Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-05-05
THE KIRKSVILLE CYCLONE,
1000 Homeless, Over 30 Dead,
20 Injured.

IN. Residence sectIon-.-some OF the
Strange Happenings---lO Dead and
over 10 Injured at NewtOwn.
On the border of the storm which swept
over Kirksville, Mo-, Thursday, the clouds
were dull gray, but the core was inky
black. Its roar deafened everybody in its
path for the minute, and most of those
who escaped unhurt report having been
rendered unconscious for brief periods.
The cyclone first took effect two miles
south of Kirksville. 1t plowed way
through the town and went on northeast
for Is miles. The storm zone in some
places is swept as clear as threshing
floor. Along other parts tangle OF tim
bers. trees and bricks knee deep is seen, but
the debris is pulverized as if it had gone
through stone crusher. 1000
As result of the tornado at least lOOO
persons are homeless, and over 10 dead
bodies and 20 injured persons were recov-
cred from the ruins. More than dozen
of the injured will die.
When the tornado struck the city most
of the residents were at supper. The tor
nado cut clean path one mile long and
800 feet wide through the residence sec
| ton, leaving death and destruction in its
wake. Buildings were demolished or
A conservative estimate places the aggre-
gate amount of damage at $780, 900, the
| individual losses ranging from 500 to
| $4,000
The wind played many pranks, and there
were some miraculous escapes. j. q. Coon
| field and his family were eating supper
| when the tornado struck their home. The
house was picked up and carried across
| slough and dumped against a hill. The
building was not completely wrecked and
the family escaped with only a severe shak-
| ing up Houses on both sides of the resi-
dence of w. NJ. Hull were blown into
splinters, but the wind merely twisted his
house off its foundation, leaving it intact.
The house was in the centre of the district
and it was used as a hospital after the
storm.
P. j. Rieger, a prominent attorney, ran
into the path of the storm to save his fam
lily, who were helpless with fear. Dashing
into the house. he carried his wife and chill
dren into the cellar. AS he stumbled into
the place of safety the building was lev
eled to the ground. No member of the
family was injured.
DR.. Howells, his wife and three little
bows, crouched in their home in a group
when the storm burst. The house was
blown into kindling wood, the father was
left dead, the mother was badly injured
and the children more or less hurt.
While John Mccall was clinging to a
cherry sapling, 12year-old boy flew
down toward him from above. He caught
and saved the boy, with only bruises tc
both. The Youngsters home had been de-
molished, two blocks away, and he says he
was carried that distance with the wreck
age.
Two children had been lying in cot il
one of the destroyed homes. The house
was carried away, but the floor of the frs
story and the foundation was left, thu
wind lifting the house from the stills anC
tumbling it long distance. The cot OF
which the little ones lay was lifted up will
them on it and carried block and hal
: and set down on the ground. Neither o
the children was hurt. Trees are filleC
with bed clothing and other household
goods.
Scenes of utter distress and desolatiol
were pictured in the little tornado-swep
burg of Newtown. A day of ceaseles
search among the ruins and work for tn
D injured and suffering followed the storm
and night of gloom and despair. Their
are about IS dead and over 80 injured
. while half of the place is in ruins and b
families are homeless.
The storm struck Newtown at 6:15 il
the evening. 1t came without warning
and few were able to take advantage o
u their storm cellars. Striking the easter
end of the town, it cut clean swath 90
or 900 feet wide through the best portion @
!. the place, sweeping everything before II
u Over 80 houses were torn to splinters o
. one street alone, row of 30 houses wa
% entirely demolished. Here scarcely any
one escaped death or injury. The walls c
buildings fell with a crash that sounde
above the roar of the storm, burying pee
d pie in the ruins. Frame buildings wer
It twisted and lifted from their foundation
v others were utterly demolished, pieces {
It them being carried for miles. Other
1T shifted in their positions, apparently I'll
N hurt; one was turned squarely arounC
70 while another was turned upside down.
h The storm lasted five minutes. Whe
4 it had ended, the sun came out for fe
IF minutes, and shone brightly over seer
q. of ruin.
le Numbers of citizens piled the ruins il
sr cessantly, answ ering the cries of the il
ID jured from this place and that, carryir
g. the dead to the depot and che wounded
W places of safety.
Houses of the survivors were throw
open to the unfortunate, and all possib
was done to allay suffering Chillicotl
sent squad of physicians, who material
Oh aided the Newtown rescuers.