The record-union., 1898-10-18
Kansas City Almost Completely Isolated
From Wire Communication.
A Heavy Fall of Snow, Accom-
panied by a Gale Of Wind, Fol-
lows Downpour of Rain,
Which is Likely to Result in
Much Suffering to Man and
Beast.

| NAN DAD I'll k4hOJ, OCl L. l@
earliest winter storm in the Southwest
in twenty-five years and the worst
early storm ever recorded, almost COM
| pletely shut Kansas City off to-day
| from wire communication with the
South and West. An opening in the
east kept the city from being totally
| isolated. On the south a slow wire to
Fort Scott, Kas., and Springfield, Mo,
was the limit up to tonight On the
west Lawrence, Kas., was the farthest
point penetrated up to tonight, when
wires We're secured through to Denver
| Up to late hour tonight st. Joseph,
| Mo-, is the most northern point in di-
| rect communication with this city It
| had been raining for the past twenty
four hours.
| Shortly after midnight last night the
rain turned to snow, and the tempera-
ture dropped perceptibly. Steadily
! since then a. heavy wet snow, driven by
the strong north wind, at points reach
ing the velocity Of a gale has fallen.
Hundreds of telegraph and telephone
poles out in the open have either been
blown down by the strong wind or
broken by the weight of the snoW-cov-
cred wires
At Paramount Park, near Kansas
City, and a. Leavenworth, Kas., where
the Third and Fifth Missouri and the
Twenty first and Twenty-second Kan
sas Regiments respectively, are en-
camped, many tents were blown down
and the soldiers made to suffer acuteIy.
The storm came up with great sud-
denness, and caught many unprepared,
Numerous cases of suffering to man
and beast will doubtless be reported
when communication shall have been
resumed
BLIZZARD AT ST. LOUIS.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1.-THE first bliz-
zard of the season reached ST. Louis
to-day. Not much damage has been
caused in the city, outside of the pros
tration of telegraph and telephone
wires
THE STORM A SEVERE ONE.
DENVER, Oct. 1.-THE Denver Of
fce Of the Weather Bureau received
no reports to-day from points east of
the Missouri River. Since early this
morning Denver has been almost en-
tirely cut off from communication by
Wire with the East, owing to the prava-
1ence of an unusually severe storm of
sleet and rain throughout Kansas and
Nebraska. In Kansas the storm ex-
tends as far east as Manhattan 1t is
reported to be very severe at Omaha
but it is not known here how much far
ther east it extends.
The storm came unexpectedly as at
midnight warmer weather was predict
ed in those places where rain and sleet
have since been falling. OF twenty five
Western Union wires usually in oper-
alton between Denver and Omaha and
Kansas City, only two could be worked
at all to-day. Chicago could be reach
ed only via ogden, Helena and ST. Paul
The Postal wires are also down The
weather in Denver is clear, but cool.
and it is not expected that the storm
will extend SO far west
Passengers on the incoming trains
which arrived this afternoon five and
six hours late, report that the storm is
a severe one, that the rails are so Slip
perry that extreme caution is necessary
in running and that snow Dlows are
doing valiant work
THE disturbance started in the lat
.er portion of last week" said Weather
Observer Stewart. "The area of low
pressure which on Friday was central
over the Northwestern States moved
rapidly to the southeast. On Saturday
and Sunday Denver got a very small
touch of it. and it is now apparently
in the Mississippi Valley"
A special to the News from Flor
ence, Col, says:
On Saturday William Leilin and his
ten-year-old boy came to Florence from
their home six miles from Florence to
do some trading. After spending tne
day about town at p. m. they started
in their wagon. 1t was raining when
they left town, but when out about five
miles the rain turned to a binding
snoWStorm. The father lost his way
and wandered about among scrub pine
and in the hills all night The wagon
and team were abandoned and an effort
made to reach home on foot. AS the
night wore on the little fellow became
cold and numb and froze to death in
his fathers arms. The father man
aged to keep alive by walking until
he could walk no more from numbness.
Daylight broke and Leiln knew he was
not far from home. but te was unable
to walk AT o'clock his cries were
heard by his wife, who went to his res
cue.
STORM AT CHICAGO.
CHICAGO, Oct. 1.-THE strong wind
and rainstorm that prevailed today
played havoc with the peace jubilee
arches and decorations Six of the
arches. the First Regiment arch at
Van Buren and Michigan avenue, the
Dewey arch at Monroe and State. and
the Evans arch at Clark and Adams
streets. the Miles arch at State and
Adams. and the Maine arch at Jackson
Boulevard and State street and the
Hobson arch at Jackson Boulebard and
Dearborn street, We're blown down and
badly damaged. Three persons were
struck by pieces of wreckage and Sc
riously injured. Hundreds of flags and
streams of bunting, with which the
downtown buildings were decorated,
were torn awav by the wind. It is
hardly probably that the arches will be
replaced. Street car traffic was block
ed for hours by the debris.
SHOWING IN NEBRASKA.
LINCOLN, Oct 17.-Snow has fallen
steadily throughout Nebraska during