The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-29
One Thousand Rem
dered Homeless by
Winds Fury.
THE AFTERMATH.
First Estimate of Dead
Substantiated-A Hun
dred Injured.

Kirksville, Mo, April 2S.--As result
of the tornado that swept through the
eastern portion of this city yesterday
evening, demolishing half the residen-
ces and other buildings, two hundred
families are homeless and more than
thirty dead bodies and 70 injured per-
sons have been recovered from the
ruins. More than dozen of the in
jured will die.
Although rescuers have been search
ing the ruins ever since the storm
spent it's fury, many are still missing,
and it is thought that a considerable
number of the unfortunates were con-
sumed in the flames that broke out
soon after the storm had ceased. The
work of rescue continues, but it may
be days before the total number of vic
tins is known. AS far as known, the
names of the dead and injured are as
follows:
The death list:
! Mrs. Henry Ellington, Mrs. A r.
Bowman, Theodore Brigham, Miss Lena
Brown of Moberly child of Rev. Albert
Burr; Seth Feather, eight-year-old
! boy; Mrs. w. w. Green, A. j. Glasse
and wife, DIR. w. B. Howells, j. B. Lar
kin, three children of Henry Lowe, Mrs.
John Mahaffey, senior; Mrs. John I.
| Mahaffey, F. M. McClay and wife;
mother and niece of ]. T. Miller, Miss
Ora MILAN of Woodland, Mo; Mrs.
Blue Panschott and baby, Mrs. H. K.
Sherburne, Samuel Weaver, ex-con-
tractor; Miss Leona Whaley. Dr.
Wheeler, Mrs. ]. Wood, Mrs Col. Little.
Missing: Mr.. Elliott, Mrs. Williams.
The severely injured: Miss Della
White; Mrs. Peck, fatal; Cal Little,
niece, fatal; w. r. Park; Mrs. Theo-
dore Brigham, legs and chest crushed;
Robert Millay; Miss Weaver; Mrs.
Moss, fatal, broken back; John b.
Kirk and wife; Mrs. Forbes; Mrs. d.
d. Feathers; Elmer L. Dennison and
wife; Harry Mitchell; Mrs. Lou Mitch
ell, leg broken; Herman K.
Sherburne, head injured; o. Fl.
broken and otherwise crushed; John
Gender, slight; Oscar Ingold and
brother; Mrs. w. B. Howell and child,
dangerous; Norman Yankee, Sedalia;
Mrs. w. H. Vincent; Mrs. Ella Weav-
err, both legs broken; Daniel McGon-
igle John T. Mahaey's daughter; Ben
A. Bowmans daughter; T. ]. Miller;
L
son; v. Brigham, serious; Stella Weav-
err; Joe Weaver; Ella Weaver; M. A.
Romi1ue; Price Romiju; M. E. Myers;
Miss Cupp; j. E. Ashforth; j. w.
Brown; Mrs Lula. Byrnes; M Sheney
and wife; Mrs. Glenn; Thomas Dins-
more and wife, Mrs. Wheeler Doug
lass.
when the tornado struck the city
last evening, most of the residents
were at supper. The tornado cut a
clean path one mile long and 900 feet
wide through the residence section,
leaving death and destruction in it's
wake. Buildings were demolished or
twisted apart and scattered to the four
winds. A conservative estimate places
the aggregate amount of damage at
5000, 900, the Individual losses ranging
from $100 to $4,000.
The wind played many pranks and
there were some miraculous escapes.
j. c. Coonfield and his family were
eating supper when the tornado struck
their home. The house was picked up
and carried across a slough and
dumped against hill. The building
was not completely wrecked and the
family escaped with only a severe
shaking up. Houses on both sides Of
the residence of w. M. Hull were
blown into splinters, but the wind
merely twisted his house off it's foun-
dation, leaving it intact The house
was in the centre of the district and
was used as a hospital after the
storm.
P. ]. Rieger, a prominent attorney,
ran right into the path of the storm
to save his family, who were helpless
with fear. Dashing into the house he
carried his wife and children into the
cellar. AS he stumbled into the place
of safety the building was levelled to
the ground. No member of his family
was injured. Mr. Rieger's loss amounts
to S3000
For time the. people in that portion
of the town not touched by the storm
were panicstricken, but as soon as they
recovered their wits they went to the
aid of their unfortunate 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 given inn
mediate attention. Twenty-Five doctors
from Moberly, Macon and other points
along the line of the Wabash Railroad
came to KirksviIle last night in re-
Spouse to urgent calls for medical as
sistanee.
The scenes that met the gaze of the
rescuers was horrifying. An aged man
and his wife had evidently been eating
their evening meal when the cyclone
struck and carried their home away.
They had clasped each other in their
arms and were found dead on the
ground some distance from where their
home had been. No trace of their house
has been seen. Several of the dead were
found in spots which would have been
the center of houses had the building
rot been blown to splinters. This was
the case with Mrs. Panschott, who suf-
fered a most terrible death. Her
headless body with its arms clasping
her Hfeless baby. was discovered On the
floor of the house. which was left a
raised platform in an open field.
The head is precisely severed as If
it had been done with knife, and was
about 20 feet distant. Two children
had been lying in a cot in one Of the
DESTROYED homes. The house was car
ried away, but the floor of the first
story and the foundation was left. the
wind lifting the house from the stills
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. Neither Of the chill