The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-04-28
CYCLONE In KANSAS
FIVE PEOPLE KILLED AND A SCORE
OF OTHERS INJURED.
she storm sweeps Through Farm
ing Section of Clay County and
DemoIishes Everything in Its
Path - Besides the Human Lives
Lost, Many Cattle Are Killed ny
the Storm.

Kansas City, April Pa special to
the Times from Topeka, Kan, says:
Five persons at least were killed out
right, three fatally wounded and sew
enteen more or less injured and great
destruction of property was wrought
by a cyclone which passed owed Clay
county last night.
The dead are Frank Peterson, wife
and child; Mrs Ole Halyerson and a
grandchild of Peterson. The injured
belonged to the families of John Nor
ris. +. Welkin, Peter Anderson and III.
Gardner.
Passengers on the Rock Island train
from the north brought partial details
of the cyclone. 1t started about SIX
miles south of Clifton and went in a
northeasterly direction for twelve or
fifteen miles, then it lost it's force by
spreading 1t passed about halfway
between Clifton and Morganville. It's
track varied from $50 yards to a quar-
ter of mile in width. 1t tore through
a farming community and left nothing
standing. Houses and barns were
wrecked, trees torn up or broken,
fences leveled and hay stacks blown
in every direction. The cyclone was
followed by a terrific rain storm last
ing several hours, flooding the de-
vastated district The cyclone took
the people unaWares, and SO far as
learned, most of them had retired.
The storm struck Peter Anderson's
house at $3.50 o'clock This was about
a mile from the starting point. The
house was
Demolished in an Instant
Every member of the Anderson family
mi vfri0 r
ed themselves from the debris they
discovered that Anderson's grandchild
was missing. It's dead body was found
this morning half a mile away in a
ravine.
Anderson alarmed the neighbors who
lived out of the track of thu storm,
and search was commenced for vic
Tins. Couriers were sent to Clifton
and Morganville for doctors. but 1t
was daylight before they arrived and
the extent of the injury and damages
were known. A large number of cat
tie and horses were killed and fruit in
the storms track was ruined. 1t is inn
possible at this time to estimate the
damage to buildings and other proper
ty. Heartrending tales of suffering
are told by persons who visited the
scenes of the storm. Many of the in
jured lay all night pinned down by
wreckage, and others craWled or hob
bled across the country to a neigh
boris house. In several instances peo-
pie were lifted into the air by the cy-
clone and carried some distance and
then suddenly dropped. Buildings
were Hfeted up and then hurled to
the ground with force enough to de,
moiish them. The wife and daughter
of John Morris were reading when the
shock came. The house was divided
The women managed to get out when
the wind picked them up carried them
up 200 yards and dropped them safe
ly down on a straw pile just away
from the storms track.
A special to the Journal from Clay
Center Kan, places the number of
killed in the cyclone at eight There
are rumors of other deaths south and
west of Clifton, and it is feared that
when communication with the stricken
towns is established that a great loss
Of life will be reported. The wires to
many points are down and but meager
details are obtainable.
The Journal correspondent gives the
following list of killed: Frank Peter
son, wife and one daughter: Eli Bal
thaZar and wife, julius Trembly. Jesse
Ham, Mrs. Halberson.
njured-Daughter of Frank Peter
son, cannot live; Frank Wilkinson. can
not live; entire family of John Morris.
badly mangled; six children of Eli
BalthaZar, more or less injured.