Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-28
MANY DEATHS
IN A CYCLONE
That Swept Over a Town in
Missouri Last Night.
THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS
II Not Yet Known But May Reach a
Hundred--HundredS of Houses
Were Entirely Destroyed
THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS

st. Louis, Mo-, April 27.-A special tc
the Globe-Democrat from Kirksville
Mo, says: A gathering storm that had
been threatening all day broke in Kinks
vile at 500 o'clock tonight with all the
fury of a cyclone. The path was over a
mile wide and the prairie was entirely
swept in the eastern part of the city, and
over 400 dwellings We're leveled to the
ground in scattered ruins. In the heavy
rain that followed the people who escap-
ed turned their attention to the rescue of
the wounded. Not much was accomplish
ed, as ali was confusion. but by s O'Clock
% dead bodies had been taken from the
ruins. II is confidently expected that the
| list of dead will reach between 80 and so
if not exceeding that. Almost 1000 peo-
pie were more or less injured. Daylight
will be necessary before an adequate con
ception of the destruction of the storm
can properly be had.
Intense darkness prevailed after the
cyclone and the resCuers were at a dis
advantage for a short time until fire
broke out in a dozen places in the ruins
and shed light over the scene. No at
tempts were made to eXtinguish the fires,
partly because the rescucrs had not time
and partly because of the need of the
light. On both sides of the storms path
debris was piled high and burned fierce
ly. In all probability a number Of bodies
have been incinerated.
The storm first struck the eastern pOr-
ton of the city near that part occupied
by the boarding houses of the students
of the American School of Osteopathy,
he ctotn normal school and NCNa RIDE
seminary. 1t WIS just supper time for
the students and it Is thought Very pro-
bable the list of dead will be we'll filled
with students, as a large number OF these
boarding houses We're demolished.
AS far as known tonight these three
institutions of learning escaped the
storm. The storm then went northwest
and wiped out Patterson's nursery,
pulling The trees out of the ground and
hurting them through the city. A Sec
ond edition of the cyclone followed the
first 20 minutes later. 1t came as an
inly black cloud, widely distributed,
and covered the whole town, but passed
damage and gathering fury as it went.
1t undoubtedly struck the ground a few
miles out of KirksviIle.
In the heavy rain following, the bal
anCe of the people who escaped the ca
lalnity have turned on TO rescue the in
jured and hunt out the bodies of the
slain, and the surgeons. professors. oper-
atlng staff and students. men and wo-
men, of the American School of Osteopa-
thy, together with the doctors residing in
the town, nave formed rescue and hos
pital corps, and in the darkness and cain
are hunting out the unfortunates to set
fractured bones, bandage the lacerated
and ease the pain Of anguished hearts.
This work is being superintendent by
Mayor Noonan and Dr.. Charles f. Still,
DR.. j. b. Ford, David Little and Henry
Walters. From every locality the cry
comes up, send surgeons"
The rescue corps is lifting the roofs
and searching the Easements of houses
all along the edge of the death track.
Cabs, express wagons, private convey
ances II stretchers are all in active
service, yet the supply is wholly made
quate and many needy ones are imping
out of the W~reckase and making their
way as best they can to asylums.
Half a dozen wrecked buildings took
fire Immediately after the cyclone had
passed. The fire bells rang out the call
of help 10 Kirksville's needy, but there
were none with time to stop these isO-
lated fires. They were left to their own
resources. LuIia lights from these bon
fires now illuminate DEATHS wake and is
helping the rcScuerS to carry on their
errand Of mercy. Kent'S undertaking. es-
Enlistment is being used as the charnal
house, a score of the dead are now
there, some Of them unidentified The
homes lust outside of the deaths wake
are Open to refugees.
Reports coming in from the country dis
tricts state that many farmers have SUI
fered severely and that several lives have
been lost outside of Kirksvil!e. The
home of Henry Lowe, three miles north
of town, was demolished. and Mr.. Lowe
and three children We're crushed to death.
Other members of the family escaped.
Other fatalities are reported from the
country, but no anne are given.