The Monticellonian., 1895-07-12
RAGING ELEMENTS
Wreak Their Vengeance Upon Life
 and Property.
Great Destruction Occasoned in Kansas and Missouri Accompanied by
 tho Loss of Many Prec-
 Ious Human Lives.
Baxter Springs, Kan, In Ruins, the Work
 of a Cyclone.

Baxter Springs, Kan, In Ruins, the Work
 of a Cyclone.
 BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan, July 7.-I Baxter Springs is in ruins, nine people killed and about twenty others in jured. as a result of tornado or cy- clone that struck the town Friday evening about o'clock. The dead are:
 Sallie Webster.
 Florence Webster.
 Ralph Webster.
 H. Hibbs
 NJ. B. Hibbs; died from excitement, falling dead in a store.
 Infant child of Thomas Shields.
 Mother, daughter and son near the city, three members of the Webster family. were killed by lightning and another son was probably fatally in- jured.
 Two currents of wind struck the town, one going north and the other going west. They met near the Meth odst Episcopal church, joined forces and turned east The separate cur rents of air did serious damage to property before meeting, but after joining forces the destruction of prop erty was complete
 In the track of the current going north, the passenger depot was the first thing damaged. Further on much damage was done to residence property, shade trees and everything in its way.
 The current going east seems to have haaT1 tho Ctr If ( frl1p pLs nf the residences west of the freight depot, doing serious damage, but when It came to the yards of the railroad twenty-eight freight cars were thrown from the track and badly damaged. The depot was moved on the founda- tion and wrecked about the roof and the building was badly flooded.
 From the railroad track to the point of meeting the other current the damage to property was not great.
 The first object after the meeting, was the Methodist Episcopal church. This was totally destroyed, and it lies | in a heap of ruins. The current turned slightly to the southeast, doing good deal of damage until it reached point just west of ]. NJ. Cooper's l large store, where it turned directly east, striking the store building, cav ing in the west end and badly wreck 1 ing the roof The floor was flooded and much damage done to the goods.
 The next object of the storms fury was the old blacksmith shop on the northwest corner of Military and River streets, which was completely swept away The Christian church was directly in the path. It lies like a pile of kindling wood. The Episcopal church was not touched, but the storm struck further up the street on the south side, and from there not a residence escaped from being badly wrecked.
 J. NJ Cooper had seven houses in cluding the one in which he lived, very badly damaged The residences of Col William March, A. A. Hanbeck, Mir Childs and Ira Perkins are in ruins and untenable.
 The Occidental hotel, now used as an opera house, was struck by light ming and somewhat damaged Four large hay barns in the neighborhood of the freight depot were completely wrecked
 A conservative estimate of the dam age places it at S1OO, 900. There was little, if any, cyclone insurance.
 The damage to property west of Baxter Springs cannot be fully deter mined. It is reported that for many miles in the track of the storm, fences and barns are blown down, and crops more or less destroyed.
 The west part of Lyon township seems to have had touch of it, per haps the same twister that lit down on Baxter. It struck the farmhouse of Thomas Shields, of Lyon, demolish- ing his house and barns
 Mrs Shields and her two children were in the building at the time the storm struck it. One of the children, 2-year-old girl, was killed, the older child's leg was dislocated and it was injured in the back and spine. She will die. One or two other farms in the immediate vicinity of Mir Shields were damaged, fences, trees etc, be- ing blown away.
 w. l.. Archer, better known as Lute, was found dead on the Noolan farm in Sheridan township. He left McCue Thursday afternoon about 4 o'clock, where he had been on business for his employer A. Hood. It is supposed that he was drowned while crossing a creek
 Forty miners at work in mine 47, of the Kansas and Texas Coal Co., at Weir City, had no knowledge of the storm until the mine was deluged with torrents of waters from above. All narrowly escaped, but every mule in the mine was drowned.
 The rain was the most violent ever known, resembling cloud-burst and the entire country was flooded Re ports of further fatalities seem almost certain, when the roads are opened up. | A Missouri Town Swept to Destruction | with Great Loss of Life.
 SPRINGFIELD. Mo, July "A special to the Republican from Winona, Mo l says:
 Winona, in point of population and business importance the leading town l of Shannon county, was totally wiped ] out of existence by eloud-burst or a torrent similar in devastation between 1O30 and o'clock Friday morning.
 Winona is situated on the Current River branch of the Memphis railroad | 123 miles east and a little south of Springfield. It had a population of | 610.
 Birch Tree, eight miles west on the