The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-27

THE swArH OF THE DESTROYER.
Buildings Demolished Over an Ex-
panse Of Nearly Fifteen Niles.
Many People Pinned Under the Debris
"A Little Girl Carried Half q Mile
By the Windstorm- Houses, Barna,
Fences and Everything Leveied-A
Terrtnc Rainssorm Follows the
Cyclone.

Kansas City. April 81 A special to the
Tines from Topeka. Kan. says: Five PEP
SONS at least were killed outright: three
fatally and seventeen more or less ssri-
oesiy Injured. and great oestruc-ton OF
property was wrought by a cyclone which
passed ever CfAy county last night The
dead are. Frank Peterson wife ARD
chiid. Mrs. Ole Halverson and a grand
child of Peter Anderson. The injured be-
long TO the families CT John Morris. +.
2sikln. Peter Anderson and II. Gardner.
Passengers or the Rock Island train
from the Northwest this afternoon brought
partial Details Of t1@ cyclone. 1t Started
about SIX miles south Of Clifton. and went
In q zortheastsrly direction for twelve or
fifteen miles. then lost its force By spread-
ing II passed about half way between
Clifton and Aosgarvilie. Its track varied
trom l5s yards 10 a quarter OF a mile in
width iI tore through farming COM
xnur1fy ard left nothing standing. Houses
and barns were wrecked. trees torn UP or
broken. fences leseied ard haystacss
blown In every direction The cyclone VAS
followed by . terrific rairstoru. which
lasted several hours. flooding TIE devss-
tated district.
The cyclone took the people unawares.
There had been indication Of a heavy rain
all day. with local showers. but nobody ex-
pected . storm. SO far as learned. the VIC
Tins were In their houses. ard the most
Of them had retired. The storm struck
Peter Arderson's house at $50 O'clock.
This was aboyt q mile from the starting
point The house was demolished in an
instant. Every member Of the Anderson
family was injured. When they had ex-
trieated themselves from the debris they
discovered that Andersons grandchiid
was missing. The dead body OF the child
was found this morning IN a ravine half
a mile away. II evidently had been car
rled there by the wind.
Anderson alarmed the neighbo-s who
lived out OF the track of the storm and
search was made for victims. but little
Roadway was made In the rain. Couriers
were sent 10 Clifton and Morganvilie for
doctors. but 1t was daylight before they
arrived. and the extent Of the injury and
damage was not known At noon today
IL was thought that all the victims had
been found.
A large number Of cattle and horses
were killed and the fruit In the storms
track was ruined. Il is impossible at this
time 10 estimate the damage TO buildings
and other property.
Heartrending tales of suffering are told
by persons who visited the scene OF the
storm- Many u the injured lay all night
pinned down by wreckage or paralyxed in
the mud, while others crawled or hobbled
across the country to a neighbor's house.
In several instances people were lifted into
the air by the cyclone and carried for
distance and then suddenly dropped.
Buildings were lifted up and then hurled
TO the ground with force enough 10 demol-
ish them.
The wife and daughter of John Morris
were reading when the shock came. The
house was divided. The women managed
10 get out when the wind picked them up,
carrying them two hundred yards and let
them down safely on pile of straw just
away from the storms track
The people for miles around today gath
cred at the different points where damage
had been done and rendered assistance in
every possible way. The conductor on the
Rock Island train said that the track of
the storm looked Ike piece OF ground
which had been ievcied with a roller. Half
n dozen telegraph poles were torn down
where the cyclone crossed the road. Tele-
graphic communication between TopAka
and Clifton was cut on from the hour OF
the storm till . O'Clock this morning II IL
expected that much damage was done In
the vicinity of Palmer. Washington
county. but the details cannot lie learned.
A fater special 10 the Journal from Con-
Gorilla. Kan. says that Saturday nights
cyclone was far more destructive than was
ST first supposed. 1; Is now certain that
nine persons were Killed outright and more
than twenty injured. many OF them IA
tally. The little town Of Palmer. east Of
Concofcia. reports a number OF Injured
IL was the most destructive storm this
section has experienced for years.
isater-A special 10 the Journal from
Clay Center, Kan. places the number Of
killed In last nights cyclone at esrht.
There are rumors of other deaths so,,,h
and vest Of Clifton and II is feared thar
when communication with the stricken
towns IL rc-essahiished that the loss of
life VIII be shown 20 have been great
The wires 20 many points are down and
but EueaSer detils are oatainahi@ a. rrtf-
night The recuuiary less west OF Clft,,
az one point fs estimated al ss0Osa fnai
ea;tag that the total loss will aggregate
high
Fhe Journal correspondent gives the fol-
lowing ast ct killed, Frank Peterson. xlf.
and one dzushiea; Eli Bsgtha-ar and wifi.
Julius TreFnely, Jesse Hamm. Mrs. Hal
oersoh. iniureA-pa1sghter Or Frank Tss-
ferson. cannot live. Frank wsi<fnSar,. can
not live; entire family OF John Morris
badly msnslef; six children OF Iii Raytha.
xAr. more or less injured.