The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-29
THE MISSOURI CYCLONE
Nearly Fifty Dead Bodies Re-
covered from the Kirks-
Vile Ruins.
ALSO 70 INJURED PERSONS
TWO HUNDRED FAMILIES ARE
RENDERED. HOMELESS.

Many People still Missing and 1t is Be
Iieved That u Considerable Number
Were Consumed in the Flames That
Broke Out After the Storm Utter Dis
tress Mt Newtowm-Fifteen Dead and
Thirty Injured Torn Up
Bodily.
Kirksville, Mo-, April 2S.-As a result
of the tornado that swept through the
eastern portion of this city yesterday
evening, demolishing half Of the resi-
dences and other buildings two hundred
families are homeless and nearly
fifty dead bodies and seventy in
jured persons have been recovered from
the ruins. More than dozen of the in
Jured will die. Although rescuers have
been searching the ruins ever since the
storm spent it's fury. many are still
missing and it is thought that consid-
cradle number of the unfortunates were
consumed in the flames that broke out
soon after the storm had ceased. The
work of rescue continues, but it may be
days before the total number of victims
is known.
When the tornado struck the city last
evening most of the residents were at
supper The tornado cut a clean path
one mile long and six hundred feet wide
through the residence section, leaving
death and destruction in it's wake.
Buildings were demolished or twisted
apart and scattered to the four winds.
Ia conservative estimate places the ag
gregate amount of damage at s2,Oo00OO,
the Individual losses ranging from $10O
to $8,000 The wind played many pranks
and there were some miraculous es
capes. j. C. Coonfield and his family
were eating supper when the tornado
struck their home. The house was pick
ed up and carried across slough and
dumped against a hill. The building
was not completely wrecked and the
IdIHlly GSCdpCu WILL why q SSNSiS Giist'N
ing up. Houses on both sides of the
residence of William Hull were blown
into splnters, but the wind merely
twisted his house off its foundation,
leaving it intact. The house was in the
center of tine district and 1t was used
as hospital after the storm. P. ].
Rieger, a prominent attorney, ran right
into the path of the storm to save his
family, who We're helpless with fear.
Dashing into the house he carried his
wife and children into the cellar. AS
he stumbled into the place of safety the
building was leveled to the ground. No
member of his family was injured. Mr..
Rieger's loss amounts to $4,000
Among the first of the buildings
wrecked was the elegant 100000 resi-
dence of Mrs. Mary Hensley, in the
southeastern part of the city, Not a
vistage of it is left. The Catholic
church, fine brick structure in the
northeastern part, was unroofed and
otherwise damaged. The large dwell
ing of Judge Andrew Ellison, in the
same locality, was stripped of it's sec
ond story. He and his family and John
Doneghey took refuge in the cellar and
were saved. The residence of II. Lo- |
well, just outside of town, was twisted
into a heap of ruins and three of his
childen were buried in the debris and
killed. Other large residences were
lifted from their foundations and torn
into knlling wood.
For a time the people in that portion
rf tho town not to11phed hy the otnrr,1 |
were panic stricken, but as soon as they |
recovered their wits they went to the |
aid of their unfortunate townsmen. !
Calls for help were sent to surround
ing towns and We're quickly responded |
to. The wounded We're carried to the |
homes of hispitable neighbors and CIV
en- immediate attention. Twenty-Five
doctors from Moberlv, Macon and 9TH
er points along the line of the Wabash
Railroad came to Kirksville last night
in response to urgent calls for medical
assistance. The visiting doctors CO.
operated with the local physicians and
the work of caring for the wounded
was expedited. Hundreds of persons
visited the stricken district to-day and
a large number of sightseers came from
neighboring towns. The special Off
GERS would not allow any one without
authority to go through the ruined dis
trict. Kirksville streets have been hub
deep in mud ever since the first spring
shower and the rain that followed the
tornado has made them impossible for
wagons. This hinders the work of
gathering the dead and makes the COM
putaton of a complete list of the VIC
Tins impossible TO rthe time.
The scenes that met the gaze of the
rescuers were horrifying. An aged man
and his wife had evidently been eating
their evening meal when the cyclone
struck and carried their home away.
They had clasped each other in their
arms and We're found dead on the
ground some distance from where their
home had been. No trace of their
house has been seen. Several of the
dead were found in spots which would
have been the center of houses had
the building not been blown to splin-
tiers. This was the case of Mrs. Pan