Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-05-22
TORNADO In TEXAS.
The Resident Portion Of Coliad
Devastated by a Storm.
STUPEyDOUS LIFE REPORTED
Many Other Portions OF Texas Said to
Have Suffered Also in Loss Of
Life and Destruction Of
Buildings,

AVAau, At<Nt &''J 49, ~ ~ ~
yesterday afternoon a tornado struck
the town of Goliad and left death
and desolation in its pathway be-
yond the power Of pen to portray.
A correspondent reached the scene
ut seven o'clock on special train
from Victoria, Tex, bearing doctors,
nurses and medicines, friends and
relatives Of Goliad people and the
O'Connor guards.
The scene which met the eye on
reaching the scene OF destruction,
which was in the western part OF the
city, was appalling. Between Church
and Patrice streets, which ran north
and south a distance Of q mile in
length, only one house was left
standing and scarcely vestige OF
man could be seen. Very little dam
age was done except within these
boundaries, a width Of $50 yards.
The tornado was preceded few
moments by a heavy hailstorm and
deep rumbling sound, but no one
had any premonition Of the disaster
and there was no opportunity for es-
cape for refugees, as the tornado,
dealing death and disaster, was all
over in few minutes.
The section which has most suf-
fered was the residence portion, the
lower part being the negro settle
ment, while the upper part contained
many residences The Methodist
and Baptist churches and the Baptist
parsonage, both just completed, and
the negro Methodist church were
destroyed. The Episcopal church was
badly damaged and fully 100 houses
were totally destroyed.
The stone residence of d. T. Davis,
Of the Goliad guard, was the only
building in the pathway Of the storm
not demolished and it Is q wreck.
The people Of Goliad, realizing at
once the stupendons nature of the
calamity, and the terrible loss Of life
and injured, telephoned to their Sis
ter cities of Cuero and Victoria for
assistance, which was responded to
Immediately.
General Superintendent Forbes
stopped the regular Beeville train at
Goliad and turned II back to Victoria,
bringing on the return trip six doc
tors from there and an abundance
Of medicines and surgical appliances.
Another train came later from Cuero
with number of physicians and doz-
ems of nurses and many citizens.
Many Portions Of Texas suffer.
Dallas, Tex, May 1o.--Thc South
western Telegraph and Telephone
company, of this city, had informa-
ton last night that tornado caused
the loss of about 100 lives and the
destruction Of much property at the
town of Goliad yesterday. The in
formation came direct from the com
pany's operator at Goliad, who man
aged to send message to Houston
before the wires were rendered use
less by the noise of the wind.
At Corsicana three or four houses
were blown down, and at Dublin two
or three bridges were washed away,
The Mneola operator for the
Texas & Pacific railroad said that he
had been informed that at the little
town of Alba, 10 miles north of here,
on branch of the Missouri, Kansas
& Texas, terrible storm prevailed.
Twenty-Five or 30 buildings were
wrecked. 1t is not known whether
or not there were any fatalities.
Advices from all available sources
here last night were that disastrous
tornado swept across Texas yestcr-
day, causing loss of life and almost
lncalculable damage to property.
At ten o'clock last night there were
two reports current concerning the
fate Of the historic town of Goliad.
Both of them were sufficiently dis
PRESSING. One was that 80 lives were
lost and much Of the town destroyed.
The other was not less than 200 per-
sons were killed and that nearly
svery structure there was demol-
shed