Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-05-21
Ruin mt Sherman,


The city of Sherman, Texas, is a hos
pital and the dead, unidentified and all,
will reach something like sixty persons.
About 4:15 Friday afternoon a storm
cloud came with mighty roar and from
the southwest could be seen flying tim
bers and houses. The death-dealing
storm struck the west portion of the city,
coming up ravine and Post Oak creek,
crossing portion Of the cemetery. For
half a mile along the creek there were
negro homes mostly. No fewer than
twenty or thirty people were killed out
right along the creek and scores were
injured. Some were crushed under fall
ing buildings, struck with flying timbers
and a few men were found in the creek
drowned. At one place in the country
child was found in tree. In another a
woman was blown half mile from home.
The city received a shower Of ruins, mud
and sand where the storm did not strike.
For hours vehicles were coming in with
the dead and the people were busy in as
sisting the wounded and preparing the
dead for burial The Sherman court
house was insufficient to hold the dead
and wounded
Came without Warming.
The storm struck Sherman without
warning on the southwest corner of the
city and cleared a path 100 yards wide
along the west end of the town. The
negro part of the town suffered the most
severely. There are probably thirty ne
groes killed. Ten bodies were picked up
in Post Oak creek. The flood of rain
which attended the storm was severe.
The town was mass Of mud and floating
ruins.
Terrific Force of Storm.
From the point where it seems to hare
first descended to where it suddenly arose
from the ground, just north of the city,
it left terrific marks of its passage, not
house in its pathway escaping, not tree
or a shrub left standing or that is not
twisted and torn out of shape. Fences
are gone. The iron bridge on Houston
street was completely wrecked and blown
away, Notwithstanding it's hundreds of
thousands of pounds Of steel and material.
The number Of persons wounded will
reach not less than 100. At least fifty
houses were totally wrecked, most of
them cottages, except in Fairview and
Washington avenues, where the handsome
residences of L. f. Ely, Captain J. G.
Stalter, Mrs. Pat Mattingly and James
Falls also succumbed The loss will
reach at least S15O,0O0, and but little, if
any, of it was covered by cyclone insur-
ance.
Caring for the Injured.
The Mayor called a mass meeting, and
everything was done for the homeless and
injured. Physicians came from Denison
TO assist. Two thousand dollars was rails
ed at the court house in n few minutes A
permanent relief committee, consisting
Of C. ii. Smith, G. b. Randell, G. Il. Dor
chester and Col. George Murphy, was or
ganized and will take cash donations.
Denison responded nobly, nurses and
physicians from that city rendering great
assistance. All railroads running into the
city placed special trains at the disposal
| of the local authorities and brought help
from all neighboring cities.
other Towns Suffer.
At Carpenters Bluff on Red river it is
reported that six persons were hurt, five
seriously. Buildings and other structures
in the way were demolished. At Howe
the path Of the cyclone was quarter of
Il mile wide. Ten farm houses and as
many barns were wrecked. Eight per-
sons were killed outright and Ihany in
jured. Bark was ripped from trees and
| much stock was killed. Six persons were
injured, one of them fatally, near Mound
Ridge. At Gribble Springs four persons
were killed and five others fatally wound
ed. The property damage is great. At
Justin, one was killed and seventeen hurt.