Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-01
.CAANDLER'S AWFUL HORROR.
Twenty-Siy People Dead in Tornado
Wrecked Buildings.
Some Perished by Fire-About 200
Others Badly Injured, Of Whom
a aDozen or More May Not Survive.
Fire Broke Out in the Wreckage
and Added to the Terror Of the
Situation.

Guthrie, Okla, March 91.-Chandler,
an interior boom town, fifty miles from
Guthrie, is a mass of ruins.
At o'clock last evening a cyclone,
dealing death and destruction to every
thing in its path, swept down upon the
town and almost completely wiped it OF
the face of the earth.
OF 1900 inhabitants, 26 were killed
outright or burned to death, and fully
17C were injured.
OF the latter it is thought IA will die,
"a others are in dangerous condition.
The remainder of the population is
homeless. The PreSby yterian Church,
Mitchell's Hotel and two other build
ings are all that remain standing. These
have been turned into hospitals. The
property loss will aggregate half mil
lion dollars. There are not half collins
enough here to bury the dead.
The storm came up from the south
west, almost without moments warn
ing, 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 store build
ings took fire and in a short time an
awful hOlacost followed. Many OF the
injured and were buried in the ruins
were burned to death before help could
arrive.
The fire broke out first in the ruins Of
the New York Store and the Lincoln
Bank, and spread to the adjoining
buildings, making it necessary to fight
the flames as we'll as rescue the injured.
The people were slow to recover from
tn shock Of the calamity, and not until
noon to-day did anything like system
prevail in the work of relief.
At II o'clock tonight particulars are
still meagre. Save one slow working
telephone wire out Of Chandler, and'bu
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 6 o'clock a mass of dark
clouds gathered in the southwest and then
whirled north. They soon developed into
d funn, .-si1ned monster and bore down
upon the outskii ,5 Of the town. As the
mass touched the ground the fC&s was
deafening. The funnel split as it struck
the southwest portion Of Chandler, which
Is situated on hill overlooking the Cow
Creek valley, and one half went throuSl
the town and the other turned north. BE
fore escape was possible, the cyclone had
passed through the town. Tearing
through the business district. stores were
hurled left and right or hurled into the
air and tossed i'm 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 a hollow and there were pro-
tocted by a large boulder and was unhurt
Others in the Court House did not fare so
well. 4 moment later the structure was
twisted around and hurled into the street,
a complete wreck. one Of the occupants
was killed outright anc a dozen others
were injured. Further down Main street.
the Lincoln County Bank building was
toppled over and was soon enveloped in
flames. Here before aid could reach
them. five unfortuuates were literally
burned to death, pinioned down by heavy
timbers.
StuI further down the street, three chill
dren suffered like fate. A mass Of injur-
ed people. dead and injured horses.
wagons. buggies and debris from the
buildings. transformed Main street into a
funeral pile. Passing on into the resi-
dence district, the cyclone toppled over
dwelling after dwelling, turned houses on
their tops and made the streets unrecog-
l. &c ,, IL 1.Vfe
A two days old baby was carried four
blocks and not injured, while the mother
was crushed I'm her bed. The trail the
storm left was one of wreck and ruin
most complete. With the first realization
Of their predicament over. the unnjured
and able bodied found themselves from
fright and confusion Wen nigh as helpless
TO render aid as their more unfortunate
neighbors.
ID was several hours before communica-
ton with Guthrie as secured. In the
meantime however a train bearing ply
sicians and others left for The scene.
The night I'm Chandler was one OF inde-
scribable terror. With many Of its in
habitants dead or dying and the remainder
TOO badly injured or unable from frighht or
dense darkness to render assistance no
order prevailed. Rain poured down in tor
rents. The injured in many cases un-
availingly cried for help and lay in the
wrecks of their homes until daylight. made
IL possible for them TO help themselves. or
when aid from surrounding towns arrived
Bv midnight some show Of systematic
rescue had been perfected and the dead
and diving were being released from the
ruins. Improvised hospitals were erected
and the unfortunates were cared for as
fas, as possible.
All o'clock twenty dead bodies had been !
taken from the ruins. while dozens more
or less seriously injured had been removed !
20 places Of safety.
Daylight brought hundreds from sur
rounding towns and men. women and chill
dren assisted in caring for the injured.
Ouser sights greet the eyes on all sides. |
Ten trees have house roof hanging on !
each. clothing and household goods are |
scattered I'm the streets. Dead horses. |
cows and other animals are TO Doe seen |
everywhere. while pile Of ruins has |
fns njano perched on top Of Il. Many Of |
tho citizens wander about the streets, |
dazed AZ the calamity and almost on the /
,erre Of insanity M the loss Of family and /
homes. Two or three have gone stark /
mad.
Bv nightfalI tonight 1000 people had |
eocked into the city Many Of them came |
10 render aid. bu, the majority are there
as morbid sight s=ers. A great quantity |
of clothing. bedding and provisions has !
bzeu sent in and the Guthrie Club has |
raised $3.50 in cash to send them. The
cjtv has put 10 use al its cash, about $7oo. |
For immediate aid. Hundreds Of tents |
have beeen sent from Fort Reno and Guth- /