Evening journal., 1896-05-16
TExASlS TORNADO TORN
Terrific Cyclone Sweeps Over
the Lone Star State.
NEARLY A HUNDRED ARE KILLED.

Forty Deaths Reported In One Place.
scores Are Bruised and Mangled-Many
MI.siDg-0rcat Destruction In the Path
of the storm.
SHERMAN. Tex, May 16-A most dis
astrous cyclone struck Sherman at $3.50
clock Yesterday afternoon, wiping out
| the entire western end of the town. The.
loss OF lifo IL appalling The dead are esti-
mated at between 80 and 40. This Is a
very conservative estimate. Many moro
nre fatally OF seriously Injured.
At o'clock last evening - bodies wero
| lying cold in death in the county court
house aud as many more scattered about
across the desolated west end Of tho city
No accurate estimate can as yet be
placed on the loss Of life and property.
| Tho work of rescue and search for the
missing goes on. Every part OF the town
Is desolated, and the greatest excitement
/ prevails. Tho Western Union office IS
/ oyernowed with anxious ones sending
messages and inquIring the fate Of other
towns. Every available wagon, buggy
and horse Is In use by searchers and work
ers on the field Of death.
As time grows, later reports Of greater
loss OF life and property arrive. Many
stories Of miraculous escapes are told.
The Sherman courthouse was insuflf-
cicnt to hold the dead and wounded. The
vacant Moore building on the south
square was utilized, 10 oolored people
dead or dying being placed there.
Express drays, baggage wagons and oil
kinds Of vehicles came in with dead bod
les. Around tho Moore building the high
est excitement prevails, and the greatest
difficulty was experienced in getting the
names of the victims and accurate reports.
The storm struck Sherman without
warning on tho southwest corner of the
city, and cleared a path 100 yards wido
along the west end Of the town Houses,
trees, fences and everything went before
the terrible forco of the Cyclone. The ne
gro pnrt of the town suffered the most So
| yerely. There are probably 30 negroes
| killed. Ten bodies have been picked up
In Post Oak creek.
The nocd of rain which attended the
| storm was severe. The town Is mass or
| mud and debris.
Miraculous Escape.
Captain L. +. Ely's house was demol-
/ ished. and his wife and two children had
miraculous escapes.
Captain b. Berg's residence was also
leveed to the ground, but fortunately the
/ family was away from home.
Frank Ryan, manager Of the Sherman
baseball team, had his house blown of
| the foundation and completely turned
around. His wife and two children es-
| capped serious injury.
Just before the storm the peculiar ap-
pearanoe Of the clouds was observed. They
were parted at the lower side, converging
into perfect funnel shape, while low
/ lying, seething mass Of vaporous clouds
were rapidly revolving in the rift. The
| air was suddenly filed with trees and
twigs, and the downpour Of rain brought
with it a deluge Of mud Then the truth
dawned upon all that cyclone was pre-.
| vailing.
From tho point where It seems to have
first descended to where It suddenly arose
from tho ground Just north Of the city it
left terrific marks Of It's passage, not n
house in its pathway escaping. not treo
or shrub left standing or that Ia not twist
ed and torn out OF shape. Fences are gone
| The iron bridge on Houston street Is COM
pletely wrecked and blown awny notwth-
standing its hundreds Of thousands OF
pounds of steel and material. The num-
ber OF persons wounded will reach not less
than 100, and II will be several days be-
fore tho exact number OF fatalities can bo
! given, as many persons, and especially
children are missing and many of the in
iurod are In such critical condi tion.
Mayor Tone OF Denison, who was horo
during tho storm, gives the following ae7
count of Il: 81 was on the courthouse
square about o'clock and heard roar
ing wind coming from the south. The
next thing knew the air was thick with
mud and small specks resembling ashes.
Tho storm did not strike the courthouse
or iuil, but followed up Post Oak creek.
The roaming did not continue over two or
three minutes. During all this time it
rained hard In about five minutes ru-
mors began to spread that many lives had
been lost, and the reports grew worse and
worse as time passed. BY 8 O'Clock 90 dead
bodies had been brought into the public
buildings, and searching parties are out
for moro The dead children have been
found in trees, under leveled houses and
IN Post Oak creek. An iron bridge over
Post Oak creek was twisted into scrap
|