The record-union., 1896-04-27
Persons Whirled Through the Air and
Houses Demolished.
Impossible at This Time to Estimate
the Damage-Sevier Declines to
Run for Governor of Arkansas
Saloon ITEMS Exodus for Fear of a
Kansas Grand Jury-Two Escaped
Cuban Patriots.

CLAY CENTER (Kas), April ga
cyclone of I, tremendous force sped
through Clay County last night, deal
ing death and destruction on every
hand. AS far as known tonight five
people were killed, three fatally wound
ed and seventeen injured. The dead
are: Frank Peterson, Mrs. Frank
Peterson, child of the Petersons. Mrs.
Ole Naverson, grandchild of Peter An
derson.
A full list of the injured is unobtain-
| able, as the doctors have not returned
from the scene of the disaster 1t is
known, however, that every member of
the families of John Morris. F. Welkin,
Peter Anderson and Henry Gardner
We're hurt and three of them have
wounds said to be fatal.
large number of horses and cattle
were killed, and the damage to farm
property is immense.
The cyclone started about six miles
south of Clifton and went in a north
easterly direction for twelve or fifteen
miles, and then lost it's force by spread
ing. It passed about halfway between
Clifton and Morganville. It's track
varied from $50 yards to a quarter of a
mile in width. Houses and barns were
wrecked, trees torn or broken, fences
leveled and haystacks blown in every
direction. The cyclone was followed by
a terrific rainstorm, which lasted sew
eral hours, flooding the devastated dis
trict.
There had been indications of a heavy
rain all day, with local showers, but
nobody expected a storm. So far as
learned, the victims of the cyclone were
IL their houses, and the most of them
had retired. The storm struck Peter
Anderson'S home at 9:30 O'Clock This
was about a mile from the starting
point The house was demolished in
an instant. Every member of the An
derson family was injured. When they
had extricated themselves from the de-
Iris they discovered that Anderson s
grandchild was missing. The dead
body of the child was found this morn
ing in ravine half a mile away. An
derson alarmed the neighbors VINO lived
out of the track of the storm and
search was commenced for the victims.
but little Roadway was made in the
rain. Couriers were sent to Clifton
and Morganville for doctors, but it was
daylight before they arrived Many
Of the injured lay all night pinned down
by wreckage, while others crawled or
hobbled across the country to neighbour
ing houses. In several instances people
were lifted into the air by the cyclone
and carried for distance and then sud-
denly dropped. Buildings also were
lifted up and hurled to the ground with
e
of John Morris were reading when the
shock came. The house was destroyed
The ladies managed to get out, when
the wind picked them up, carried them
200 yards and let them down on a pile
of straw
The people for miles around to-day
gathered at the different points where
the damage had been done and rem
oered assistance in every way possible
The track of the storm resemb1ed a
piece of ground leveled with a roller 1t
is believed much damage was done in
the vicinity of Palmer Washington
County, but the details cannot be
. learned
1t is impossible at this time to esti-
mate the damage to buildings and other
property.
Details struggling in late tonight
have greatly increased the fatalities
1t is now believed that the dead will
number twelve, and that the injured
will reach twenty-five and possibly
forty Among those known to be dead
in addition to the names of those
learned earlier are: Eli Belthazer, Mrs
Eli Belthazer, Julian Trimbly, J. S.
HaZen.
Telegraph wires are Frustrated in
nearly all directions and the news has
to be obtained by couriers.