The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-05-04
CYCLONES
The Eastern Portion of KirksyilIc.
No., Levelled BY q Wind Storm.
The List Of Dead VIII Reach getveen
Fifty and SiKty-Aimost a Thousand
People Were More or Less In.
jurcd-Heavy Loss.

, hIRKsvILLE, Mo-, April 2s.-The
. eastern part of the city was levellcd by
the cyclone and the estimate of dead
Is now placed at forty. Number in
Jured not known. Wires are down
and communication is practically cut
off,
a gathering storm that had been
threatening all afternoon broke upon
hirksvllle at GEO o'clock Thursday
night in all the fury of cyclone. A
path quarter of a mile wide and as
clean as the prairie was swept through
the eastern portion of the city and 400
buildings, homes and mercantile. were
ieveiled to the ground in scattered
ruins
In the heavy rain that followed the
people who had escaped turned ont to /
rescue the injured. For two hours not /
much was accomplished as all was
confusion, but by o'clock 25 dead
bodies had been taken from the ruins.
IL Is confidently expected that the list
OF dead will reach between 50 and GO.
II not exceed that. Almost n thousand
people were more or less injured. Day
nght VIII be necessary before an ade. (
quate estimate OF loss of life and prop- ]
erty can be had. Each blanched face |
reports new calamity.
Intense darkness prevailed after the I
cyclone and the rescuers were at a dis I
advantage for n short time until fire \
broke out in dozen placss in the ruins il
and shed light over the scene. No at Z
'empts were made to extinguish the q
ires' partly because the rescucrs had
10 time and partly because of the need ir
u light. On both sides of the storms I,
'ath the debris was piled high and g,
burned fercely. In all probability = -
lumber OF bodies have been incin. IL
rated.
The storm first struck the eastern
ortlon OF the city near that part occu- o,
led by the boarding houses of the stu. 81
ents OF the American School of Osteo- d.
athy, State Normal school and Me- -.
ards seminary. 1t was just supper no
me Tor the students and it is thought g..
cry probable that the list of dead
III be well filled with students. ms n :,
rye number of these boarding houses -,
ere demolished. n'
As. far as known Thursday night -
lese three institutions of learnin0 es- wa
ped the storm. The storm then
ent northwest and wiped out Patter- ''I
MS nursery pulling the trees out of
ground and hurting them through eo'
city. A second edition of the cy- i"'
me followed the first, 20 minutes ~ nav
er. 1ai
u came as an inl<y black cloud a''
dely distributed and covered the "o'
ole town but passed above the A
uses, doing no material damage and lfoI
herring fury as it went. 1t undoubt- stat
struck the ground few miles out imp
kirkeville. 1t is reported over 30 shaI
ID bodies have been taken from the trib
MS. pou
Mo-, April 2s.-A tor j..
10, probably the same one that Arg,
pt over Krbsyille, struck New- City
n, a small town in Sullivan countv shOr
lrsday night and caused terrible de- aud
ction. 1t is reported that Is people rized
e killed in the city and that MANY ARE!
'rs were killed in the country near An
e. great number of BUILDINGS road
blown down. Heavy rain fol. y, a
ID the tornado, adding greatly TO Surd
damage. A Chicago, Milwaukee & miles
'aul railroad bridge is said to have persC
washed out. and
ly partial list Of the casualties We
De obtained. accpr
ports coming, in from the country Engli
let state that many farmers have cash
feu severely ana that several lives from
been lost outside Of Kirksyille. Janu;
home of Henry Lowe, three miles rccei,
OF town, was demolished and races.
Lowe and three children were
ed to death. Other members of
amily escaped. Other fatalities
.DOrted from tho coun..,. -.