The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-01-15
TERRIBLE TORNADO.
Death and Destruction to Let
Loose at Fort Smith, Ark.
Nearly Half q Hundred Persons Killed
and Injured, and a Large
Part of the City Laid In Ruins
Outside of the City.

FORT SMITH, Ark, Jan 1.-two
score of human lives and upward of
$1,000, 900 worth of property were de-
stroyed by a terrible tornado which
burst upon this city a few minutes past
IL o'clock Tuesday night.
The storm struck near the national
cemetery, and tore its way through
the entire city, leaving its path marked
by death inc ~desolation.
Men, women and children, peace
fully asleep in their homes, were, with
out a moments warning awakened to
meet a horrible death in the fearful
storm, while others ~momentarily more
fortunate and who escaped the furies
of the wind, met a far worse fate a
little later in the flames which soon
enveloped many of the wrecked build
ings.
The tornado struck Garrison avenue
at the corner of Ninth street and made
a clean sweep from there to the Texas
corner. l.. Isaacson's store was totally
demolished and the stock is a total
loss. Babcock's grocery store had the
rear end blown out.
The following stores were totally
demolished: Fleming Brothers COT
fee and tea, Hartsfield's restaurant,
Smiths grocery store, Marines sec
ond-hand store, j. Nance, dry goods
store, Mann & Wilson, groceries, and
the city feed store.
Those badly damaged are: J. w.
Patrick's, shoe store; Boyd Brothers,
hOur and feed; Tom Caldarera, fruits;
Racket, dry goods; Frank Bollinger,
liquors; O'Shea & Hirsch, groceries; E.
Z. Payne, drugs; A. Il J. Grier, gro
~ceries; j. X. Jones, liquors; Tom Ho-
colt, groceries,; Thompson's second
hand store; j. b. Maledon, groceries;
Kelley's meat market; L. l.. Beard,
groceries; and Pat O'Keefe, liquors.
The upper hoor of the block on the
corner of Garrison and Towson ave-
nues is used as d 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, a 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 nlacaS md ovpanf - 6p1 SavaroI
more bodies.
The federal court is in session and
that brought a great many farmers
here, who crowded the cheaper board
ing houses and wagon yards. The Ma
tional house, a two-story frame, went
down in wreckage with 10 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 neck, almost
severing the head from the trunk.
Pagan Bourland's store, on South
Sixth street, was %unroofed, and NJ. w.
Burke's foundry was demolished.
The beautiful national cemetery is a
wreck. The huge trees are %uprooted,
the lodge demolished and the wall
torn down.
Fort Smiths $50, 900 high school
building, the finest of its kind in the
southwest, was badly wrecked, but
,f tho fntu nillinrS ,nnp
which there was any tornado insur-
ance.
The tornado destroyed two his
toric buildings. Judge Parlier's resi-
dence is badly wrecked and the old
Rector mansion, where Albert Pike
passed his days, is a pile of ashes, the
ruins having caught fire from a lamp.
The First Baptist church and the
Central Methodist church were RACED
to the ground, and now are only scat
tered piles of kindling wood. The
Church of the immaculate Conception
and Brownscombe Memorial church
lost their spires and sustained other
damage.
Signal Service Observer O'DonnelI,
after viewing the wreckage, is of the
opinion that the tornado started e a
the national cemetery.
The scene following the first terrific
crash of the storm was one of awful
grandeur. Business blocks, handsome
mansions, hotels and humble cottages
ware RACED to the ground and scattered
in shapeless masses. Several of the
wrecks caught fire. and the infamma-
BILE timbers burned furiously.
The city was crowded with rural
visitors, many of whom were sleeping
at boarding houses unregistered. For
this rea son the number of victims who
persisted in Fort Smith Tuesday night
may never be definitely known.
The storm struck the city neal the
National cemetery and swept its way
through the heart of town. Leaving
Fort Smith it bounded by Van Buren,
and continued down the river. demol-
:-ls.- orar-fbin,r ~ So o,tb Nauys