Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1896-05-02
ELEVEN MEET DEATH.
An Awful Tornado Visits CLAY
County, Kan, and Vicinity.


CLIFTON, Kan, April 27.-A tornado,
accompanied by severe rain and hail
storm, prevailed In this section satur.
day night Between seven and eight
O'Clock a funnel shaped cloud appeared
'cight miles southwest OF Clinton and
travelled In northeasterly direction,
tearing up fences, granarios, farm
houses and trees. Eight lives are re.
ported us being lost, among whom Is
fivc-year-old boy whose body has not
yet been found. Frank Wilkinson, .
young farmer, Is SO seriously injured
he cannot survive, The entire family
Of John Morris Is frightfully mangled.
They had just reached the cellar when
the house was blown away. The resi-.
dcncc OF Walter Haynes was also
blown TO atoms, but he had reached
tie cellar with his family and escaped
1nhurt Tho barn OF Lawrence Rains,
IN wealthy farmer, was completely de.
'sstroyed and several head Of horses
were killed. Great damage to stock
also resulted. Tho loss Is estimated at
$50, 200; partially insured.
A dispatch from Clay Center stated
that at about $3.50 Saturday evening
tornado swept tho country some l2
miles northwest Of there, killing many
persons and totally destroying Nil
houses and outbuildings within its
path. Its direction was from south
west TO northeast over q strip only
about 40 rods wide 1t came suddenly,
Without other warning than calm OF
some five minutes and was accompa.
hicd by torrents Of water. Frank 70.
tcrson, his wife and daughter were
killed and the other daughter cannot
live. A boy named Jesse Ham, about
Ave years old, who was Mt Anderson's,
his grandfathcr's, was blown 80 rods
into IN adjoining field and his lifeless
body was not found until Sunday
morning. Mrs. Ilalberson was also
among the killed OF the Peterson fam.
lily. One boy about II years old Is the
only survivor. Although he was with
the others Of the family, by some
strange chance he received only few
scratches
At Concordia reports show that the
tornado was even more destructive
than ut first supposed. The path fol.
lowed by the storm is 400 feet In
width and over 20 miles long, extend
ing from St Joseph, small French
settlement in the eastern edge OF Cloud
county, in northcnsterly direction
through the northern part OF Clay and
into the southern portion Of Washing
ton counties Fortunately the storm
did not pass through any small towns,
or the loss Of life would have been far
greater, but 1t did lay waste thickly
settled portion Of tho Republican val.
ley, Over 90 families who Saturday night
boosted OF pleasant homes and coin.
Portable surroundings IRE to-day rely
ing upon the kindness OF friends to
care for their injured and dead. At
the first place visited by the storm,
fhnt of Eli Bclthazor, six children arc
left to mourn tho death of father and
mother. Tho family were just prepar-
ing TO 60 into the cellar, and several of
the little ones had already gone down,
when the building was swept AWAY
and dashed to kindling wood. Two OF
the children arc SO seriously injured
that they probably will not recover.
About n mile farther east the house of
julien Trembly was destroyed and he
war killed.
! Reports from Palmer, on the Mis-
souri, Pacific east of Clifton, state that
quite a number were seriously injured,
and that several will die.
, The power Of the storm was terrific;
nothing could withstand its force
Large farm houses and barns seemed
to offer no resistance whatever, and
were swept away like so much chat.
The damage TO property is very great
1t ia thought that fully 20 houses wcro
destroyed, besides barns, granaries
md large number OF horses, cattle
and hogs. The latest reports give the
number killed rs II, while probably
hat ,vaax, OF a nd IN , ra To- ;urad