The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-29
NEWTON'S SAD STORY.
Sec aes of Distress and:Desolation Fol-
lowing Cyclone.

Sec es of Distress and.Desolatfon Fol-
lowing Cyclone.
ChilIicothe, Mo-, April 2s.-Scenss of
utter distress and desolation were
pictured today In the little tornado-swept
burg of Newton, forty miles north, ON
the st. Paul railway. A day OF oeaseless
search among the ruins and work for the
injured and suffering followed the storm
and night of gloom Of despair. There
are about fifteen dead and over thirty in
jured, while half of the place is in ruins
and fifty families are homeless. The
known dead are:
:. Desper, wife and three children.
Laban Evans, and two daughters.
William Hays, wife and two children.
The injured:
Three children of William Hays
Ellis Evans.
A. j. Jones, wife and two children.
Mrs. Mary Gregory and daughter.
Mrs. Pierce ana sister.
Mrs. Blagg.
Mis-. Wilson.
Mrs. Ttmsey.
Dave Stanford, wife and three children,
Mr.. McQuiston and wife.
Nose Guyman and wife.
Mrs Johns
The storm struck Newton at q. 10 In the
evening. coIning from the south, ana 10 W
were able to take advantage OF their
storm cellars. Striking the eastern end
of the town 1t cut a clean swath $40 to GOO
| feet wide through the best portion OF the
place, sweeping everything before 1t.
Over thirty houses were torn to splinters.
| On one street a row of ten houses was en-
tireiy demolished. The walls OF the build
| ing fell with crash that sounded above
l.,wx rtUx.x 10 n
the ruins. Frame buildings were twisted
and lifted from their foundations, others
we're utterly demolished, pieces of them
teing carried for miles. Others shifted
| in their positions apparently unhurt; one
was turned squarely around, while an
other was turned upside down.
| Samuel Desper started with his family
for a neighboring cellar but the house
was blown down over them just as they
reached the door. His two daughters
were caught with him by the timbers and
killed. His wife was seriously injured.
Mrs. William Hayes was killed while
running up the street in search OF shelter
The mutilated trunk with the head miss
| ing was found later in the street.
| William Hayes and two children met
death within a few feet of each 9th er.
| The storm lasted five minutes. When II
| had ended the sun came out for few
minutes and shone rightly over scent
| OF rum. Numbers Ol clblZeuS phtrOllSl
| the ruin necessarily answering the crie'
of the injured, carrying the dead to tht
depot and the wounded to places of safety
Houses of the survivors vera thrown
open to the unfortunates and all possible
was done TO allay suffering. Chillicotht
sent "a squad of physicians who materially
aided the rescuers.
When morning broke the search was be
gun with renewed activity and has beer
kept up all day. Nightfall found the
| searchers still at work with no knowledge
| OF the actual number of dead arc
wounded. The storm blew down the tele
graph wires in and about town and
washed away the bridge over Medicine
| Creek, IA small stream south of town anC
partially demolished the Chicago, Mil
waukee and st. Paul depot stock yard!
and dozen stock cars.
ANOTHER TOWN HIT.
Trenton, Mo. April 2s.-Lancaster
Schuyler county. was badly torn up b!
last nights storm and many person
are reported killed aud injured.
Bridges on the Omaha. Kansas City an,
Eastern railroads have teen washed out
and the Rock Island tracks in This vioin
ity are in bad shape. Iu Trenton a por
ton of the Christian church was blowi
down and the telephone system through
out Grundy county has reen badl.
wrecked. Many houses were blown down
but no fatalities are reported.