The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-29

tiers, but the wind was content with
twisting his house off its foundation
and leaving it intact. The house was
in the center of the district, and it was
used as a hospital after the storm.
Came Down From the Sky.
While John Mccall was holding on
to sapling at the skirt of the cyclone.
a 12year-old hey. John Gebgardt, came
down on him from the sky. He caught
and saved the boy, whose home had
been demolished two blocks away.
p. j. 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 car
ried his wife and children into the Gel
lar. AS he stumbled into the place of
safety, the building was leveled to the
ground. He was Just in time to save
his loved ones, and is happy, although
his loss by the cyclone amounts to
$4,000
Among the first of the buildings
wrecked was the elegant $4,000 resi-
dence of Mrs. Hensiey, in the south
eastern part of the city. Not vestige
is left. The Catholic church, fine
brick structure in the eastern part
was unroofed and otherwise damaged.
The dwelling of Albert Ellison was
stripped of its second story. He and
his family and John Dogheny took
refuge in the cellar and were saved
The residence of II. Lowell, just outside
of town, was twisted into a heap Of
ruins, and three of his children were
killed and burned in the debris. Other
large residences were lifted from their
foundation and literally torn into kim
dlingwood.
People Were Panic-stficken.
For time the people in that portion
of the town not touched by the storm
were panic stricken, but as soon as
they recovered their wits they immedi-
ately went to the aid of their unfor-
tunate townsmen. Calls for help were
sent to surrounding towns and were
quickly responded TO.
The wounded were carried to the
homes of hospitable neighbors and Civ
en- immediate attention. Twenty
doctors from Moberly, Macon and other
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 today, and a large
number of sightseers came from neigh
boring towns. The special officers
would not allow anyone without au-
tBbllAg " 81 llIOuSh llit IulllGu us
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 stats of affairs binders
the work of gathering the dead, and
makes the compilation of a complete
list of victims impossible for the time
being. All business has been sus-
pended, and the only stores open for
business are those dealing in drugs.
Scenes That Were Horrifying.
The scenes that met the gaze of the
rescuers We're horrifying. An aged man
and his wife had evidently been eating
their evening meal when the cyclone
struck and carried away their home
They had clasped each other in their
arms, and were found dead on the
ground some distance away from where
their home had been. No trace of their
house has been seen. Several of the
dead We're found in spots which would
have been the center of the house had
the building not been blown to splin-
tiers. As,Rs sssfg
This was the case with Mrs. Pan
schott, who suffered a most terrible
death. Her headless body, with it's
arms clasping her lifeless baby. was
discovered on the floor of the house,
which was left as a raised platform in
an open field. The head was as nicely
severed as if it had been done with a
knife, and was about twenty feet dis
tant. Two children had been lying in
cot in one of the destroyed homes.
The house was carried away, but the
floor of the first story and the founda-
ton were left, the wind lifting the
house from the sills and tumbling it a
long distance. The cot on which the
little ones lay was lifted up with them
on it and carried fully block and a
half and set down on the ground. Mel
Their of the children was hurt.
Along the railroad track. between the
depot and kellogg's crossing, a dis
lance of half-mile, was a mass of
debris. The wrecks of many homes
were scattered along there, and the
trees were filled with bedclothing and
other household goods.
Order Gut of Chaos.
Mayor MORAN, assisted by a num-
Der Of citizens opened an intelligence
bureau at noon. Messengers were
sent through the stricken district in
search of persons who were known to
have resided in that section of the
town. Every citizen made il his duty
20 report at the bureau of information
all cases of death. injury and of per-
sons missing. In this way some little |
degree of order was brought out of
chaos.
BY > o'clock it was said at head /
quarters that the injured so far num-
bers seVenty-four with about a dozen |
cases which are sure to result fatally |
The list is not complete. however
There are two undertakers in Kinks /
VILE and together they had all they |
could do, taking care of the dead. A /
meeting of citizens. at which the mayor /
presided. was held this afternoon at the I
opera house. Committees were APP
effaf =
clearing away the wreckage, providing /
shelter for the homeless ones and rails |
ing funds for their temporary care.
There are at least 1000 homeless peo- !
pie in kirksville tonight.
The Babe Was Unhurt.
The freaks of the storm were many, |
but one OF the strangest occurrences /
was the finding of a grooming baby out |
in a :ela. far from any house. The |
child vas scarcely scratched No one |
has called for the baby, and il has not
been identified. Another baby was
found where it had been bruised TO
death by the violent wind. This baby,
also. has not been identified.
Among the horrors of the storm was
the finding of the corpse of 16-year-
old girl, with a two by four Scantling
driven through her body The body of
a little child was found with the limb
of tree sticking through its neck A
citizen vas found after the storm
standing over the body of his dead
wife Tbs head had been crushed and
severed from the body.
Every member OF an entire family,
with the house they dweit in, are I'M
accounted for. and it is believed that
all have been killed. These are Frank
lin McClay and wife and daughter. and
Miss Cora Miller of Brashear No. who
boarded with the McClays.