The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-27
CYCLONE In KANSAS
Five Persons Killed and Many In
jured by the Terrific Storm.
LEAVES NOTHING STANDING
The Devastated District Flooded
by Rains-1eartrendins Scenes
Among the Suffering-A Child
Carried Half a Mile.

Kansas City, Mo-, April "a special
TO the Times from Topeka, Kan, says:
Five persons at least were killed out
right. three fatally and IL more or less
seriously injured and great destruction of
property was wrought by a cyclone which
passed over Clay county last night.
The dead are: Frank Peterson. wife
and child. Mrs. Ole Halverson and
grandchild, Peter Ande-
The injured belong to the families ot
John Morris, F. Welkin, Peter Ander-
son and III. Gardner.
Passengers on the Rock Island train
from the Northwest have brought par
tial details of the cyclone II started
about six miles south of Clifton and
went in a northeasteriy direction for IL
or 10 miles, then lost Its force by
spreading. 1t passed about half way
between Clifton and Morgauville. Its
track varied from $50 yards to a quar-
ter OF a mile in width. 1t tore through
q farming community and LETT nothing
standing. Houses and barns were
wrecked. trees torn up or broken,
fences leveled and haystacks blown In
every direction. The cyclone was fol-
lowed by a terrific rainstorm, which
lasted several hours, flooding the de-
Nastated district
HThe cyclone took the people una
wares. There had been indications of
II heavy rain all day, with local show
1s. but nobody expected a storm. So
fhr as learned. the victims were in their
houses and the most of them had re-
tired. The storm struck Peter Ander-
sons house at $3.50 o'clock. This was
about a mile from the starting point.
The house was demolished in an in
sfant Every member of the Anderson
family was injured. When they had
extricated themselves from the debris
they discovered that Anderson's grand
child was missing. The dead body of
the child was found this morning in a
ravine half mile away. 1t evidently
had been carried there by the wind.
Anderson alarmed the neighbors, who
lived out of the track of the storm and
search was made for victims. but little
headway was made in the rain. Cour-
iers were sent to Clifton and Morgan
willie for doctors, but IL was daylight
before they arrived, and the extent of
the injury and damage Was-unknouzn--
At noon to-day II was thought that all
the victims had been found. A large
number of cattle and horses were
killed. and fruit in the storms track
was ruined. 1t is impossible at this
time to estimate the damage to build
ings and other property.
Heartrending tales of suffering are
told by persons who visited the scene
of the storm. Many of the injured lay
all night pinned down by wreckage or
paralyzed in the mud, while others
crawled or hobbled across the country
to neighbors' houses. In several In
stances people were lifted into the air
by the cyclone and carried for a dis
tance and then suddenly dropped.
were lifted up and then
hurled to the ground with force enough
to demolish them. The wife and daugh-
ter OF John Morris were reading when
the shock came. The house was divid-
ed. The women managed to get out
when the wind picked them up. carry
Ing them 200 yards and letting them
down safely on a pile of straw just
away from the storms track
The people for miles around to-day
gathered at the different points where
damage had been, and rendered assist
ance in every possible way. The con-
1uctor on the Rock Island train said
that the track of the storm looked like
/ piece of ground which had been lev
sled with a roller.