The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1898-01-20

Martins secondhand store; ]. A. Nance.
dry goods; Mann & Wilson, groceries,
and the City Feed store.
Those badly damaged are:
j. w. Patrick's shoe store; Boyd Bros,
flour and feed; Tom Calder, fruits; the
ger, liquors; O'Shea & Hirsch, groceries;
h. E: Payne, drugs; j. Ii. Grier, grocer
les; j. X. Jones, liquors; Tom Hocott,
groceries; Penn Stein, dry goods; Thomp
sons second-ha store; j. b. Maledon,
groceries; Kelly's meat market; L. l..
Beard, groceries; Pat O'Keefe, liquors.
The. upper floor of the block on the cor
ner of Garrison avenue and Towsou ave
nue. is used as a fiat. 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 Towsou ave-
nue., was demolished. There have been
eight bodies taken from the ruins. Res
cue parties are still at work at both
places, and expect to find several more
bodies.
The federal court is in session, and
that has brought a good many farmers
to the city and crowded the cheaper
boarding houses and wagon yards. The
National House, two-story frame,
went down with fifteen inmates, but all
escaped without serious injury.
George Carriers house was one of the
first to be struck, and it was completely
turned over, and is now supported on the
roof. A half pane of glass was driven
through his body, almost severing his
head from the trunk.
Pagan Bourland's store on Sixth street
was unroofed, and Nj. w. Burke's foun-
dry was demolished.
The beautiful National cemetery is a
great wreck. The huge trees are up
rooted, the lodge demolished, and the wall
torn down.
Fort Smiths $4,000 high school build
ing, the finest of its kind in the south
west, was badly wrecked, but was one
of the few buildings on which there was
any tornado insurance. The tornado de-
stroyed two historic buildings. Judge
Parker's residence is badly wrecked, and
the old Rector mansion, where Albert
Pike loved to spend his days, is pile
of ashes, the ruins having caught fire
from the lamp.
The First Baptist church and the Cen
trail Methodist church were RACED to the
ground, and now are only scattered piles
of kinding wood. The church of the
Immaculate Conception and Browns
cOmbe Memorial church lost their spires
and sustained other damage.
Signal Service Observer O'Donnell,
after viewing the wreckage, is of the
opinion that the tornado started near the
National cemetery.
Fort Smith lies at the confluence of
the Pitou and Arkansas rivers, which
wash its south and west sides, and to
the north and east are hills which form
barrier about that section of the town.
The storm struck the city in the south
western section right at point where
the two rivers come together and near
the old fort. From there it spreads out
over the whole city dipping down and
scattering destruction here and there.
There is rise in the city towards the
east to meet the hills on that side, and
most of the damage to property and loss
of life was through that section. After
leaving Fort Smith the tornado veered
miles northwest of here, causing con-
siderable damage and it is rumored loss
of life.
The damage to property will run over
the million mark as many fine residences
were RACED to the ground.
The new $4,000 high school building
which was directly in the path of the
storm was badly wrecked The debris
of many of the buildings ', mich were in
and those uIfortunates who were not
killed by the storm persisted by being
suffocated to death.
Added to the fact that many of the
people in the outside districts were kill
ed in the crash of the fallen residences,
and it will be seen how the list of dead
rolled up so rapidly. All houses that
could be pressed into service were uti-
lized and there are scores of temporary
hospitals throughout the city in addi-
ton to the regular, where the injured
were taken. The morgue is taxed to
its utmost capacity, and additional
bodies were brought in every few min
uteS. Altogether the scene at this place
is sickening and horrible. A heavy rain
followed the terrible tornado, and it was
prabably twenty minutes before the
city awoke to the fact that it had been
visited by fearful calamity. The fire
department was called out and in less
than 30 minutes Garrison avenue and
especially in the vicinity of the wreck
was crowded with people and willing
hands, and inquiring friends were willing
to render all the aid that the emergency
required.
The scene was h0rrifyng Men and
women. clad in their night clothes from
the neighboring houses were seeking
shelter and calling for some absent mem
bers of their family or friends who fail
ed to escape from the wreckage of the
building in which they had been living.
Men. women and children sought refuge
in O'Keef's saloon and were afforded
shelter. In the back part of the saloon
number of the injured were stretched
out on the floor with only their night
clothes to protect them from the chilly
night air. The drug stores were opened
and the clerks were kept busy filling
prescriptions and otherwise doing Their
share towards relieving the sufferers
The telephone wires were nearly all
down and it was impossible TO communi-
cate to any distant point in the outskirt.
of the city. The streets were so filled
with the debris blown from the wreck
ed buildings, that it was with difficulty
that carriages could get around.
The scene is one of the most appal'
ing, and destructive ever witnessed il
the history of the city, and it is without =,
Il parallel in this section of the south
west.