The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-04
MANY REPORTED KILLED.
Terrible Scenes of Great Dew
astation in a Large
Section.
FURY OF THE BIG STORM.
at Least Fifty Persons Perish and
Many Bodies Lie Beneath
the Tangled Debris.

OMAHA, NEBR., May ga special to
the Bee from Sioux City, Iowa, says dis
patches were received there by the Sioux
City and Northern Railway Company at
4:30 o'clock this afternoon from their agent
at Sioux Center, forty-five miles northeast
of here, telling of a terrible cyclone near
there, in which a number of people were
killed and injured, and much property de-
stroyed. The wires were blown down, and
Geographic reports are consequently very
meager. The first dispatch received by the
Northern road said the cyclone passed
three miles northeast of there. School
houses near the town were destroyed,
teachers were killed, and number Of
children were killed and injured.
The whole country in the path of the
storm was devastated. The Sioux City and
Northern track between Perkins and Doom
was washed out for several miles. Dis
patches from Sioux Center at 80 P. NJ. saw
three schoolhouses and at least twenty
residences and barns were swept away. At
the schooIhouses 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 arrived in Sioux Center
late in the evening reported his house was
blown away and his family killed. He
himself escaped and reports that at least
two or three hundred people must have
been killed.
Parties have been sent out from Hull,
Sioux Center and Orange City, neighbor-
ing towns, but their work is being carried
on in total darkness and in the midst of a
tremendous wind and rain storm. 1t is,
consequently, progressing slowly. A num-
Der of bodies have already been recovered,
although the exact number cannot be
learned. Every one is violently excited,
and definite accounts cannot be obtained.
1t is said that Perkins, a small town be-
tween Sioux Center and Doom, 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
washed out and the wagon roads cannot
safely be travelled over, owing to the
manner in which they were quilted by the
rain. 1t is, consequently, no easy matter
to reach it.
Physicians have been sent OUT from
Hull, Orange City and Sioux Center, but
are frding every conceivable obstacle in
their effort to reach the scene of the storm.
Help has been refused from here, but if
the same character of reports continue to
come in train may be sent out. No one
seems to know exactly what was the track
of the storm.
LATER-Defnite reports are beginning to
come in as to the path followed by the
cyclone. The storm originated mile and a
half southwest of Sioux Center. 1t moved
from there in a northeasterly direction and
passed directly through Perkins, small
town six miles north of Sioux Center
After passing Perkins nothing was heard
of any damage. Later in the evening,
however, news was received from Sibley to
the effect that a storm struck there about
P. NJ, destroying the house of John Wat
terson, killing Mrs. Watterson, and injur-
ing Watterson and his son.
No names can yet be learned of the peo-
pie injured about Sioux Center and Per-
kins. The Sioux City and Northern train
which arrived at 10 o'clock this evening
brought in several passengers who wit
messed the storm. They reported that
thirteen dead bodies had been brought
into Sioux Center at 6 o'clock. They esti-
mated that fifty people must have been
killed. The Northern train barely escaped
a smashup In a washout near Doom, but
was stopped by the section men before it
passed upon the dangerous territory.
The deathrou so far as now known is:
Mrs. John Roster, Mrs. Post, Miss Anna
Marsden, Charles Marsden, George Mars
den, child of a. Verhoff, two children of
L. B. Coombs, Miss Mamie S. Haggie and
five brothers, one Jameson, two Roster
children.
These deaths were all in the vicinity of
Sioux Center. The names of a few injured
near Sibley, where considerable damage
was done by the storm, are not known.
Besides John Watterson, who was killed
by flying timbers, Herman Belknap.
farmer, near Sibley, was killed by light
ming, and Mrs. Frey and the Rossberg
brothers were badly hurt.
SIBLEY, Iowa, May "a heavy rain
with violent wind prevailed here this
evening. No damage was done in the
town, except that some cars were blown
off the track, chimneys blown down and
windows broken. A cyclone prevailed
four miles west John Watterman's farm
building was completely demolished, his
wife killed and himself and son probably
fatally injured Near the same place
Charles Blackmore's barns were destroyed.
George Rossburg's buildings were all
blown away. Serious damage was done to
other buildings
SIOUX CITY, Iowa, May 3.-During a
severe storm tonight Rudolph Schwerde-
1eger was killed by lightning near Suther-
land Iowa. Peter Simmer, farmer near
Laurens, was killed in his house by light
ming.