The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1898-01-20
DEATH IN A TORNADO.
Fifty Lives Lost in Storm at Fort
Smith, Arkansas.

600 worth of property were destroyed
by terrible tornado which burst upon
this city few minutes past IL o'clock
last night. The storm struck near the
national cemetery and tore its way
through the entire city. leaving its path
reeking with death and desolation.
Men, women and children sleeping in
their homes were, without a moments
warning, awakened to meet death in
the fearful storm, while others who es-
capped the fury of the wind met far
worse fate few minutes later in the
flames which soon engulfed many of the
wrecked buildings The list of dead,
as far as can be ascertained, is as fol-
lows:
Silas Mincer, prominent young mer-
chant; Harvey Ruttledge, negro; Mary
Zimmerman; two unknown men from
Burgess hotel; Jose Griswold, tailor;
John Martin, of Madison county; ]. B.
Riley, of Madison county; George Car
ter, fireman at the Grand opera-house;
James Smith, jr.; Mr.. Gray, wife and
son; Atlas Jones, Frank LeFevre, Eta
Kies; Mrs. Milt Burgess, proprietor of
Burgess hotel; two unknown men. died
at st. Johns hospital; J. M. Foutz,
farmer; two LeFevre boys, Milt KNAPP
ton, ST., Mrs. Milt Knapton, Joe Lucas.
negro; Ed Ferrill, butcher, and his
two little children, Irene and Roy;
John Adams, carpenter; Mrs. Charles
Mauver; =. Ritter, gardener; Mrs.
William Lamson, Louis SENEGAL, Mrs.
Holden, John Badt, farmer; Mrs. Mag
gle Sheehan's infant; D. Woehl, butch
er; James Smith, clerk; Mrs. Jones. -
The scene after the first crash of the
storm was terrible. Business blocks;
handsome hotels and humble cottages
we've RACED to the ground and scattered
in shapeless masses. Several of the
wrecks caught fire, and the infiamma-
BILE timbers burned furiously. The city
was crowded with rural visitors, many
of whom were sleeping at boarding
! houses, unregistered For this reason
the number of victims who persisted
may never be definitely known.
The storm struck the city near the
national cemetery, and swept its way
! through the heart of the town. Leav-
ing Fort Smith, it bounded by Van Bu-
rem, and continued down the river, de-
molishing everything in its path. News
| from outside points is not yet at hand,
| but rumors of much damage as far south
as Alma have reached here, it being
reported that number of persons were
killed near that place.
In Fort Smith the tornado struck
! Garrison avenue at the corner Uf Ninth
street and made clean sweep from
there to the Texas corner. Many store
buildings were demolished and the
stocks of goods ruined. Sixteen bust
ness houses ON the street were badly
wrecked.
The upper floor of the block On the
corner of Garrison and Towson avenues
is used as fat The ruins caught fire
from the night lamp. Seven bodies
were taken from these ruins, two of
them being SO badly burned that they
could scarcely be identified.
Burgess hotel, three-story brick, on
Towson avenue, was demolished.
There have been eight bodies already
taken from the ruins. Rescue parties
are still at work at both places, and
expect to find several more bodies.
The federal court is in session, and
that brought great many farmers here,
who crowded the cheaper boarding,
houses and wagon yards.
fvrn ctO
frame, went down in the wreckage with
Is inmates, but all escaped without
serious injury.
George Carter's house was one of the
first struck, and it was turned COM
pletely over, and is now supported on
the roof. A half pane of glass was
driven through Carter's body, almost
severing his head from the trunk.
The beautiful national cemetery is a
wreck. The huge trees are uprooted,
the lodge demolished and the walls torn
down.
Fort Smiths $50, 900 high school
building, the finest one of its kind In
the Southwest, was badly wrecked, but
was one of the Few buildings on which
there was tornado insurance.
The tornado destroyed two historic
! buildings. Judge Parker's residence
is badly wrecked and the old Rector
mansion, where Allen Pike passed his
days, is pile of ashes, the ruins hav-
ing caught fire from lamp.
The First Baptist church and the
Central Methodist church were razed
to the ground. are now only scattered
pile of kindling wood. The church OF
the Immaculate Conception and
Brownscombe Memorial church lost
their spires, and sustained other dam
age.
Argued for Hawaii.