The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-02
THE Huntsville TORNADO
1 Wide Path of Death
and Destruction.
THIRTY PERSONS KILLED

Nile Long and SIX Hundred kheet
| Wide-Many Peculiar Franks PAY ed
BY the Wind. and Many MiracussI,a
Escapes Made-Asstssanee Rendered.
BY Other Towns
Kir41sville, Mo-. April 2s.-As a re-
suit OF the tornado that swept through
the eastern portion. OF this city yester-
day evening, demolishing half of the
residences and other buildings, 200
families are homeless and more than
thirty dead bodies and seventy injur-
ed persons have been recovered from
the ruins More than a dozen injured
will die. Although the rescuers ave
been searching the ruins ever since
the storm spent it's fury many are still
missing and it is thought that a con-
were consumed in the flames that
broke out soon after the storm had
ceased. The work of rescue continues.
but it may be- days before h total
number of victims is known.
When the tornado struck the city
1d1I SSSLlIS, BE VI IhS ISSsoCILSS
were at supper. The tornado cut a
clean path one mile long, and 600 feet
wide through the residence section,
leaving death and destruction in its
wake. Buildings were demolished or
twisted apart and scattered to the four
winds. A conservative estimate places
the aggregate amount of damage at
100000, the individual loss ranging
from 500 to 10000
The wind played many pranks and
there were some miraculous, escapes
]. c. Coonfield and his family were
eating supper when the tornado struck
their home. The house was PICKED UP
and dumped against a hill. The build
ing was not completely wrecked and
the family escaped without anything
worse than a sever shaking UP.
Houses On both sidessof the residence:
of w. M. Hull were blown into splint-
ers, but h wind was content with
twisting his house off it's foundation
and leaving it intact. The house was
in the centre of the district and it was
used as a hospital after the storm
P. J. Rieger, a prominent attorney,
ran 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 leveled to the ground.
Among the first of the buildings,
wrecked was the elegant $40, 600 resi-
dence of Mrs. Mary Haneley, in the
southeastern part of the city. Not a
veStige of it is left.
The residence of H. Lowell, just out
side the town, was twisted into a heap
of ruins and three Of his children
h1yrinI 80 tho lahric o~1 l-;1l@J n%l4-
large residences were lifted from their
foundations, literally torn into kindling
wood.
For a time the people in that portion
of town not touched by the storm
were panic-Stricken, but as. soon as
they recovered their wits they imme-
diately went to the aid of their unfor-
tunate toWnsmen. Calls for help were
sent to the surrounding towns and
were quickly responded to. The wound
ed were carried to the homes of. his
pitable neighbors and given immedi-
ate attention. Twenty-Five doctorSfrom
Moberly, Macon and other points, along
the line of the Wabash railroad came
to Kirksville last night in response to
urgent calls for medical assistance. The
visiting doctors co-operated with. the
local physicians n the work Of car
ing for the wounded was expedited.
Chillicothe, Mo-, April 2S.-Scenes Of
utter distress and desolation were pic
tured today in the little tornado-swept
burg Of Newton, forty miles north, on
the St. Paul railway. There are about
fifteen dead and owe thirty injured,
while half of the place is in ruins and
fifty families are homeless.
The storm struck Newton at 6.15
o'clock in the evening, coming from
the southwest. 1t came without warn
ing and few were able to take advant-
6 Of their storm cellars Striking the
eastern end of the town it cut a clean
Swath of 500 to 600 feet wide through
the best portion of the place, sweeping
everything before it. Over thirty
houses We're torn to SlinterS. On one
street lone a row of ten houses was
entirely demolished. Here scarcely any
n escaped death or injury. The walls
of buildings fell with a crash thai
sounded above the roar of the storm
burying people in the ruins. Frame
buildings were twisted and lifted from
their foundations; others We're utterl.
demolished, pieces. of them being car
ried for miles. Others shifted in thei
positions, apparently unhurt; one wa
turned sQuarelyf around while anothe
was turned upside down.
Samuel Desper, at the appearance o
the black cloud. started with his fam
lily for a neighboring cellar, but tn
AOuSS was DlOWl OONu over luGIl JUS
as they cached the door. His tw
daughters were caught with him b.
the timbers and instantly killed. Hi
wife was seriously injured, but is stil
alive.
Mrs. William Hays was killed Will
running VI the street in search Of shel
ter. The mutilated trunk with the hea
missing was found in the street latel
William Hays and two children me
death within a few feet of each othel
The Storm lasted five minutes. Whe
1t lar ended the sun came OUT for
few minutes and shone brightly owe
a scene of ruin. Houses of the survivor
were thrown open to the unfortunate
and all possible was done TO allay sui
fer1ng- Chillicothe sem a squad of ply
~sicians, who materially aided the New
town reScuers-
When morning broke the search wa
begun with renewed activity and hs
been kept up all day. Nightfall four
the searchers still at work with n
knowledge Of the actual number {
dead and wounded.