The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-10
MOTHER AND CHILD
CRUSHED TO Death
School House Near Derby
Collapsed During Storm.
FAMILY WAS FROM GORDON
Many Buildings Damaged by
Hurricane.
FAMILY WAS FROM GORDON

During the wind-storm Tuesday even
ing, about 10 O'Clock, Mrs. Phoebe Far
row and her two-year-old child were
crushed to death by the falling walls of
a school house. one and one-half miles
east of Derby. The child was killed in
stantly and Mrs Farrow, whose chest
was crushed, died within less than an
hour after the accident.
The Farrow family live at Gordon,
about sixteen miles northeast of Derby,
and Mr. and Mrs. Farrow accompanied
by their three children and another boy,
whose name could not be learned, came TO
Wichita Tuesday with two wagon loads
of potatoes They left the city late in
the afternoon for Derby, where they ex-
pected 10 get load OF watermeIons. and
had proceeded as far as the school house,
east of Derby, when night overlook them.
They drove into the school yard and pre-
pared to camp there for the night, sta
tioning one team and wagon on the
north side Of the building and the other
on the south size. When the storm came
zap they had no shelter, and forced an
entrance into the building, where they
thought they would be protected from the
Lain and wind
The school house is small frame
structure, consisting OF one room and
hall, and faces the east. The wind-storm
came from the southwest, and when it
struck the school building the roof and
ceiling were lifted bodily and carried over
the north side Of the building. In falling
1t veered to the east and crashed to the
ground at the northeast corner of the
structure. After the roof had been car
ried away the walls of the building were
not strong enough to stand the heavy
pressure of the wind, which had reached
q perfect gale. and they collapsed, the
south wall falling TO the north and upon
The floor Of the school room.
When the building was wrecked the
noise made by the crashing timbers was
so great that it was heard above the din
Of the storm by s. c. Mcclure, who lives
across the road. Mr.. Mcclure knew that
the Farrow family had camped there for
the night, and fearing that some Of them
had been injured, called a neighbor, John
CIegg, and together they went to the aid
of the stricken family. Mr.. Mcclure was
in the city yesterday and gave a full ac-
count OF the catastrophe, which he told
of in the following manner:
The storm was terrific, and 1 feared
any minute that my house would be car
ried away. and when | heard the crash
across the road knew at once that the
school building had been demolished. That
was at 10 O'Clock and shortly after the
storm began. I remembered that family
had camped at the building, and my first
thought was that they had probably been
buried beneath the building. 1 hurried out
into the storm, aroused my neighbor
CIegg, and together we went to the
wrecked school building. The rain was
coming down in torrents, while the wind
was a perfect hurricane, and It was some
time before we could find any of the
members Of the family.
I'VE finally located one of the boys in
the hall of the school house, pinned down
by a heavy timber, but not seriously in
jured. We next found a little girl, about
four years Of age, buried beneath some
light timbers. uninjured. From her we
learned where the father and mother
were. and after some hard work, in
which the wind almost defeated us, we
pulled them from beneath the south wall.
Mrs Farrow was unconscious. She wa-
crushed about the chest, and died within
an hour after she was rescued. Mr.. Far
row was injured about the chest, and he
owes his life to the fact that one of the
desks sustained part of the weight of The
wall. After thoroughly searching the
building for the other members Of the
family. without finding them, we went
outside. About ten feet from the building
and 10 the northeast we found the body
OF the little girl. Her head had been
crushed by some flying object. and she
had been dead for some time. The young
man who was with the Farrow family
we found underneath the wagon, on the
north side Of the building. When the
roof was taken off by the wind he was