The record-union., 1897-04-01
Swept Almost Completely OF the Earth
by Tuesdays Cyclone.
A Church, a Hotel, and Five other
Buildings Ali That Remain.
Of the Fifteen Hundred Inhabitants
Twenty-Six Were Killed Outright
or Burned to Death, and Fully One
Hundred and Seventy Injured,
Many of Whom Will Probably DE
The Remainder of the Population
Homeless
Homeless.


Homeless.
GUTHRIE %. T.), March 31.-Chan-
dler. an interior boom town, fifty miles
southeast from Guthrie, is mass Oh
ruins. At o'clock last evening a cy-
clone. dealing death and destruction TO
everything in it's path, swept down upon
the town and almost completely swept
it off the face of the earth or her
500 inhabitants twenty-slX were
killed outright or burned to death, and
fully 10 were injured. Of these latter
it is thought fourteen will die, twenty
four others are in a dangerous condl-
ton. The remainder of the population
is homeless. The Presbyterian Church,
MitchelFs Hotel and two other build
ings are all that remain standing. These
have been turned into hospitals. Inc
property loss will aggregate Soooooo.
There are not half enough coftins mere
to bury the dead.
The storm came up from the south
west. almost without a moments warn
ing. and. sweeping across the town, frst
demolished the business district, then
laid low the residence portion, and,
passing on. spent itself in the open
prairie. The wrecks of many of the
store buildings took fire. and in short
time an awful holocaust was IN prog
ress. Many of those injured and buried
in the ruins were burned to death pe-
fore help could arrive.
The people were slow to recover from
the shock of the calamity, and not until
to-day did anything like system prevail
in the work of relief. At IL o'clock to-
night particulars are still meager. save
one slow-working telephone wire out
ofsChandler, and but one telegraph wire
from Guthrie, the town is still practl-
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 mass of
dark clouds gathered IN the the south
east and then whirIad north They
soon developed into a funnel shaped
monster. and bore down upon the out
skirts 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
a hill overlooking the Cow Greek Val
ley, and one-half went through the
town and the other turned north.
Before escaoe was possible. the cy-
clone had passed through the town.
Tearing through the business districts,
stores were hurled right and left, or
lifeted high into the air and tossed IN
every direction. Chief Justice Dale OF
the Oklahoma Supreme Court was mold
ing court in the Court house, which was
crowded. He ran with his wife to a
hollow, and the two were protected by
a large bowlder, and were unhurt. 9th
ers in the Courthouse did not fare so
well. A moment later the structure was
twisted around and hurled into the
street, a complete wreck. One of the
occupants was killed outright and a
dozen others injured.
Further down Main street the Lin
coin County Bank building was toppled
over and was soon enveloped in flames
Here. before aid could reach them, five
unfortunates were burned to death,
pinioned down by heavy timbers. Still
further down the street three children
suffered a similar fate. A mass of in
iured people, dead and injured horses
wrecked wagons and buggies, and de-
bris of all kinds from the buildings
transformed Main street into funeral
pyre.
Passing on into the residence district
the cyclone toppled over dwelling after
dwelling. turned houses on their tops
and made the streets unrecogniZable
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 night was one of indescribable
terror With the better part of the in
habitants dead or dying, and the re-
mainder too badly injured or unable
from fright or because of darkness tc
render assistance, little better order
than bedlam prevailed. Rain poured
down upon the disconsolate inhabitants
and added horror TO the situation. Many
of the injured lay in the wrecks of THEN
homes till daylight made it possible foi
them TO help themselves or aid from
surrounding towns arrived
MANY wrecks took fire and burned
themselves out. Several were still
snoldering when morning broke over
the town. 1t is believed that many OF
the missing were burned to death.
The trail of the storm left was one ot
wreck and ruin most complete. The
work of carnage began before the in
habitants realized what was upon them
Hardly any means of escape was left
Stores were hurled right and left, lifted
high into the air. tossed in every direc-
tion. The Courthouse was taken off its
foundation and the building nearly
crushed Passing on through the resi-
dence district the wind demon rushed
into the open country, where it finally
spent itself. leaving a trail of wrecl
and ruin most complete.
Houses rested on their tops and The
streets were piled high with debris. TIL,
overturned stoves started fires and, un
hampered, the fire began its part in tn,
work of destruction. The deluge came
which probably was the saving of tn,
town, for in many spots it quenched th'
fires and stemmed the confiagration,
that Chambers citizens could nevel
have hoped to stay
The uninjured and able-bodied found
themselves from fright and confusion
we'll nigh as helpless to render aid a.
their more fortunate neighbors. Fl
nally when an effort to send for outsid,