People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-05-04
Missouri's Awful Storm.

Missouri's Awful Storm.
ST. Louis, No, April IA gather
ing storm that bad been threatening
all afternoon broke upon Kirksville at
$40 o'clock tonight in all the fury OF
a cyclone. A path quarter Of mile
wide and as clean as the prairie was
swept through the eastern portion Of
the city and 400 buildings, homes aud
mercantile, were leveled to the
ground in scattered ruins. In the
heavy rain that followed the people
who had escaped turned QUITO rescue
the injured. For two hours not much
was accomplished, as all was confus-
i'm, but by 5 o'clock twenty-five dead
bodies had been taken from the ruins.
1t is confidently expected that the
list Of dead will reach between fifty and
sixty, if not exceed that. Almost a
thousand people we're more or less in
jured. Daylight will be necessary
before 40 adequate conception Of the
destruction of life and property can
he had. Each blanched face reports
a new calamity.
Intense darkness prevailed after the
cyclone and the rescuers were at a
disadvantage for short time until
fire broke out in dozen places in the
ruins aud shed light over the scene.
No attempts were made to extinguish
the free, partly because the rescuers
had no time and partly because of the
need OF light. On both sides OF the
storms path the debris was piled high
and burned fercely. La all probable
ity number OF bodies have been
incinerated. The storm first struck
eastern portion Of the city near that
part occupied by the boarding houses
Of the students OF the American
School of OSleopathy, the State Nor
NAL ard McWard's Seminary. II was
just supper time for the students and
it is thought very probable that the
list of dead will be well filed with
students, as a large number Of these
boarding houses were demolished. AS
far as known tonight these three in
situations of learning escaped the
storm The storm then went north
vest and wiped out PatterSOn's nur-
>ery, pulling the trees out Of the
GROUND and hurting them through
the city. A second edition of the
cyclone followed the first, twenty
minutes later. 1t came as an inky
black cloud, widely distributed, and
covered the whole town, but passed
above the houses, doing no Material
damage and gathering fury as il
went. 1t undoubtedly struck the
ground a few miles out of Kinks
vile.
Professors, operating staff aud stu.
dents, men and women, of the Ameri
can school Of OsteOpathy, together
With all the drug doctors resident 10
the town, have formed rescue anC
hospital corps, and in the darkness
aud rain are hunting out the unfOr.
Inmates to set fractured bones, ban
lage the lacerated and ease the pain
Of anguished hearts. This work is
being superiDtended by Mayor Noouan
and DR.. Charles E. Still, Or. William
Smith, Doctors j. Beard, David Lit
tlej0hn and Henry Walters. From
every locality the cry comes up:
Send surgeons" There are men,
women and children in agony and the
rescuiug corps are lifting roofs aud
searching easements Of houses all
along the edge Of the death track, not
entirely demolished, for the forms Of
the bleeding, dying and dead. Cabs,
express wagons, private cOnveyances,
are al in service, yet the supply is
wholly inadequate and many needy
ones are limping out Of the wreckage
and making their way as best they
eau to asylums.
Half a dozen wrecked buildings
took fire Immediately after the cy
clone had passed. The Dire bells rang
cut a call Of help to Kirksville'S
needy, but there we're none with
time to stop these isolated fires
They were left to their own
resources. Lurid lights from these
bOnfres now illuminate deaths wake
aud are helping therescuers to carry on
their errand OF mercy. Kent's under