The San Francisco call., 1896-05-16
And 1t Is Estimated That About
as Many More Are Badly
Injured.
SCENES OF DESTRUCTION ALONG
THE PATH OF RUINS.
Bodies of Victims Blown a Great
Distance and Dead Children
Found in Trees.

SHERMAN, TEX, May 15.-The city of
Sherman was visited by the worst cyclone
in the history of Northern Texas about 5
o'clock this evening. The loss of life will
probably reach 100, with as many more
bruised and wounded. The City Hall and
the storeroom formerly occupied by S. g.
Holmes have been turned into temporary
hospitals, and eighteen bruised, mangled
and mutilated bodies are awaiting identi-
fcation at these two places. Nearly every
house in Fairview Addition was turned
all the aid possible.
The path of the destroyer was 100 yards
wide. 1t struck the city at the west end
of Post Oak Greek and swept in a westerly
direction for several blocks and then
spread and spent its force. The track of
the cyclone is a gruesome sight, the
devastation being comp pIete-houses, trees,
fences, in fact everything in its path was
destroyed.
Following is list of the dead so far as
known:
R. L. Burns, wife and two children; Mrs.
Otto Paulsing and two children; James
Nicholson, wife and two children; T. II.
Montgomery. wife and TWO children; John
Ames, wife and two children Rev. Mr..
Shearer; eight member of the Pearce and
Richardson families at the Wakefield farm; ;
child of Mrs. Craighead; Mrs. Burns and
1ls
John Fields; Lucinda Lake, coIored;
Charles Cox, colored; Eliza Cox, colored :;
Sloane Ballinger, colored; Katie Ballin-
ger, colored; William Nichols and four
children, colored; Wright Clark and three
members of his family, colored Mrs
Athens; eighteen unidentified dead at the
City Hall.
DR.. Saddler, who has not been seen since
the storm, is believed to have been killed.
Seriously injured-Professor and Mrs.
Kahler, six children OF J. B. Irwin, Ed
ward True.
Mrs. Atkins. fatally hurt; Otto Bal
linger, W. S. Bostwick, Jesse Brown, Mrs
Jesse Brown. Lettie Burns, Lummie Burns
Ben Cephus (coloredl Mrs Ben Cephus
(colored) Clarence Cephus (coIored)
Wright Clark, fatally hurt; Wright Clark's
family. number not known, fatally hurt;
Mrs. Wright Clark, Eliza Cox (colored),
Ed Halsell, Mrs. Ed Halseu, Har-
riet Hendricks (colored). David Herring,
four Irvine children, Granville Jenkins,
Mrs. Thomas Jenkins, five Jenkins chill
dren, Matte Johnson (colored), Mrs J. B.
King, two King children, Harriet Lake
(colored), Mrs. II. Miller, John Newhouse,
(colored), Alice Newhouse (colored), four
Newhouse children (colored), Philip
Nichols, Hester Nicholson, Mamie Nichoi-
son, Mary Patrick (colored), three Patrick
children (colored), Mrs. D. L. Pierce, Isaac
Sh carer.
Both Grays Hill and Fairview were
badly damaged.
The cyclone passed directly west of the
North Texas Female College, barely miss
ing if. For two or three blocks eyery-
thing in its pathway was swept aside.
Then it would rise for block or two and
little damage would be done.
B. B. Sales, delivery man, drove down
Houston avenue directly after the cyclone.
lie stated that he saw at least seven men
women and children lying along the ave.
nue. dead and many wounded. The devas-
tation in spots where the cyclone was the
worst is complete. Captain Ely's fine
residence was blown TO pieces. His wife
and two children were in a closet, but
fortunately escaped without injury.
Not a thing remains to mark the spot
where only few hours before stood the
magnificent reside dence of Colonel Burgess
His family was absent from the house at
the time.
Mayor Tone of Denison gives the follow
ing account of the cyclone:
az was in the courthouse about clock,
when suddenly / heard a roaring wind
coming from the south. The next thing l
knew the air was thick with mud and
small specks resembling ashes. The cy-
clone did not strike the courthouse or Jail,
but followed up Post Oak Creek. The
roaring did not continue over two or three
minutes. During all this time it rained
hard. in about five minutes rumors began
to spread that many lives had been lost,
and the reports grew worse and worse as
time passed. By O'Clock fifty dead bodies
had been brought into the public build
ings and searching parties are ont for
more"
Dead children have been found in trees,
under leveIed houses and in Post Oak
Creek An iron bridge over Post Oak
Creek was twisted into scrap iron.
Professor and Mrs. Kahler were both