The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-01
NOT ENOUGH
COFFINS
In the the Tornado Stricken
Town of Chandler
To Bury the Dead and Many
More Deaths Expected.
CITIZENS GOING MAD
From Loss of Family, Home and
All.
The Storm Was a Regular Fun
mel Shaped TWister.
CITIZENS GOING MAD

| GulnElE, -. l., April --latest reports
| from Chandler are that as a result of
the tornado of Tuesday night, 26 per-
! sons were killed outright or burned to
1 death, and fully 10 were injured. Of
these latter it is thought IA will die, "A
! others are in a dangerous condition.
! The remainder of the population is
homeless.
The Presbyterian church, NIitchelIs
| hotel and two other buildings are all
that remain standing. These have been
turned into hospitals, and the loss will
aggregate half a million dollars. There
are not half collins enough here to bury
the dead
The storm came up from the south
west almost without moments warn
ing, and, sweeping across the town,
nrst demolished the business district
then to the residence portion, and pass
ing on, spent itself in the open prairie
me wrecks of many OF the store build
ings took fire, and many of those buried
in the ruins were burned to death
Fire broke out in the ruins of the
New York store and the Lincoln Coun-
ty bank, and spread to the adjoining
pulld1ngs, making it necessary to fight
the names as well as rescue the injured.
Ihe people were slow to recover from
the shock of the calamity and not till
noon yesterday did anything like sys-
tenn prevail in the work of relief. Save
one slow working telephone wire out of
Chandler and but one telegraph wire
from Guthrie, the town is still practi-
cally cut off from the outside world.
The storm broke upon the city sud
denly. The sky was clear an hour be-
fore. Shortly before o'clock a mass
of dark clouds gathered in the south
east and then twisted north. They soon
developed into a funnel shaped monster
and bore down upon the outskirts Of
the town.
As the mass touched the ground the
roar was deafening. The funnel split
as it struck the southwest border of
Chandler, which is situated on the hill
overlooking the Cow Creek valley. and
ne-half went through the town, and
the other turned north. Before escape
was possible, the cyclone had passed
through the town. Tearing through the
business district, stores were hurled
right and left, or lifted high into the air
and tossed in every direction.
Chief Justice Dale of the Oklahoma
supreme court was holding court in the
court house, which was crowded He
ran with his wife to a hollow, and the
two were protected by a large boulder
and were unhurt Others in the court
room did not fare SC we'll A moment
later the structure was twisted around
and hurled into the street, a complete
wreck. One of the occupants was kill
ed outright and a dozen others injured.
Down Main street the Lincoln County
bank building was toppled over and
soon in flames. Five unfortunates were
burned to death, pinioned down by the
heavy timbers.
Still further down the street three
children suffered a like fate. A mass of
injured people, dead, and injured horses
and wrecked wagons and buggies and
debris of all kinds from the buildings,
transformed Main street into a funeral
pyre, and passing on into the residence
district, the cyclone tOppled over dwell
ling after dwelling, turned houses on
their tops and made streets unrecog-
nizable, piling them high with debris.
A two days old baby was carried
four blocks and not injured, while the
mother was crushed in her bed. The
trail the storm left was one of
wreck and ruin most complete.
With the first realization of their
predicament over the uninjured and
able bodied found themselves from
fright and confusion well nigh as help
less to render aid their more unfOr-
tunate neighbors. Finally, when an eff
fort to send for outside aid was made.
il was found that all communication
with the outside world had been cut off,
the telephone office being among the
buildings destroyed. 1t was several
hours before communicate with Guth-
RE was secured.
A brief idea of the nature of the de-
vastation wrought, together with an ap-
peal for aid, had been sent the neigh
boring city, when the wire snapped, and
Chandler was again shut of.
In the meantime, however a train
bearing physicians and others left for
the scene. The wire came up later and
further appeals for aid met prompt re-
Spouse and additional rescuing parties
were sent out as the extent of the
damage became known.
The night in Chandler was one of
indeScribable terror. With many of its
inhabitants dead or dying and the re-
mainder too badly injured or unable
from fright or because of darkness, to
render assistance.
The injured in many cases cried for
help under wrecks of their houses until
daylight. By midnight some show of
systematic rescue had been perfected
and the dead and dying we're being re-
leased from the ruins. IInprovised hos
pitfalls were erected and the unfortu-
mates cared for as best as was possible
At I o'clock 20 dead bodies had been ia
ken from the ruins, while dozens more
or less badly injured had been removed
to places of safety.
But one of Chambers physicians es-
capped injury, and even after aid from
Guthrie arrived there was a scarcity of
surgeons. Only two of these were able
to do anything, and of these, Dr. Wal
Ott,With blood streaming from a sight
less eye, worked until he tainted. Day
light brought hundreds of people from
surrounding towns and men, women
and children assisted in caring for the
injured Little progress was made
however, and it was not till noon that
an organized effort at alternating the
suffering of the injured was effected.
The four remaining buildings were
turned into hospitals, and, directed by
Mayor M. D.. Mckinney. the work pro
ceeded as swiftly as possible
Queer sights greet the eye on all
SldeS. clothing ana household goods
are scattered in the streets. Dead
horses are to be seen everywhere, while
pile of ruins has a fine piano perched
on top of it.
Citizens wander about the streets al
most on the verge of insanity at the
loss of family and home; two or three
have gone stark mad.
BY nightfau ten thousand people had
fiocked into the city. Many of them
came to render aid, but the majority