The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-22
A NEBRASKA TOWN STEUCIk.

A NEBRASKA TOWN sTIsUCK.
No Houses Were Left and the LOSS
OF Lite Was Fearful.
A tornado struck the town of Her
man, Nebraska, on the oventng of the
18th oinst. and nearly wiped the place
out Of existence. Herman Is q town OF
about three hundred inhabitants, in
the extreme northern part of Wash
ington county. 1t Is on the line of the
Chicago, ST. Paul, Minneapolis and
Omaha railway. A. conductor on the
evening train from Sioux City passed
through the place not long after the
storm, and he says not a building was
left standing in town. Ho counted
twelve dead bodies lying in the streets.
Tho fatalities will undoubtedly run up
to hundred, If not higher.
Advices received up to II o'clock at
night stated that every dwelling in the
town was destroyed except the public
school and o small dwelling, both of
which are on the outskirts. The force
of the tornado was terrific, as scarcely
one piece of many structures destroyed
was left intact.
Ihe scene in the streets OF the once
thriving and beautiful little town was
one Of destruction. Wrecked build
lngs and brOkon furniture were strewn
all around, while dead bodies lay in
many places, the corpses badly disfig-
ured and some of them hardly recog-
nizable. The moana of the injured
mingled with the calls OF the rescuers
as they pursued their humanitarian task
in the darkness and by the tickering
CLEANS Of lanterns.
a relief train arrived about one hour
after the storm and the work Of pick
ing up the wounded was begun. Will
ings. s.hands did wha5 they could to help
the injured, and in the course of an
hour the train pulled out for Blair
with ninety-fivo injured on board.
They were taken away as there was
absolutely no place at Herman AZ
which treatment could be administer-
cd. All the citizens Of Blair threw
open their houses to the wounded, and
the unfOrtunates were cared for by
competent surgeons.
Many Of the injured will dio, but
some Of them received but slight in
juries. Twelve are Kuown to have
been killed, and the list will run up very
much higher.
For some two hours before the storm
took q disastrous form the clouds wore
Of threatening color, and he air WAS
hot and sultry. At 6 o'clock the storm
seemed more threatening and the peo
pie were on their guard. At 6:15 II
blowing from the northwest and
from the southwest anu with increas-
ing violence. At 6:30 it took tho fun
nel-shaped appearance and bore down
upon the town. The first damage done
was about four miles west of Herman,
at the Hawkins farm. MIR. Haw kins is
dead, and his barns and OutDuildings
are in a mass Of ruins. In the village
of Herman few building are left stand
ing The business portion and tho re-
sldences' are piled up in heap.
The bank owned and operated by Rop-
resentative j. II. hambcrs, Is IN q
mass Of ruins. 1t was q substau cal
brick structure, His homo an elegant
frame building escaped.
/ Near the depot Is 3 pile Of rubbish
containing everything from d pair OF
boots to dead and wounded horsos,
hogs, cattle, ETC., etc.
j.. Il. Kelly, q Council Bluffs travel
ing man said
With IL number Of other guests, ]
was dining in tho hotel, when sud.
denly the vino, began to rise and grew
very violent. | hastened to tho win
| dow and looked to the north. I could
soc. two lmmenso clouds, separated by
quite bit of sky, swirling and churn
ing wrathfuliy. I at once felt that q
cyclone was at hand. Our suspicious
were confirmed when we saw that the
two divisions, Of clouds were rapidly
conyerging into the traditional funno
shape. But while we looked it seemed
to Us; that tho. clouds would sweep tt
&he west and avoid the town. Wher
it reached q point to the north west We
'were' terrified TO SEQ it. suddenly
change its course snd make directly
| for the town. We all hurried into the
i cnllaf a!la Saw 70 moro Of tho cyclone
bat ws3knew Ivy the frightful din thai
I:i6' was working havoc IL the town.
from the cellar and iound that The
hotel had been wrecked, and tina
every building in tOwn,h%d been blown
down with the exception OF an isolated
few on. the Outskirts. The cyclone hat
swept. right: down the main street
i laru5hing the buildings as though the.
,EWera> eggshella.' The oaly brick build
NV ihgf6f importance in the town was th
>Eb&gk. After. the storm do Mt rocal
.'E8ect4g IT. L presume that 1t, too, wa
Edastfoycd. The town was pile OF dc
brte, soaking with water.
SIN front OF us we .c0u idr SEQ horses
pigs and framo buildings all .hoapc
together, Some Of tho animals wer
dSad@ ends, s6me. wero still aliye ar
crS19g 9nt. Il could not say how man
WeRGkilled or how many were injurc(
sgBseVeral dead and many wounded
OF oours6,t there were many still aliv
after the: storm, and they did ,all;the
could to. 3asfst In the work of frfescu
, When, the first sbrain left Ircame
, Blair" ; ~ 49,. :"
The 4:@0rk Of takihg tho dead a'n
:, wonndeQ: :outof the debris is. progre
. sing slgMly. and is. likely to prove
( long and d;!aiillcult task.
4 -r---+---ssEs- :: :: -. asu1-.--------