The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-31
WIND And FLAME.
Awful Disaster Visits Chand-
ler, Oklahoma Hundreds
Dead and Dying.

GUTHRIE, Okla, March 81, 1S9t.-A ter
rife cyclone struck the town of Chandler,
forty miles east of here, at six o'clock
last evening, and the latest news is that
forty-five people were killed and more
than 200 injured, dozen of them fatally.
A despatch received here at two A. NJ.
reported the ruins on fire and many in
jured people were burned to DEATH So
far twenty-four dead bodies have been
taken from the ruined buildings.
Chandler was a town of 1850 inhabi-
tants and was almost completely devas-
tated, only two buildings being left stand
ing, the Grand Island gracery and the
Mitchell Hotel
The number of dead is unknown. It
runs into the hundreds.
The scenes were heart-reding, people
dying on all Sides with but one physician
on the ground who is not hurt. Six peo-
pie in one building were pinned down
and were slowly roasted to death.
Darkness came on soon after the cy-
Clone struck, and the work of rescue was
carried on under the greatest difficulties.
The telephone Office was carried away,
but at ten o'clock a telephone was con-
nected with the wire two miles away and
message sent here for assistance.
large number of physicians and other
citizens have left here for the scene with
surgical instruments, drugs and other
supplies.
later message states that a large
number of people known to have been in
business buildings are missing, and it is
feared they are dead under the ruins.
learned until daylight.
Chandler is the seat of the Oklahoma
agricultural and mechanical college,
which it is reported has been badly
wrecked.
Many people are reported injured in
the wrecked court house and the disas-
ter is believed to be much worse than at
first thought. The injured will reach
over one hundred and there is no shelter
and no adequate medical attendance, and
it is feared many will die from expos
ure.
A despatch received at o'clock this
morning from Chandler, stated that nine
teen dead bodies had been taken from
the ruins. The wrecked buildings were
on fire and burning fiercely. Many of
the injured undoubtedly met death by
fire, while pinned fast under debris. In
one building five injured people were
burned to death and at another place the
incinerated bodies of three unknown
children have been taken out
Another telephone message received at
2:30 O'Clock this morning asked for help
and rescue parties instantly started from
Guthrie and nearby towns. The message
said that the entire business portion of
the little town burned after being wreck
ed by the wind. The scene was described
as terrible and almost beyond description.
Some of the injured became temporarily
insane and rushed up and down the streets
in a state of delirium. The main street
of the town is mass of dead and in
jured people, and teams and wagons,
buggies, trees and debris from the build
ings. Every building but one on the
main street was wrecked and burned in
Guiding the court house, post office,
News and Democrat offices, Lincoln
County Bank, New York store and sew
eral hotels.
James woodward and wife, of E.ldorado,
Kans., visiting at Chandler We're Instant
ly killed; their little daughter was fatal
ly crushed and son badly hurt.
John Dawson, of Lincoln, Neb, a law
yer, was burned to death.
Chief Justice Dale, who was holding
court, ran with his wife to a hollow and
unhurt