The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1898-01-14
Fort smith. Fearful visitation.


IA terrible tornado swept over Fort
Smith about IL o'clock Tuesday night,
working great destruction to life and
property.
AT this hour, III a. m, 1t looks as
though fifty persons have been killed.
The death list IS growing hourly.
Hundreds of persons were injured. some
fatally and others not so badly.
The damage to property will run up
into hundreds of thousands of dollars
Many fine residences were RACED to the
ground. Owing to the fact that the
tornado, after passing through the
residence districts, did its worst work
in that portion of the business district
in which the older buildings were
located, the totals of damage done do
not amount very rapidly, although
many buildings were partially or
wholly ruined. For this reason it is
probable the sum of $500, 600 will cover
the loss to buildings and contents, in
Guiding the new $50, 900 high school
building. which was directly in the
path OF the storm, and was badly
wrecked. The debris of many of the
buildings which were in the lodging
house district caught fire, and those
unfortunates, who were not at once
extricated alive, perisned.
Add to the fact that many of the peo.
pie in the outside district were killed
in the crash of the falling residences,
and it will be seen why the list of the
dead rolled up SC rapidly. All nurses
and doctors that can be pressed into
service are being utilized. and there
are scores OF temporary hospitals
through the city, in addition to the
regular hospitals
The morgue soon began to fill up,
and at present is taxed to its utmost
capacity. Additional bodies are being
brought in every few moments and al
together the scene at this place is a
sickening and horrible one. 1t is diff
fcult to conceive an idea of the situa-
ton to one who did not see the scene.
A heavy rain followed the tornado
visitation, and it was probably 90 min
utes before the city awoSe to the fact
that it was wrapped in the folds of a
fearful calamity. The fire department
was called out, and in less than 80 min
utes Garrison avenue, especially in
the vicinity Of the wreck, was crowded
with willing hands and inouir-
ing friends ready to render all
the aid that the emergency required.
The scene in that neigh borhood of the
wrecked city was something horrible
in every feature. Hatless men and
women clad in their night clothes
from the neighboring houses were
seeking shelter and calling for aid for
some absent member of the family or
friend who failed to escape from the
wreckage of the buildings in
which they had taken quar-
tiers for the night Men, women
and children sought refuge in a
saloon near by Texas corner, and were
at least afforded shelter from the in
element weather conditions. In the
injured were stretched out on the floor
with only their night clothes to pro-
tect them from the chilly condition of
the midnight air.
Miss Wood, one of the nurses from
ST. Johns hospital. was on the scene,
and did all that could be done TO re-
lieve the immediate wants of the in
jured. She could do but little, how
ever, owing to the crowded condition
of the building, and stated that the
nurses would be better prepared to
care for the injured as soon as they
could be removed to the hospitals.
The drug stores were opened and
the clerks kept busy filing prescrip-
tions, and otherwise doing their share
toward relieving the sufferers.
The telephone wires were nearly all
down, and it was impossible to com
municate in that way to any distant
point in the outskirts of the city. The
streets were SO filed with the debris
blown from the wrecked buildings
that it was with difficulty that hacks
could get around.
The scene is one of the most appall-
ing and destructive ever witnessed in
the history of the city. In fact, it is
without parallel ia this section of the
southwest.
Following is II list of the dead as far
as known aud identified
Silas Mincer.
Harvey Rutledge.
Mary Zimmerman.
Two unknown women from Hotel
Burgess.
Jos. Briswold.
John Martin.
J. j. Riley.
George Carter.
Mrs. Milt burgess.
Unknown man, died at St John,
hospital.
j. NJ. Foulse.
Joe Kyle.