Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-11

severe windstorm Does Havoc 20
Buildings ana Trees, bat No
One - Iniured.

KANSAS CITY, Aug. io.---A windstorm
that broke about o'clock hisfnorning and
raged for half an hour. accompanied b,
lightning and rain, Is said toe have beer
the severest In fifteen years. In the bust
meas streets numerous pistegiass fronts
were broken, signs and awnings torn down
and rickety structures partly demolished
In the residence districts several thou
sand trees we're overthrown and numerous
windows smashed.
At daybreak the sidewalks Of the city
were Uttered with rubbish and branches
Of trees No loss Of life has been reported
Nearly every householder suffered some
loss, but probably no single item OF dam
age exceeds several hundred dollars, Gus
tained BY merchants who iost plate win
dowB.
In the country much unripe fruit was
shaken from the trees.
The local Weather bureau reports that
the wind blew az the rate OF ffty-two
miles an hour for seven minutes. and .45
OF an inch Of rain fell in fifteen minutes.
Tho FIRE department has been busy all day
repairing damage and the Ere chief esti-
mates the damage at 100000
A number Of large buildings In the bust
ness section were unroofed and their con-
tents damaged by the downpour OF rain
Burnham, Hanna & Munger's new ware
house at Eighth and Broadway suffered a
loss Of fifteen windows and the stock sus-
tained much damage from water. dead
wall Of the Metropolitan Street railway
old engine house at Ninth and Wyomine
streets, which was destroyed by hre one
year ago. blew over and crushed a house
occupied BY two negro women, Jessie and
Emma Parker. Jessie Parker escaped with
slight injuries, but her sister was pin
toned down by the debris and was taken out
By the hremen. She was not dangerously
hurt
Mrs. James crutcher. wife Of farmer
who lives near Hardin. No.. was brought
here today to be treated for injuries re-
ceived from falling glars.
A. Marr received bad scalp wounds az
the result of falling window glass.
boy picked up = live wire at Thirty
frst street and Troost avenue and was se-
vereiy shocked.
The electric light company has shut down
all Of its high tension engines because 50
many wires are down.
The telephone company suffered much
loss. Many poles are down and hundreds
OF trees fell across the wires, breaking
them down. Two thousand telephones are
out Of order and the service Is bad all over
the city.
peculiar feature Of the storm was the
drowning OF thousands Of sparrows. The
rain came down so suddenly that they were
unable to fnd places OF shelter after having
Dssn wass.ssi ssvss, ss.S.s - - s=>=,-
Reports from Liberty, Mo-, and Warrens-
burg, No.. indicate that he storm did
much damage at those places.
The city forester reports that more than
1000 Of the trees lining The bouleyards
were destroyed This loss falls upon the
city treasury. The trees could not be re-
placed for 200.
In Kansas City, Kan. pere than 200
dwellings and other buildings were conn
pIeteIy or partially unroofcd. electric light
and telephone wires were blown down. huge
chimneys toppled over, hundreds Of trees
were uprooted and the business streets are
strewn with signs and awnings. Among
the buildings unroofed were the new Ma
sonic temple at Seventh and Ann streets.
the old High school building on the dag
onal and the Long Bcnool building at
Seventh and Quindaro boulevard. The
steeple Of the Seventh Street Methodist
church was blown down. Many uncom-
pleted houses were overthroWn.