The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1897-04-03
CHAOS IN CHANDLER
MORNING REVEALED THE TERRK-
HE work or DESTRUCTION.
Rafn whfeh Followed the wilma Un-
doubtedly saved Many People
FRom Cremation.

tCTs IN hutortof boom Town - miles SOUTH
east OF Guthrie. ia mass Of ruins. At
o'clock last evening a cyclone. dealing
death and destruction to everything In iti
path. swept Gown upon the town and al
most completely swept II on the earth OF
her 800 inhabitants, IS were killed out
right or burned TO death. and fully I7o In
Jured- OF these latter It Is thought II will
die: ~ others are In q dangerous condl-
ton. The remainder OF the population Is
homeless The Presbyterian church,
Mitchell's hotel and two other buildings
are an that remain standing. These have
been turned into hospitals. The property
loss VIII be half n million There Is not
half enough collins to buy the dead.
The storm came up from the southwest
almost without a moments warning, and
sweeping across the town. iirst demoltsh-
ed the business district and then laid low
the residence portion Passing on. II spent
Itself In the open prairie. The wrecks OF
many of the store buildings took IRE. and
In q short time an awful holocaust was in
progress. Many Of those injured and
buried in the ruins were burned TO death
before help arrived
New York store and Lincoln County bank
and spread to the adjoining buildings.
making II necessary to fight flames as
well as rescue the injured
The people were slow to recover from
the shock and not until today did any
relief. At IL o'clock tonight particulars
are still meager. With n sloW-working
telephone wire out Of Chandler and but
one telegraph wire from Guthrie. the
town is still practically cut on from the
outside world
storm Broke saddenIy.
The storm broke upon the city suddenly.
The sky was clear an hour before. Short
ly before o'clock a mass OF dark clouds
gathered In the southeast and whfried
NORTH They soon developed into a funnel
shaped monster and bore down upon the
outskirts of town As the mass touched
the ground the roar was deafening. The
funnel split as 1t struck the southwest
border of Chandler, which Is situated on
a hill overlooking Cow creek valley, and
one half went through the town and the
other turned north Before escape was
possible the cyclone had passed through
town. Tearing through the business dis
trict. stores were hurled right and left. or
lifted high into the air and tossed in ev-
cry direction.
On Main street the Lincoln County bank
building was toppled over and was soon
enveloped in flames Here. before any one
could reach them. i've unfortunates were
burned TO death. pinioned down by the
heavy dmbers- Further down the street
three children suffered a like fate. The
mass Of injured people. dead and injured
horses. wrecked wagons and buggies, and
formed Main street into a funeral pyre.
Passing on into the residence district. the
cyclone toppled over dwelling after dwell
ing. turned houses on their tops and made
streets unacceptable, piling them high
with debris.
two days old babe was carried four
blocks and not injured. while the mother
was crushed in her bed
Finally when an effort to send for out
side aid was made 1t was found that all
communication with the outside world
had been cut on. the telephone office be-
ing among the buildings destroyed. 1t
was several hours before communication
with Guthrie was secured. A brief idea
OF the nature of the devastation wrought
together with an appeal for aid. had been
sent to the neighboFing city, when the
wire snapped. and Chandler was again cut
on 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 damage
became known.
descrfbable terror. The injured in many
cases unavaiIingly cried for help and lay
In the wrecks Of their homes until day
light made It possible for them to help
themselves, or when aid from surround
ing towns arrived
oI SOuAC suuA VI SJ5LcIudLlC
rescue had been perfected and the dead
and dying were being released from the
ruins. Improvised hospitals were erected
and the unfortunates cared for as best as
was possible. At o'clock 20 dead bodies
had been taken from the ruins, while doz-
ems 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 were able to do any
thing last night and Of these. DR.. Wal
colt, with blood streaming from a sight
less eye. worked until he tainted. 1t was
not until noon that an organized effort
was made to alleviate SUFFERING
Queer sights greet the eye on all sides.
Ten trees have a house roof on each;
clothing and household goods are scat
tered In the streets; dead horses and cows
are to be seen everywhere, while a pile
OF ruins has a fine plano perched on top
Of It.
Many citizens wander about the streets
dazed at the calamity and almost on the
verge of insanity at the loss of family
and homes. Two or three have gone stark
mad.
BY nightfall tonight 1000 people had
nocked into the city. Many Of them came
to render assistance, but the majority are
there as morbid sightseers. Great guam
titles Of clothing. bedding and provisions /
have been sent in and the Guthrie Club /
raised %ljOO in cash to send tomorrow
The city has put to use all its cash, about |
800. for immediate aid. Hundreds of /
tents have been sent from Fort Reno
and Guthrie and will provide temporary
shelter for unfortunates. All are home /
less. however. and substantial aid must
quickly follow. Food is scarce and there
ire not half enough collins to bury, and
all the towns supply Of medI-
line has been destroyed
The Dead.
ATTORNEY JOHN DAWSON.
r. r. DENOTE.
EMMA DRESIN6ER.
Unknown woman and child. all burned to
ieath. by being pinned down By the wreck Of |
he Lincoln bank.
MRS. TOM SMITH. crushed.
MRS PHILIP JOHNSON and child.
MRS DIR. La LEE.
A. W. KELLER and wife
Unknown man /
Three unknown children.
MRS MITCHELL
JAMES W. WOODWARD and wife Of Eidor-
ldo. Kaa. |
MRS. DEMENT,.
H. BEMAR-
A. BARBER.
ID. \. JOHNSON
T. n RITTENsTEIN
Fatally Injured.
WOODWARD girl.
DR. L. LEE.
ARTHUR JEwETr
PEGGY JOHNSON
MRS. FRANK HcALI.
d. c. COOLING.
MOLLIE UIAAM
ANDREW ASHER and wife
SIDNEY KENNoN
ID. c. JOHNSON ana wife
WILLIAM TILcHMAN
GEORGE HERNDoN
BADLY Injured.
MRS. EMERY GosTER and baby the moth |
r. leg broken
MRS. CULLoM
MRS. ,. d. LUNLEY.