux City < Northern train which arrived at 10 o'clock yesterday evening brought in several passengers who witnessed the storm. They re. ported thirteen dead bodies had been brought into Sioux Center at o'clock. They estimate fifty people must have been killed. The Northern train bare ly escaped a smashup in washou, near Doon, but was stopped by section men before it passed upon the danger ous territory.
 The death roll, so far as now known is: Mrs. John Roster, Mrs. Post, Miss Anna Marsden, Charles Marsden George Marsden, child of A. Werhoff, two children of L. B. Coombs, Miss Mamie s. Maggie and five brothers, and Jamison and two Roster children. These deaths were all in the vicinity of Sioux Center, The names of few injured near Sibley, where consider, able damage was done by the storm, are known. Besides John Watterson, who was killed by flying timbers, Her man Belknap, farmer near Sibley, was killed by lightning, and Mrs. Froy and the Rossberg brothers were badly hurt.