Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-04-05
CHAOS IN CHANDLER.
Fifty or More Persons Victims of
Terrible Storm in
Oklahoma.

=
town of 1900 inha bitants into a veritable
morgue and its principal business build
ings and residences lie wrecked in all di-
rectons, a grim reminder Of the storm S
work.
AS yet there is no way Of getting at
the actual number of dead and wound
ed, so intense is the confusion that pre-
walls. The death list is variously esti-
mated at from twenty-five to fifty, with
the injured numbering from seventy
five to twice that number. Already TWEEN
ty dead bodies have been recovered.
The List of Dead.
The list of dead and injured as far as
ascertained at daylight this morning fol
lows:
The dead are:
JOHN DAWSON of Lincoln, Neb law
yer, burned TO death.
JAMES WOODWARD AND WIFE of Ell
dorado, Kas., visiting in Chandler, instantly
killed
MRS. HENRY MITCHELL
MRS. TOM SMITH
T.. DE MOFF
EMMA DRESSINGER.
D: G. JOHNSON AND WIFE.
MIS- MRS. PHILLIP JOHNSON AND CHILD.
A. X. WELLER AND WIFE.
UNKNOWN WOMAN AND BABY.
FIVE UNKNOWN CHILDREN.
AIOSS AeCtdlly dIS.
Arthur Jewett, Peggy Johnson, Mrs.
Frank Mccall, D. G. Gooding, Maggie
Reayes, Andrew Asher and wife Mrs. Gull
lUm, Jennie Wordsworth, young daughter
or MT ana Mrs. James WOOdSWOrth boy
named woodward, badly hurt; Mrs Emery
Foster and baby, thought to be fatally hurt.
The night in Chandler was one Of in
describabie terror. With a better part Of
its inhabitants dead or dying and the re-
mainder too badly injured or unable from
hOC a1JCn of II 1s11J fO dor
assistance, little better order than bed
lam prevailed. Rain poured down upon
the dlsconsOiate inhabitants and all dur
ing the weary hours added horror to the
situation. The injured in many cases I'M
, availingly cried for help in the wrecks of
their homes till daylight made it possible
for them to help themselves or when aid
from surrounding towns arrived.
Wrecks Took Fire.
Many of the wrecks took fire and
burned themselves out, several still
smouldering when morning broke over
the town. From the fires work will fin
ally come the worst reallzations of the
disaster, for it is believed that many Of
the missing were burned to death. This
phase of the situation will not be cleared
away till perfect order has again been re-
stored and Il careful summing up of the
storms doing made possible.
The cyclone struck Chandler without
warning about 6 O'Clock last evening. Its
work Of carnage began before the inhab-
itants realized what was upon them and
hardly any means of escape was left
open. Tearing through the business dis
trict, stores were hurled right and left
lifted high into the air and tossed in ev-
cry direction. The courthouse, in which
Chief Justice Dale was holding court.
was taken off its foundation and the
building nearly crushed. Passing on
4lo ~, ~
Wreaked its vengeance there, and, rush
ing into the open country, finally spent
itself The trail to the left was one
of wreck and ruin, most complete; houses
rested On their top, streets were made
unrccognizabie by having. been piled high
with debris. Soon fire followed the cy-
clones work and here and there bright
flames fiared up into the sky. Over
turned stoves had caught and unham-
pered the fire began its work Of de-
struction. In a very short time a heavy
rainstOrm came up AS night wore on it
developed into a deluge, and while it sue
ceeded in completing the dismal scene,
probably proved the savior of the town,
for in many spots it quenched the fires
and stemmed a cOnhagration that Chan
dler'S citizens could never have hoped to
stay.
Call for Outside Aid.
With the first realization of their pre-
u1NuAuCIIG ONcI, Tic liI1I4 JuE0u anu aOip-
bodied found themselves from fright
and confusion well nigh as helpless to
render aid as their more unfortunate
neighbors. Finally when an effort to
send for outside aid was made it was
found that all communication with the
outside void had been cut off. The
telephone Office was among those build
ings destroyed. 1t was several hours be-
fore communication with Guthrie was
lilo nd boI IF
Ter But q brief idea of the nature or the
devastation, together with an appeal for
aid had been sent to neighboring cities
when the wire snapped and Chandler
was again shut off. In the meantime
however, a train bearing physicians and
others left for the scene. The wire came
up later ana further appeals for aid met
prompt response. and additional rescu-
ing parties were sent out as the extent
OF ~ damage became known.
BY midnight seine show of systematic
rescue had been perfected and the dead
and dying were being released from the
giimy prisons into which their own
homes had been transformed. Impro
vised hospitals were erected and the I'M
fortunates cared for as best as was pessi-
BILE Eager hands were placed here and
there among piles Of wet or charred tim
bers. probably in search of a mother,
child or wife. Quietly the people
worked on, fearful at each step that they
would GENE U1ol scHc Tered one. Ian
terms DATED n AID out i'll response to
cries Of the injured who pleaded for help.
At l o'clock tWentyone dead bodies
had been taken from the ruins while
dozens more or less badly injured had
been removed to places of safety. In
addition ii was known that others whom
it had been unable to reach or who. PEI
haps. had been incinerated before the
daiugc of rain had Quenched the fire in
their homes. will swell the list of fatal
ties.
This afternoon it was CLEANED from
the lone and slowly working telephone
wire that every house in Chandler, both
business and resident, with the exception
of two were destroyed.