The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1899-05-04

Struck.
Two cyclones left trails of death behind
them Thursday in Missouri and Iowa. One
swept through Newtown and Kirksville,
Mo-, just at nightfall causing immense de-
struction of property and appalling loss of
life. The lesser storm struck the Soldier
river valley in western Iowa about mid
night on Wednesday night, wrecking the
country and shifting with wounds and
death the people in the vicinity of the
town Of Ute.
The known Dead.
At Kirksville, No. Observation-Disclosures. As
At Newtown, Mo-. 20
At Ute, Iowa, and vicinity. 8
Some reports from the stricken districts
made the total number Of injured exceed
800. and figures of the killed varied also,
but it is impossible at the time this is
written TO give accurate details.
The sky emptied its fury in a gigantic
cyclone upon Kirksville, the town made
famous by osteopathy, at 6:20 O'Clock at
night, while most of the inhabitants were
at table. The entire east side of the city
was wiped clean. More than 100 dwell
ings and business houses were totally de-
stroyed. Several of the wrecked build
ings took fire, adding difficulty and danger
to the work of rescue. Mayor Noonan
Friday morning said the death list would
reach 20. The tornado approached Kinks
vile from the southwest, and passed only
two blocks from the heart of the city. Sew
eral public institutions were just outside
the storm zone, otherwise the loss Of life
would have been more appalling.
A broad, clean path, nearly a quarter
Of a mile in width, lies through the town,
as smooth as virgin prairie. Probably
400 houses are scattered as fragments
somewhere beyond the town in woodland
and prairie. In the heavy rain following
the people who escaped turned out to res
cue the injured and hunt the bodies Of the
slain.
Surgeons, professors, operating staff and
students, men and women of the American
School of Osteopathy, together with all
the druggists in the town. formed rescue
and hospital corps. Rescuing corps lifted
roofs and searched the ruins of houses all
along the edge of the death track not en-
tirely demolished for the wounded, the
dying and the dead. Half dozen wreck
ed dwellings took fire Immediately after
the cyclone had passed.
The storms coming was announced with
a roar and a deep muffied rumble of dis
tant thunder. There was a suction from
both sides, and before the advancing col
Gmn, while steady crunching, cracking,
grinding noise was heard distinctly above
the roar Of the elements a mile from the
path of the cyclone.
The cyclone approached Kirksville from
the southwest. At distance it seemed to
be making for the fair grounds, and people
at the American School of Osteopathy, ON
the west side of the town, watched its
coming for two minutes in fear that it was
bearing down upon them. Before reach |
ing the town limits it veered further east
however, and cleared the State Normal
School without touching it.
Patterson's extensive nursery, Just west, |
was swept down to bare SOIL The course |
from that on was through a well-built-up |
section Of the town, made up mainly Of |
low houses, and largely populated by stu
lents Of the normal school and American |
School OF OsteOpathy. Marcus Wards |
for young women was a couple |
,f hundred yards east Of the storms path. |
A hotel building close to 1t WAS demol- |
she'd
A score of guests stood upon the porti- |
,oes and at the dining room windows Of |
he Still Hotel, half a mile west of the |
storms path, and saw it sweep through |
he town. Roofs blew ahead of the blast |
ike leaves, seemingly far in front of the
revolving snout a full hundred yards in |
he sky.
One horse was blown out of the shafts |
" road wagon, which lodged against the
'front.' Of a house in the edge Of the winds
rack. No one knows what became of the
animal. Members Of households disap-
,eared with partial demolition of homes,
while others remained unhurt among the |
lebr:s. Along the edge OF the storms
,ath holes are seen through frame houses
is if punctured by cannon balls.
A second edition of the cyclone followed
he first in about twenty minutes. 1t
anne as an ink-black cloud widely distrib-
lted and covered the whole town. Many
fought refuge in cellars. The tail end of
he cyclone did not break upon Kirksville.
however, seeming to go by overhead. 1t
s believed generally that the second cy-
Ionic wave dropped to the ground before
much further on its journey. The
heavens became black for fifteen minutes.
fter which heavy rain fell for an hour
md a half. By s o'clock the sky was
lear and starry.
Mayor Noonan telegraphed to every sta
ion between Bloomfield, Iowa, and Mo-
,erly, Mo-, for surgical assistance. I'm
lertakers wired st. Louis and Chicago
ush orders for coffins. Scores of fami-
les will be rendered absolutely destitute
n addition to losses by injury and death.
The reports from country districts indi-
ated that many lives were lost in the
urrounding farming districts. Henry
owe and three children, living three
niles north Of Kirksville, were crushed
'eneath the timbers of their wrecked
ome. Several other members of the fam
Iy escaped injury. Other fatalities are
eported from the country, but it is not
ikely that an accurate death list will be
vailablc for several days. The tornado
estroyed telephone and telegraph wires
ut of Kirksville and not until $50 o'clock
friday morning was communication with
he outside resumed, and then only in an
sort of way.