The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-05-05
ONLY FIVE MINUTES,
Awful Havoc OF tho Tornado at Ne ton.
Mo-, ThIrtoen Doad.

Nhi'hiCoinE, MO, April ~. The
tornado which struck Newton, a small
town forty miles north Of Chillico the
yesterday afternoon, a quarter to
o'clock. killed thirteen persons ant
twenty-eight others. The
storm came from the southwest anc
lasted only five minutes.
When it was over the sun came out
on a scene of ruin. Twenty houses
were wrecked. A street in the south.
west part OF the town, on which was
a ro" OF ten houses, received the full
force Of the storm, and scarcely any.
body in that neigh borhood escaped
death or injury. The row OF hous es
was entirely demolished.
). Desper and his family were caught
under the falling walls of their house
and crushed to death. The bodies of
Desper, his wife and three children
were found. Mrs. William Hays was
killed while running up the street in
search OF shelter. Her head was sew
cred from her body. Mrs. Hays hus.
band and two children were killed.
Three others Of her children we're
wounded.
Twelve bodies lie on the depot plat
form at Newtown this morning. One
other death is reported, but the nam
is not known.
The people were taken By surprise
and a few Of them had the presence of
mind to seek shelter in cellars before
the storm was upon them. The walls
nf h,,tllt-, gI1 ...tl " .
sounded above the oar of the storm,
purylng persons in the ruins. Frame
buildings were twisted and lifted from
their foundations. Many were utterly
demolished, pieces of them being car
rlcd for miles. Others were shistcd in
position, but were apparently uuhurt.
One house was turned squarely around,
another was turned upside down, but
neither of them seemed to be badly
damaged by the shaking up.
The entire eastern half of the town
was destroyed. The path of the
storm was about $40 or 600 feet wide,
and hardly u dwelling in it's course
escaped. Fifty persons at least are
homeless.
A thunder storm followed the tor
nado. Women and children ran about
the streets shrieking. Men searched
the ruins in the drenching rain, hop
ing to locate the bodies OF victims.
The news of the loss Of life and the
number of wounded was telegraphed
to Chillicothe and physicians were re-
quested to come from this city. A
number responded to the call.
kIRKsvIILE, Mo-, April 29.--A tor.
nado swept over the eastern part of
kirksville, Mo-, at Geo o'clock last
night. AT Don to-day it was csti-
mated that the death list is about
fifty and that between 400 and 500
people are injured.
City officials said that these were
simply approximate figures and that
it will be several days before a def
mite casualty list can be secured. Tel
cgraph wires were down in all direc-
tions and Interruptions were so fire.
quent during the day that only mea-
ger information could be sent.
The known dead are as follows: Mr..
Anderson, A.. c. Bcal, Ed Beeman, boy !;
DR.. Ellington, Mrs. Henry Ellington,
Mrs. Bowman, Theodore brigham,
merchant; Mrs. Theodore Brigham,
Mrs. Gender, James Cunningham, c.
A. Gibbs, Mrs. c. A. Gibbs, A. w
Glasee, Mrs. A. w. Glasce, Mrs. Ben
Green, Mrs. ". w. Green, Miss Bessie
Green, Mrs. Melinda Heimin, Mrs. Hills.
William b. Howells, student Amer
lean School Of O%stcopathy; Mr.. and
Mrs. Kirk, Mr.. and Mrs. John Larkin,
Sr., Colonel Little ard family OF four,
Henry Lowe and three children. Mrs.
L. Mahatfey, Mrs. L. Miller, Harry
Mitchell and Mrs. Mitchell, Mr.. and
Mrs. Jean Pensholt, Mr.. A. W. Rain.
shott, Mrs. A. w. Rainshott. Mrs. w.
II. Sherbourne, wife Of student of os-
tcopathy school; Mrs. G. +. Stevenson,
James Weaver, retired contractors;
Alma Williams, Joe Woods, Mrs. Joe
Woods, Mrs. G.. Woods, Mrs. Lcona
Whaley.
Intense darkness prevailed after the
tornado, and the rescucrs were at u
disadvantage for a short time until
fire broke out in a dozen places in the
ruins and shed light over the scene.
No attempts we're made to extinguish
the fires, partly because tho rescuers
had no time and partly because of the
need of light.
On both sides of the storms path
the debris was piled high and burned
flercely. In all probability q number
OF bodies have been incinerated. The
storm first struck the eastern portion
Of the city, near that part occupied by
the boarding houses Of the students Of
the American School Of Osteopathy,
State Normal school and McWard's
seminary.
1t was just supper time for the stu.
dents, and it is thought very probable
the list of dead will be we'll filed with
$ students, as a large number Of these
boarding houses were demolished.
Tho storm then went northwest and
wiped out Patterson's nursery, pull
ing the trees out Of the ground and
hurting them through the city. A
second editionof the cyclone followed
the frst, twenty minutes later.
It came as 81 inky black cloud
widely distributed and covered the
whole town, but passed above the
houses, doing no material damage and
gathering fury as it went.
The tornado approached Kirksville
from the south, somewhat west, miss
ing tho heart Of the city by two or
three blocks.
Stilltown, the village built up
around thu Osteopathy college, es-
capped. Many students' families dwell
in the track Of the storm, however.
MI. Howells, who was killed, was one
Of the best known students. He was
a natiYa OF New York city. and was