Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-04-07
Death Rides in Storm

1he olSI OF AsIch 1897. wuS q day
rver to be remembered in Oklahoma
territory. A storm struck the town
OF Chandler on the evening CT that
day and leveied it 10 the ground and
kiiiea many persons. A letter from
Guthrie on the night of the disaster
says:-
twenty persons were killed ont
right or burned to death and fully
40 were injured. Or the latter It is
thought ten will die and ty,ntv.four
others are IN dangerous condition.
The reminder of the population is
homeless.
The Presbyterian church, Mitch
ellis hotel and two other buildings
ere al tha. remain standing. and
'hese o5 nave feen turoel into hospitals.
The property loss will aggregate
ha!f mi!llon dollors. There are not
hall enough coffins here to bury tie
dead. Cnaadler is the county seat of
L'n '1in county aad prosperous
place of 1900 people.
lac storm came fcJm tho south
west. almost without a moments
warning, and, sweeping across the
town, first demolished the business
district, then Lid low the residence
portion, and, passing on, spent itsel!
IN the open prairie.
Many Of the wrecked bniIdipos took
hre, and holocaust followed. Many
OF those injured and buried in the
ruins, were burned to death before
help could arriue.
The fire broke out first in the ruins
OF the New York store and the Lin.
coin Bank, and spread to the adioin-
ing buildings, making it necessary to
fght the flames as well as rescus the
injured.
The people We're slow to recover
from the shock of The calamity, and
not until noon to-day did anythipg
like system prevail in the work of re.
lief.
Chisf Justice Dale Of the Oklahoma
Supreme. Court, was holding court in
the Court House, which was crowd
ed. He ran with his wife TO a hollow
and the two protected by q boulder
escaped unhurt.
A moment later the structure was
twisted around and crashed into the
street a complete wreck One of the
occupants WAS killed outright aud Il
dozen others injured.
Further dawn Main street The Lin
coin County Bank building was top
pied over and was soon cnveluued N
flames Hero; before aid could reach
them, five unfortucates were burned
to death while pinioned down by
heavy thinkers.
Still further down the street three
children suffered like fate.
Passing on to the resident district
the cyclone toppled over dwelling af-
ter dwelling, turned houses OF their
tops and made the streets unrecog-
nizahle. A two days old baby was
carried four blocks and not i0iured
while the mother was crushed in her
bel. The night in Chandler was
terrible. With scores of its inla!li-
tants dead or dying and the remain
der too utterly panic stricken t. give
assistance in the darkness, the rain
poured down on the desolate and
homeless population all during the
weary hours Of the night and add. ID
horror to the situation.
The scene is awful aud several of
the injured are raving crazy. The
main street Of the town is a mass of
dead and Injured people. and teams,
wagons, bugSies, trees and debris
from the buildings.
Sixty tents were sent from here
and over two hundred from Fort
Reno to shelter the homeless
But one Of Chandler's physicians
escaped uninjured, and even after aid
from Guthrie arrived there was n
sclrcity of surgeons. Oniy two we're
able to do anything last night, and
one of thes= DIR. Walcott, with blood
streaming from a sightlsss eye, work
ed until he fainted.
10000 people focke into the De
vastated place. Many OF them came
tc render aid, but the majority are
morbid sightseers. A grsat quan l.
ty of clothing, bedding and provis
ons has bsan-sent in, and the Guth-
ie Club ha, raised $500 in clsh to
end to.morr)w- The city has put to
use all its cash, abeut 500, for i'm
mediate aid. There is no food, and
the distance from here-5O miles-
renders sending supplies hard work.