The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-04-29

small buildings toppled over and here and there bits of furniture and other household effects floated about The valley of the Canadian which Saturday morning had been 8 beautiful stretch of farms and homes, on Sunday dis played a network of lakes and islands dotted with half flooded houses and horses and cattle struggling for places of safety
 Yesterday noon heavy cloud swept up from the west and another deluge descended upon the town.
 The water fell In sheets and by 6 o'clock i'll the evening the rainfall amounted to over five inches. About o'clock an immensely black cloud nov ed toward the city from the west, It was a typical tornado indicated by a peculiar whistle of the wind which al- most universally accompanies twist ef'' and the streets were soon filled with running, shouting people seeking cave or cellar.
 Stores and homes were deserted and the people huddled together awaiting the blow. The center of the storm passed over the southeastern corner of the town, striking the hills across the valley, wrecking all it touched.
 With the tornado came the heaviest fall of water ever recorded here in a like period, over two inches falling in
 thirty minutes. All day the river had
 been rising at a frightful rate, raising
 the sleepers of the railroad bridge and
 moving it out of line. The wagon lN,.tlc ,,,l,o 1, tnr onlo ed its floor and the building and drift, serving as an obstruction forced the
 water out over the bottom, washing
 out crops, moving houses and drowning stock.
 A dam on the Ellison ranch gave way and carried out bridge on the Fort Reno road, swept the fair grounds clean and flooded the yards of the Choc- taw railroad. Rising into the houses of the bottom land, it compelled the farmers to desert their homes. The
 rescue of many families was made at
 great danger to the lives of the res cuers. A party composed of A. E. Woodliff, Pete Carr, Henry Schaeffer, Charles Justin, James Tompkins, Rev. Father Helm and others immediately
 set to work rescuing the unfortunates.
 In the home of Thomas Palmer, the latter's wife and several children were | rescued from the tops of bureaus just as the water was creeping up their feet. It was with difficulty that they were | removed to the improvised rafts of the | rescuers and taken to dry land. The families of Mrs. Hall, Tom Pot ter and Colonel Sergent were rescued l in similar manner. During the trip of rescue raft of railroad ties went to pieces on a submerged wire fence and the entire party was thrown into the water. They were all saved. A little child of Frank Holman fell into a washed-out crossing and was drowned. M. A. Bickford, millman, nearly lost
 his own life in trying to save the little ones.
 Lightning played havoc, striking the spire of the Presbyterian church and | totally wrecking it. The school house | for colored children was struck at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the structure | shattered and fifty pupils more or less i hurt. Several others were struck by lightning, but no one was killed. Fur 1 ther west the lightning killed much | stock. The electric light wires went l down and the town was in darkness | last night.
 Reports from surrounding towns are
 meager, as telegraph wires are down
 and trains have all be stopped on ac-
 count of washouts. It is known, how
 ever, that many homes have been wash
 ed out in towns adjacent to Fl Reno
 and it is feared many lives have been lost. West of here, Frank Thompson
 and the sixteen-year-old son of Hiram | McGriggin were drowned.