The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-16


broken Mr.. and Mrs. Wright Clark are
painfully hurt.
fhe number of missing is large and in
Guides great many children and 1t is quite
probable that the most of them are dead.
1t is very conservative to estimate that the
list of fatalities win reach sixty. while the
injured viii reach one hundred. AT least
fifty houses are totally wrecked Most OF
them are small cottages. except in Fairview
and Washington avenues, where the hand
some residences of l.. f. Ely, Captain ].
c. Stalter, Mrs. Pat Mattingiy and James
Falls also succumbed. The loss will reach
at least s15o.ooO and but little if any of it
was covered by cyclone insurance
AN EYEWITNESS STORY.
About the most graphic description given
by any of the injured was that of W. S.
Bostwick, who said: II was at Mr.. John
Irvine's house when / heard the noise of
the approaching STERN. Just as 1 looked
out 1 saw Captain Berge's house blown into
the air and then Mr.. Shearer's house. The
air was filed with great trees and timbers
and every conceivable kind of article.
was fascinated petrifed, for i saw 1t was
coming directly upon US and that it could
not be long in reaching u.s. 1t was a black,
serpentine cloud, twisting, writhing in the
center, but at the bottom 1t seemed TO be
moving steadily. I woke up from my stupor
and called out to the family who were in
the house and asked them not to run out
feared that we would all be struck by
flying timbers Then came an awful crash,
sense of suffocation, and when 1t was
over the house was gone and myself and
family were scattered about the yard and
under the debris. It was over in such a
short time / cannot give you an idea of how
long 1t was"
In just few minutes the police officers
were appealed to for shelter for the dead
and wounded, and ambulances and all kinds
of conveyances were pressed into service.
A vacant storeroom on the northside of
Court plaza and another on the Southside,
and the courtroom were transformed into
impromptu morgues and hospitals for the
wounded down town. while every residence
left standing in Fairview Is filled with
wounded. The physicians responded prompt
ly to the call for succor, and drugs and
everything needed came spontaneously.
Hundreds Of ladies responded to the call
of humanity, and with a score of physi-
clans were soon at work. Color and caste
disappeared in the supreme moment of woe
and desolation. Thanks to the excellent
police service, the crowds were restrained
everywhere about the improvised hospitals,
and citizens and physicians found their la
Dor more effective on account of noninter-
ference. The cries of the injured were sup
plemented by the agonizing shrieks Of those
who, passing from corpse TO corpse, at last
found some loved one, perhaps husband or
wife, or son or daughter.
Mr.. Moptgomerys wife and two or three
children are dead. The children are terribly
mangled. One OF them, about five years Of
age. had the top of her head knocked off,
Another child was found dead five hundred
yards from the house. On West Houston
street several are dead. A man named Ham,
ilton IL severely injured. Mrs. Cephus and
child, colored, reported dead. Several
negroes have been picked up out Of the creek
bed. A young white woman. unidentified,
was found dead three hundred yards south
of Ely's residence.
Every moment brings new victims. They
are horribly mangled, almost in every in
stance. John Arnes and wife and two chill
dren, Susie and Matte, are dead and a five
year-old boy fatally injured. T. w. Jenkins,
wife and fveSyear-old daughter are dead
The most marvellous escape so far learned
of by the reporter was the case of the fam
lily of Captain Ely. The residence, quite a
roomy brick structure, was razed to the
ground and but for the opportune presence
of some heavy tirnbers standing upright in
the debris and which sheltered them from
the avalanche of brick and stone, they would
have all perished, but as 1t was only one
member. a little girl, was scratched and
bruised.
Tonight at the courthouse a public meet
ing raised about So 900 for the Immediate re-
ip nj no a AQ r.
c. B. Randell, c. B. Dorchester and Col
distinctly stated that donations from points
outside of Grayson county will not be re-
ceived Denison has responded nobly, and
great assistance. All railroads running into
the city have placed special trains at the
disposal of the local authorities and brought
help from all neighboring cities.
Reports are that the storm killed many
persons in the county west of Howe.
ADDITIONAL VICTIMS.
A large number of police and searching
parties are looking for missing people. The
following are additional deaths reported up
to / a. m: James English, colored; John
Taylor, white; Katy King. colored The un-
known woman at the me rgue has been iden-
titled as Mrs. l. L. Burles. Another infant
of the Baldinger family has been found
dead. Charles Weddle. of Fairview, is dead,
with a piece OF timber driven through his
body. The family of John Hamilton has
been discovered. all badly injured. One cf
the Hamilton boys, aged twenty years, will
die. Two girls, one aged fifteen and one
nine were fatally injured, and another girl
aged eleven, is injured internally. 1t is
impossible to get correct list OF all the
missing Nearly every family in the dis
trict Eas some member that they cannot
account for and 1t Is believed that most of
the missing are dead.
A water-spout accompanied the tornado
and creeks are all out of their banks. Sew
eral objects thought TO be human bodies
were seen in the water, but could not be
reached. The officers are making every
preparation possible TO dredge all the creeks
in the vicinity at an early hour tomorrow.
1t Is a remarkable incident that in every
case where there were deaths the bodies
from the houses destroyed were found 150
or 200 yards from the buildings in direc-
ton opposite 10 that from which the storm
was moving. The storm was moving north
ward and in every instance the bodies were
found TO the southwark. Telegraph and
telephone poles were torn up and driven into
the ground. "A great many or the wounded
are in private houses, scattered all over
the city. 1t is safe TO assume that at least
one-fourth of the number of injured will
die in the next twenty-four hours.
Another storm of A similar nature passed
about six miles west OF the city at ABOUT
the same hour. Several houses were blown
down and many persons injured. Their
names cannot be obtained.
AT Carpenters Bluff, on Red river, 1t is
reported Shat six persons were hurt, five Sc
riously. Buildings and other structures in
the way were demolished.
A daughter of Tom Jenkins was found ly-
ing in a pool of water she was evidently
drowned, for no marks or bruises could be
found on her hOdy.