The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-01
BABY BLOWN FOUR BLOCKS

Verge OF lnS1nRv..viSio
Picture Of Terror
and Disaster.
Guthrie. Okla. March 31.-Chandler.
an interior boom town fifty miles from
Guthrie, is a mass Of ruins. At sx
O'Clock last evening a cyclone, dealing
death and destruction to everything in it's
path, swept down upon the town and
almost completely wiped it off the face
Of the earth. OF the 1900 inhabitants,
twenty-five were killed outright, and
fully 40 were injured. OF the latter it
is thought ten will die, and twenty-four
others are in q dangerous condition The
remainder of the poulation is homeless.
The Presbyterian church, MitcheiPs 3
hotel and two other buildings are all that
remain standing. These have been
turned into hospitals. The property loss
will aggregate half million dollars.
There are not half cofins enough here to
bury the dead The storm came from the
southwest, almost without a moments
warning and sweeping across the town,
first demolished the business district, then
laid low the residence portion and pass
ing on, spent itself in the open prairie.
The wrecks Of many of the buildings took
fire. and in short time an awful holo-
caust followed.
Many of the injured buried in the ruins
were burned to death before help ar
rived. The people were slow to recover
from the shock Of the calamity, and not
until noon to-day did anything like sys-
tenn prevail in the work of relief At
II O'Clock tonight particulars are still
meagre. Save one slow working tele-
phone wire out Of Chandler, and but one
telegraph wire from Guthrie, the town is
practically cut off from the outside world
The storm broke upon the city sudden
ly. The sky was clear an hour before
Shortly before six O'clock a mass Of dark
clouds gathered i'll the southwest and
whirled north. 1t 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 hit the
southwest border of Chandler, which is
situated on hill overlooking the Cow
Creek valley, and one-half went through
the town and then turned north. Be-
fore escape was possible the cyclone had
passed through the town, tearing
through the business districts. 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 hollow. The two
were protected by large boulder and
were unhurt
COURT HOUSE LAID LOW.
Others in the court house did not fare
so well. A moment later the structure
was twisted around and hurled into the
street, complete wreck One Of the
occupants were killed outright, and a
dozen others were injured. Further
down Main street. the Lincoln County
Bank building was toppled over and was
soon enveloped in flames. Before aid
could reach them, five unfortunates
were burned to death. Still further down
the street, three children suffered a likt
fate. A mass Of people, dead and injur-
ed. horses and wagons and buggies or
All kinds, transformed Main street in-,
a funeral pyre. Passing on into the
residence district, the cyclone toppled
over dwelling after dwelling, turned
houses on their tops and piled the streets
high with debris.
A two days old baby was carried four
blocks and not injured, while the mother
was crushed in her bed. When an ef-
fort to send for aid was made, it was
found that all communication with the
outside world had been cut off. The
telephone office was among the buildings
destroyed, and it was several hours be-
fore communication with Guthrie was
secured.
A brief idea Of the nature Of the de-
vastation wroght, together with an ap-
peal for aid, had been sent to the neigh
boring city, when the wires snapped and
Chandler was again shut off. In the
meantime, however, a train bearing
physicians and others left for the scene.
The wire was restored and the appeals
for aid met prompt response and addi-
tional rescuing parties We're sent out as
the extent of the damage became known.
A NIGHT OF HORROR.
The night in Chandler was one of
intlescrible horror. With many of its
A. \ ~