Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1905-05-02
THE CYCLONE
WAS AWFUL 3AP
Both of the LaredOs Victims of Il
Wrathful Wind.
TWENTY-0NE KILLF
Buildings We're Demolished an
Number Of Others Also Lost
Their Roofs, While Wires
Are Frustrated.

Laredo. May 2.-Never befo
this city has experienced a W
clone than that of Friday night.
fully 100 persons were injured.
believed that sixteen will COY.
death list in this city and five
Laredo. across the Rio Grand
spite the great havoc wrought Tn,
wind, causing the unroofing of mani
buildings and demolishing small ones
Laredo is beginning to assume its Gus.
omary appearance. Large forces o
laborers are cleaning away the debri,
which has filled the streets. Thl
Western Union Telegraph company ha!
re- established communication with SAT
Antonio. and the electric light conn
pany has its lights again burning. d
will be several months before the IN
ternational foot bridge can be recon-
structed. and in the meantime the ont
means Of reaching the sister city q
New Laredo in skins.
Conditions just previous to tn
storm were very peculiar. A low
black cloud suddenly appeared from
the southwest and rain began to fat
almost Immediately.
Suddenly a flash OF lightning lit
the scene. showing clouds hanging J I
over the housetops. A wind bega1 o
set dust in a whirl. The lightning N
q few minutes WAS almost a continuot
display and the thunder broke oyA
the town like a thousand guns poundhS
out a mighty chorus. Trees began d,
bend under the strengthening breess
over the heart of the city carrying tie
roofs off the huts of the suburbs a
group OF men saw one roof being splh
by 4 giant hand and then the lightning
and thunder seemed to combine in b
magnificent climax. Houses wefe
swept AWAY as IL they were structures
of cardboard. Roofs were carried awzy.
trees we're torn up by the roots. The
telegraph poles were snapped. wagons
were snatched from the streets and car
ried. in some Instances to the city lin
its.
The strength OF the wind was ter
rife. There was absolutely no escape
and the population simply covered in
their houses and trusted to fate.
The huts occupied by the negroes
and poor Mexicans were first destroy
ed. Nearly all OF them were blown fiat.
but many Of them were lifted like hinge
hsehipes and carEisS- far -yss,asr q W
teiagra ne=s-s.sll-..z -: -
city was broken The wind Will led
the roof off the telephone building Rnd
reached down in the structure. caught
the big exchange board and whirleH it
around the operating room.
Incoming passengers from Mexico
state that the storm was very severe
in the neighborhood of I.ampasas.f but
that no loss of life resulted.
Leaving out the hundreds OF houses
wholly or partially unroofed and the
immense damage done to the contents
OF dwellings by the floods OF water
that poured in by the five-inch rain
fall the accompanied the storm. the
larger items Of cost can be enumerated
as follows:
Fort Mcintosh. $4,000: St Peters
cathedral. $1,000: Al MeDaniePs resi-
dence. wrecked. $1,000: brickyards. s4.-
900: international tramway bridge
$40 900: Richter's department. store
5000. city hall. s5Oc: Mexican Ma
tional shops. $4,000. Hotels Hamilton
and Ross S2OO0. waterworks. $4,000:
ice factory S5cO: electric light and
street lines. $500: Southwestern Teie-
phone company. $500: pumping sta
tons and houses on onion farms 5000:
the Laredo Methodist Missionary SEM
mary $4,000.
II is impossible to get a correct esti-
mate OF the heavy loss sustained in
New Laredo which was considerable