The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-26
Forty-three Persons Slain,
Nearly ALI in That State.
SOME cRusnEo.soMe DROWNED
The Storm Accompanied BY . Prodi-
gious Downponr Of Rain.
Illinois and Kansas Also yistted-Phe-
nonenai Rainfall In Chicaxo->ev-
erAi Counties In Michigan Visited
Much Damage ss Mt. Clemens,
Mich.

pss Moines. Ia. May @-Torsy-shree
killed. score fatally injured and about
nsty people seriously hurt. is. as near as
can be asceytAined tonight. the result OF
q destructive storm which swept par-
lions OF Iowa. Illinois and Kansas last
night
The Isst OF killed stands as follows: Jas
per county. Ia. 10: Polk county. Ia, .:
Rockford. H.. 4; Elxin. H.. /. North Nc
Oregon. Ia, u. Durango. Ia. 5: Fort
Scott. Kan, .
The storm wrought its greatest havoc
II Iowa where the counties OF Polk and
Jasper were devastated by two tornaaoes.
The HIST Of dead In Polk county, near Bon
duraEf and Santiago stations, on the CHI
caSo * Great Western, Is as foiIowS
Robert Bailey. jr.. Mrs Robert Bailey
Mss Lizzie Bailey. John Bailey, Peter
BoleahaEgh. Mrs Peter Ba,enhaugh, two
grandchildren OF the Bolenbauzhs. John
Maxwell. killed by lightning Following
Is LIST Of the killed in Jasper county:
Charles Phafien. sr.. Charles Phafen. tr..
Daanse Phads1. Susie Phafen, Nike
Phafsn, Mollie Phafien. Ciarissa D.csey.
Martha Dickey Charles Eikins. Mrs.
Shell.
The following are among the seriously
injured. half of whom, IL Is estimated.
may die: In Polk county: W. T. Scott.
Mrs- A. J. Edwards. hip broken: Oliver
Yates, two children of Mrs. Edwards. Rob-
ert Bailey. fatally injured. In Jasper
county: Mrs Charles Phafien and Willie
Phafien. fatally: d. E. Atkins. Mrs. ID. f.
Akins. Solomon Dickey. Mrs. solomon
Dickey. Ellie Diekey. Harvey P.tcock.
Mrs. Harvey Pitcock. Monroe Osborne.
Mira Monroe Osborne and child.
The storm originated near the town OF
Ankeny. ninety-five miles north of Des
sioines. As near as can be ascertained
from those who saw the sight. two clouds,
one from the northwest and one from the
southwest. met. and then dropped down
on the earth and wrought havoc on all
that was loose and fast. The storm moved
northeastward- Near the town OF Bon
durant IL Killed its first victims. the mo-
theirs of the Bailey family. The storm
was seen from Bondurant Many farmers
who had attended church services had
been unable to get home before the storm,
and their lives were thus saved. The
track of the tornado at this point was
about a quarter OF a mile wide. II passed
onward. going north Of the town OF SAN
tiago- All along the course the fences
and buildings. crops and trees were COM
plctely destroyed. In places the bark
was pealed from the trees. the houses
we're lifted and hurled down and broken
into splinters: the cellars were heaped
fun OF mud and debris often partially
covering those who had taken refuge in
them. Those who fed to caves were in
variabiy saved. but so suddsn was the
approach OF the storm that many were
unable to ind that shelter, though the
caves were only few rods away from
them Passing onward the storm struck
Valera. The iron bridge on the Chicago
and Great Western was the first object
r.~~a Cd v.-ffb 10. krtsf sf.e
pletely demolished. and the rails were
twisted and bent out OF shape. The town
was almost completely ruined. The build
ings we're demolished when they stood in
the full fury of the storm, and those
which stood along the edges OF the storm
were moved and twisted and In other
ways injured. A schoolhouse was taken
away bodily. and the fragments OF L
have so far escaped discovery. The fanl-
ily of Charles Phatien seem to have been
the greatest sufferers near this point.
They were literally wiped out of existence
together with all their possessions.
A pitiful story is 'o,d OF how two chill
dren tried 10 hold the doors against the
storm antl the house was lifted up bodily.
There were strange pranks played near
this town. A man holding a babe was
lifted up and dropped In an adjoining field
without the least injury being done 10 eth
er htm or the child. Leaving the wrecked
town the storm moved forward. laying the
country bare. wrecking houses and killing
the inmates.
one observer near Valera. who saw the
storm and observed Il carefully. says that
the cloud appeared TO be a high balloon.
dark green In color. with light streak in
the center II travelled at a tremendous
rate. tearing up the largest trees by the
roots or stripping them clear off. driving
rosfs into the earth and twisting ht1ili-
ings in the edge Of It's track. end FIRST.
spattering the houses close to e with mad
and sand. stripping hedges and licking the
grass from the fields.
From Valera the storm moved or. pass
ing near the town of Miugo. st Ira the
cloud did considerable damage. Some OF
the spectators say that the cloud divided.
others that X was lifted upward or spread
In riaair with a frsghtfui noise. The lat
ter theory IL probably the correct one.
Later Ia the evening a tornado seems TO
have struck near Manchester. In Deis-
ware county. although reports are stsii
very rlea~er from there IL Is possible
that this same storm. after travelling fyD
miles 81 the air. once more dipped down 20
the earth and Laid bare a strip bali mile
wide and six or eight miles long. There
were serious distar5a noes IN ScrtheaStern
Iowa. and they may have been in the wake
river IN Clayton county. The weather bur
eau Is attempting to trace The progress OF
the storm as here Indicated
The total loss Of property Il hard 90 esti-
mate. The crops which were ruined can -
repisutei In many cases. as the season is
stin comparatively early. The buildings
destroyed VII aggregate only from siss.-
30 70 $40 80 for fortunately only one
,hiekiy populated eommanity--yaleria--