Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-04-08
CHANDELIERS STORM.
Scenes Of Awful Devastation In
the Little City.
lWEyTY.SIy BODIES RECOVERED.
How Many More Are Buried Under the Do
bris Only More Careful search VIII
Reveal Falkland Also Report
ed - Being Destroyed.

GUTHRIE, Ok, April What was
Tuesday the beautiful, thriving little
city of Chandler, located on a tim.
bcred hill near the center OF Lincoln
county, Ok, is to-day shapeless mass
Of ruins. barren, devastated waste,
made gruesome by the dead and peopled
by a homeless, stricken, suffering,
hopeless people. The few homes that
are LETT are turned into hospitals; the
remnant Of the leading hotel into a
morgue. At $50 Tuesday afternoon
the clouds formed into funnel shaped
mass and began bearing down upon
the city. Five minutes later the awful
roar that, once heard, is never forgot
ten, was audible, and at $50 the storm
leaped upon the city, enveloped 1t in a
whirling, roaring, rushing black toss
and all was chaos. Inside of three min
utes the entire town was mass of
ruins, and ten minutes later the wind
had passed on, leaving in It's wake a
scene of desolation and destruction
such as no ravaging army ever pro-
duced
The town stretched its business por-
ton north and south along four squares
of Marvel avenue, and in all its bust
ness area but two buildings were left
intact Hoffman & Charles store and
Scblagcl's saloon-which, together
with a few scattering residences and
the Presbyterian church were what
was left OF tle prosperous city. For a
short time there was deluge OF rain
and beating of hail, while above the
noise arose the screams of terror
groans OF agony and cries for help
Down the center of the main street
was struggling mass of wounded
human beings and horses, piles of
wreckage buggies wagons and mer-
chandise, with CHASTITY dead faces here
and there, sight awful to behold.
Soon the terror Of the fire tiend was
added to the devastation of the storm,
as flames began to leap up from the
wreck of the New York store and Lin.
coin county bank. Next to the bank
was little restaurant where five peo-
pie were eating supper. The bank
toppled over on it, pinning the five
down and holding them prisoners to
meet an agonizing death by fire. At
several other points, the flames burst
out and 1t was hard fight with fire
until after midnight, many of the in
jured being badly burned and several
meeting death in the flames, in addi-
ton to the five who persisted in the
restaurant.
When the fire broke out scores of
people fought the flames and tried to
rescue the imprisoned people, hut their
efforts were useless, and they were
compelled to see them roast to death
before their eyes and listen to their
screams of agony. People who were
outdoors were hurled and carried about
by the wind and the clothing torn from
their bodies. All night long many
ran crying and screaming about, al
most naked, drenched to the skin,
with blood.clotted hands and faces
Others were dazed and seemed not to
know what had happened. A thousand
people are homeless and half as many
are without thing in the world. Help
on large scale is needed The loss is
fully 100000. All yesterday the work
of rescuing and caring for the injured
was carried on, and the scene was one
beyond all description. A large ma
jority Of the people are left homeless
and penniless with scarcely clothes to
cover their backs. and many are al
ready suffering The war department
was applied to for tents yesterday, and
SO have been sent from Fort Reno.
There are not coffins enough to bury
the dead, and carpenters are making
boxes from the wreckage of buildings.
Never has town been more complete
ly wiped out, and the majority Of the
business men are wholly ruined. A
messenger late last night from south
west of Chandler says that many farm
houses were demolished there, mum.
Der of people injured and two killed.
The little village of Falkland is re-
ported completely destroyed, with
many injured. Up to last night 80
dead bodies had been recovered from
the ruins at Chandler How many more
are buried under the debris only a more
careful search will reveal.
vALLS HIMSELF PROFESSOR
Tho Man with the Striped shirt WA