The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-11
Thousands of Sparrows Killed
in Sunday Morning Storm.
Supposed That Heavy Wind
Was the Cause.
PILES OF DEAD BIRDS.
They May Be Seen Along Side.
walks Near Trees.
Slaughter Especially Great Near
the City Library.

If newspapers were published for cir
culation among the fowls of the air. it
is certain that they would have today
on their front page, under Topeka
date line and a scare head a story like
this:
Terrible disaster! Thousands of
birds lose their lives at Topeka. Kan
Tornado and waterspout do deadly
work. Bodies of the dead lie unburleo
on the streets. Galveston flood outdone.
Topeka Kan Aug. 11-Between mid
night and morning of Sunday, terri
BILE strom ragged in Topeka. causing the
death of thousands of SparrOWS ana
other birds who were hurled from their
beds and dashed against branches of
trees by the force of the7-wind and the
drenching fall of rain and hail. The
disaster was especially appalling at the
corner of the city library grounds, where
your correspondent this morning count
ed rs dead bodies of sparrows lying
unburied on the ground, all within
distance of twenty feet.
Wherever birds were caught out in
unprotected trees, the death rate was
something awful 1t is estimated that
the list of dead will run up into the
thousands.
There has been nothing since the
Galveston flood to compare with the
awful tragedy at Topeka. The storm
came up unexpectedly after a delightful
summer day. The evening was cool
ana pleasant, ana WIeI tiic ltlull0Ni
commenced to rumble about midnight.
it did not serve to warn the population
of the impending calamity. When the
storm burst, it did so with all it's fury.
Birds who were unable to get away
from the trees, and scud with the storm.
or seek shelter in buildings, were al
most invariably killed outright or hor-
ribly mangled. The wind was so strong
that it broke branches from the trees,
and the birds were utterly unable to re-
sist it. No doubt the hailstOnes, driven
by the tempest, killed many who would
have otherwise escaped.
1T is noticeable fact that many of
the dead bodies are terribly mangled.
From some the feathers have all been
stripped by the combined action of wind
and water. The fatalities are mostly
with sparrows. Other birds did not suf-
fer much"
Such story fifty describes the pecu-
liar effect of the Sunday morning storm.
1t is not very often that the tough and
hardy English SparrowS are caught nap
ping and slain in such wholesale guam
titles, and it seems very peculiar that
it should have happened this time.
There is no especial love wasted on
the English Sparrows, but 1T is rather
CHASTITY sight to see the piles of dead
birds near the city library. Around the
base of one elm tree. Just as they fell.
are Is dead sparrows. = At one place on
the diagonal walk the water has wash
ed together stack of probably 40
cOrDSes.
The disaster to the sparrows was not
limited, however. to any one part of
town. Apparently the birds were killed
wherever they happened to be spending
the night in trees which were exposed
to the violence of the northwest wind.
Last Friday there was a storm In
Kansas City which had a similar effect
on the sparrows. 1t is stated by a man
who happened to be in Kansas City last
Friday that in the court house grounds
there the dead bodies of sparrows were
picked up by the bushel and carried OF
in wagons. 1t is not quite so bad as
this in Topeka, but then, Topeka is not
in Kansas City's class when it comes to
tOrnadOeS.