Evening journal., 1895-05-02
A CYCLONE KILLED SIX.
Strip of Kansas Eighteen Miles
Long Devastated.
MANY TOOK REFUGE IN CELLARS.

Houses In the Track of the Cyclone Were
Completely Wiped Out of Existence-The
School Children Had Narrow Escape.
over Twenty Persons Injured.
HAIsrEAp, Kan, May IA fearful
cyclone devastated a strip of country sew
tral hundred yards wide and at least 16
miles In length, killing six persons ont
right and seriously injuring several 9TH
ers, while many have received slight In
iuries.
The cyclone struck the house Of Mrs.
Frye, widow who lived about nine
miles southwest Of Halstead. completely
destroying 1t and slightly injuring Mrs.
Frye. Ii picked up the house of John
Schultzback and scattered 1t In every d.
roction.
The fine two story house of Joseph
Weir was entirely swept away. killing
Mrs, Joseph Weir, Grace Weir aged II
Herman Weir, aged 8. and 5-weeks-old
baby Mr.. Weir had previously left the
house, and whom the cyclone struck it
was about 80 yards away. He olung to
tree, but was badly injured by flying de-
bris and will die. Joseph Weir, Jr., and
sister. Maud Weir, the only ones In the
family who took to the cellar, escaped
with only slight bruises
The home OF E @. Caldwell, which was
| 100 yards TO the west Of tho Weir home
was unroofed and one side was torn away.
The family escaped by taking to the eel.
lar.
The next house in the path OF the storm
was William Armstrong;, which was
| completely wiped from the face of the
/ earth. Mr. Armstrong WAS killed, Mrs.
Armstrong seriously and perhaps fatally
| injured. and Grandmother Chaplin, who
| was there sick In bed, was killed.
About 100 yards east OF the Armstrong
house the large two story residence Of
/ B. u. Frizzol was picked up, as was also
q large two story building of j. J. Frizzel
across the road, and both, together with
all the outbuildings, were completely
swept away, leaving only enough debris
to show that house had stood there. The
| families OF both the Frizzels escaped in
| fury with the exception of Mrs. J. Friz-
Eel, who was considerably bruised about
the head.
Houses Completely obliterated.
The next place visited was the home Of
Captain William White which was only
partly destroyed, one wing of tho house
being torn away. Across the road from
Whites the home Of Cyrus Hinkston was
entirely carried away. Mr.. Hinkston re-
| reiyed painful but not serious injuries
Spencer Ross house was in the line of the
tornado and was carried away, as were
also the homes of A. S. Powell j. A.
Comas, Andrew Thompson and Menno
Hege. Miss Daisy Neif, at Powell's house,
was badly injured. as was Mrs. J. Comas.
At the Hege district school tho children
had just been dismissed. Heqe saw the
storm approaching, and fearing its results
hurried the scholars to his cyclone cellar
His foresight prevented an awful dis
hster, for just as the last child had been
safely slowed away in the cellar the oy-
clone struck the house over them and de-
molished It, As ii was, not ono OF them
lwas even slightly injured
The fury Of the storm seems to have
done its worst about flvo miles west d
Hnlstead, whore all six Of the persons were
killed. Near the Frizzel home dead horses,
cattle, hogs and chickens are scattered al
over the wheatfield
Those who first saw the disaster com.
Ing say IL made very slow progress, tray.
cling not faster than person could run.
It seemed to wayer first in one direction,
then in another. As fnr as heard from,
covering distance of Is miles across the
country from southwest to northeast, 2C
residences, nearly all Of them large ones,
were completely destroyed. The loss Will
be not less than 5000, 600, besides the siz
deaths and the injured two or three ol
whom VIII probably die
Physicians from Wichita went to the re
lief Of the injured, and local assistance Ii
given TO the suffering families. Every
body in the track Of the storm lost every
thing, and outside aid will probably hay'
to be called for