New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-29
TORNADO'S AWFUL WORK.
FURTHER DETAILS OF DEATH AND
DESTRUCTION IN MISSOURI TOWNS.
REMARKABLE INCIDENTS OF THE STORM
IN KIRKsvILLE AND NEwTOwN-Two
HUNDRED AND FIFTY FAMI-
LIES HOMELESS.


Kirksville Mo-. April 2s.-As a result Of the
tornado that swept through the eastern portion |
OF this city last evening, iemolishing half of the
houses and other buildings, two hundred families
are homeless, and more than thirty dead bodies
and seventy injured persons have been taken
from the ruins. More than dozen of the in
jured will die. Although rescuers have been
searching the ruins ever since the storm spent
its fury many are still missing, and II is thought
that a considerable number Of the unfortunate
ones were consumed in the flames that broke
out soon after the storm had ceased. The work
Of searching the ruins continues but 1t may be
days before the total number Of victims is
known.
When the tornado struck the city last evening
most Of the residents were at supper. The tor
nado cut clean path one mile long ana SIX
hundred feet wide through the residence sec
ton. Buildings were demolished or twisted
apart and scattered. conservative estimate
places the aggregate amount Of damage at
100000 the individual losses ranging from
500 to $1,000.
The wind played many FRANKS, and there
were some miraculous escapes. j. e. Coonnelo
and his family were eating supper wnen the
tornado struck their home The mouse was
picked I'D and carried across slough ana
dumped I'D against a MIL Inc Duiiuiiib was 49,
completely wrecked. and the family escaped
without anything worse than severe shaking
I'D. Houses on both sides Of the home OF W.
NJ. Hull were blown into splinters but the wind
Was content with twisting his house on It's
foundation. leaving It otherwise intact Inc
house was In the centre Of the district, ana
II was used as a hospital after the storm r. j.
Rieger. a prominent attorney, ran into the
natb ~ the storm to save his family helpless
with fear Dashing into the house. he carried
his wife and children into the cellar AS ne
stumbled into the place OF safety the puiluihs
mas ,eveled 70 the ground. He was Just in time
n cave his loved ones and is happy. although
his loss by the cyclone amounts to SoooV.
Among the first Of the buildings wrecked was
the $4,000 house OF Mrs. Mary Hensley' IN
the southeastern part of the city. Not vestlse
NJ q 10 left The Catholic Church fine brick
structure in the northeastern part was uh-
rooted and otherwise damaged Inc ls'se
dwelling Of Judge Andrew Ellison, IN the same
locality. was stripped OF Its second STORY iie
and his family and John Doneghy took reiuse
In the cellar and were saved. me Residence y.
| Fl. Lowell. Just outside Of the town. was ."is'eu
into n bean Of ruins and three of his children
were burned to death in the debris other lai sc
houses were lifted from ther io"
| torn into kndng wood.
For q time the people in that portion OF the
-, not touched nv the storm were panic
stricken. but they speedily went to the ala oi
,,, ,,r,ortunate townsmen. Calls for help
uere sent 10 surrounding towns and were quick
-, -osnonded 70 The wounded were carried 10
| thu homes of hospitable neighbors ana give"
! ,,,r,ed,ate attention Twenty-Five doctors from
! Moberly. Macon and other points along .ne "e
n, the Wabash Railroad came TO kirKsVlne ,, as,
| night In response to urgent calls LOT hieuio"'
assistance. ,., Ate.
hundreds Of persons visited the stricken as
tr,ct to-day and a large number OF sgh'seei'
| can,e from neighboring towns The special VI
Ncers would not allow any one without au.no
,tv to go through the ruined dlstrlct' MI no
Vile streets have been hub deep WIN muu ''iiC'
the first spring shower, and the ram 'ha' III
lowed the tornado made them lmpassaoie w
wagons. This state OF affairs hinders the WI
~ Gathering the dead, and makes the cohPna
tion OF a complete list Of victims impossio'e i0'
tho time being All business has been sus-
pended, and the only stores open are '"o''
dealing in drugs.
MANY OF the scenes that met the gaze OIL t'e
roso,,ers were horrifying An aged man and
| his wife had evidently been eating their even"
inc meal when the cyclone struck and carried
in their arms and were found dead on the
| ,.o,,,a so,,e distance away from where their
home had been. No trace Of their house has
,,oo,, econ Several of the dead found
where would have been the centre Of the house
had the building not been blown to splnters
This WAS the case with Mrs Panschott. Her
beadIess body with it's arms casping her life-
less baby was discovered on the floor or the
house which was left as raised PLATFORM IN
an omen field The head was severed as II Win
n knife and was about twenty feet distant
Two children had been lying in a cot In one OF
| the destroyed homes. The house was carried
away but the floor Of the first story and the
foundation were left the wind lifting the mousse
from the stills and tumbling 1t long distance.
| The cot on which the little ones lay was lrted
I'm with them on 1t and carried fully a block
and n half and set down on the ground. Neither
NJ the children was hurt. Along the railroad
track between the station and kellogg's Cross
ing. a distance OF half mile was a mass VI
! debris The wrecks OF many homes were scat
tered along there and the trees were hlled
with bedclothing and other household goods
Mayor Noonan assisted by number OF citi-
zens opened an intelligence bureau at noon
| Messengers were sent through the stricken dis
trict in search OF persons who were known 70
have lived in that part OF the town. Every GU.
zen made It his duty to report at the bureau OF
! information all cases of death, injury and or
persons missing. In this way some little degree
| of order was brought out OF chaos BY o'clock
| II was said at headquarters that the injured 80
| far numbered seventy-four. The list is not
complete, however.
]. meeting OF citizens, at which the Mayor pre-
sided was held this afteroon at the opera
house. Committees were appointed to system
atize the work OF clearing away the wreckage.
providing shelter for the homeless ones and rails
| ing funds for their temporary care. There are
at least one thousand homeless persons In Kinks
Vile tonight.
DAMAGE DONE AT NEwTowN
Chillicothe Mo. April 2S-scenes OF distress
and desolation were presented to-day In the
little tornado-swept town Of Newtown. forty
miles north Of here, the st. Paul Railway A
day Of ceaseless search among the ruins and
iri,i nd eunerin1 fnlnuad