Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-06-15
TORNADO At
HERMAN NEB.
The Twister Wrought Fearful De-
struction in the Little
Nebraska Town.
MANY ARE DEAD AND DYING
Entire Business Portion Of the
Town Blown Into One Mass
Of Wreckage.
RELIEF TRAIN ARRIVES AT BLAIR
Wires Arc Down and 1t Is Imppos-
sidbic to Tell How Many
We're Killed - Partial
List of Casualties.

List of Casualties.
Omaha, June 15.-Tuesday even
ing "a cyclone wiped out of existence
the little town of Herman, Washing
ton county, about fifty miles north of
Omaha. The population of the town is
about 500. 1t is on the line of the
Omaha and ST. Paul railroad. The
conductor of train which passed
through Herman arrived at Blair an
hour later and told of the awful
wreck of the village. lie said that
there was not Il building left standing,
and as the train passed through the
town he counted ten dead bodies of
victims of the storm.
He says the scenes he witnessed are
beyond description.
lie came down to Blair and reported
the facts. Relief was called for, and a
train was made up and volunteers are
in Herman rendering all the assistance
possible. a relief train has just re-
turned to Blair bearing ninety
wounded victims of the cyclone. Many
of these are very seriously injured. 1t
is known that at least twelve persons
We're killed.
Wires are all down north of Herman,
and it is not known how much further
north the storm went, but reports are
coming in to the effect that large
portion of country north of Herman is
laid waste. The entire eastern portion
of Nebraska was swept by a terrific
rain, wind and electrical storm last
night. The streets of Omaha were
flooded, and the play of the lightning
was something fearful.
Many Must Have Pcrished.
The entire business portion of the
town is blown into one immense mass
of wreckage. 1t is greatly feared that
many more have been killed than those
whose bodies have been found. The
flyer on the Chicago, st. Paul, Minne
apolis and Omaha, due i'm Herman at
T:O5, pulled in fifteen minutes late,
and the entire train crew as we'll as
many of the passengers turned them
selves into a relief corps and the train
into AN emergency hospital. The train,
unable to proceed through the wreck
age, Immediately returned to Blair
with some eighty persons. this number
including one of the dead, Postmaster
Richards. and all of the wounded
found up to that time. Four members
of family named Hopkins living on
the outskirts of town are reported
dead. but the report has not yet been
verified.
Killed:
MISS HOPKINS.
w. A. RICHARDS. postmaster.
ANDISDSnN JJNDLyJNC f,+bo,, and
mother.
Child of S. nj. DAVIS.
The wounded as reported are:
Thomas Haynes, of Blair.
Unknown man from Missouri Valley.
Mrs. Kline, of Herman.
Shoemaker named Clausen, of Her
man.
J.. *. Hives, of Blair, dangerous in
ternal injuries.
Mrs. w. n. Anderson, head bruised,
arm broken: will die.
Louis Clausen. Missouri Valley, Ia,
unconscious, head mashed; will die.
Fred Peterson, head. slight.
Mrs. Alison, scalp wounds.
Child of Samuel Beaver. serious.
Mrs. Kline, of Blair, badly injured.
George Coyle, depot agent, head
gashed.
Immediately upon the arrival of the
train i'm Blair the wounded were car
ried to the homes of the residents of
Blair and the Christian hotel. The
train returned at once to Herman with
medical assistance, physicians. several
ministers and many townspeope.
\ new standpipe weighing twenty
tons was carried Il block and a half
and Il large iron safe was carried two
blocks. The main street of the town
is a mass of debris. The railroad tracks
are blocked. and train No. 9 on the
st. Paul and Omaha road cannot pass
until they are cleared. "A relief train
from Blair carried back to that city
ninety-tive homeless citizens. A
freight train left Blair at midnight
with medical aid and other relief for
the sufferers
Entire Town Almost Destroyed.
Additional details are dribbing in
concerning the tornado at Herman.
.Advices received by the Bee up to 1
o'clock last night state that every
building in the town is DESTROYED eX-
cept the public school and small
dwelling, both of which are on the OUT
skirts. The force of the wind was ter
rife, and scarcely one piece of any of
the many structures destroyed was
left intact. The scene i'm the streets
of the once thriving and beautiful lit
tie town is one of destruction.
Wrecked buildings and broken furni-
ture are strewn all around, while dead
bodies lie in many places. the corpscs
badly disfigured, some of them hardly
recognizable The means of the in
iured mingled with the calls of the
rescucrs as they pursued their human
itarian task in the darkness by the
Pickering CLEANS of lanterns The re-
lief train from Blair arrived about an
hour after the storm and the work of
ricking up the wounded was begun.
Willing hands did what they could to
help the injured and in the course of
an hour the train pulled out for Blair