Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1905-06-08
Echoes OF a Cyclone.

SNYDER. OKLA. NAY 81. 1905 .--
En-. Pass: Having received letters
from my old heue at Irep Hill aud
other parts ~ the eeuHty, asking for
an account of the cyclone that pass
ed through here on May 10. and
thinking thats correct account Of the
storm by an eve witness might be of
interest Go the readers of The Press,
] beg leave Ia answer through the
columns of yeur valuable paper.
Snyder was = prosperous little town
Of a thousand inhabitants. situated
in the southern psri 81 kiowa county
and just south of the Wichita noun
tsins, in The Otter creek valley. one
of the preiticst aud most fertile val
leys "a be found anywhere. Two
lines If the Frisco system cross here
and it being = division point for both
roads ten stall round house, a coal
chute and water tank was located at
this place.
The Wagner company and Burnett
Bros. had both built fine large cotton
gins at Snyder and a cotton compress
had just been put in BY Texas COM
pany. Other enterprise, were com
ing and the town seemed To have
bright future
May 10 was beautiful. clear. ,an-
shiny day and unusually warm until
about six clock. when a cloud rails
ed in the southwest was al my
place on Otter creek, five miles south
west Of Snyder. and watched it from
the start ! felt uneasy for never
before saw such terrible looking
cloud. IL kept up a continuous, ROAR
such ] imagine a. will be heard when
the Russian aud japanese feet. meet
After awhile the clouds seemed Ia
part in the middle and q clear strip
of sky could be seen from bottom Co
top. Presently they came together
again and formed funnel-shapcd
cloud, a, the same time there were
three or four tremendous clap. Of
thunder.
Starting in Green county. about
40 miles from Snyder, il swept
path one half mile wide through the
country, destroying every building.
killing every animal aud every human
being in it, path, except those who
sought safety in their caves
Its course was northeast aud IL
Travelled faster than any train. II
missed me about three quarters Of
mile, killing three people within that
distance of me. Ii hit Snyder at the
northwest corner aud left il at the
northeast corner.
On going into town the next NOR
ming the scene that met my gaze was
horrifying. Only few shattered
buildings at one side Of the townsite
marked the place where the evening
before had stood beautiful and busy
town | saS people carrying dead
bodies into one Of those wrecked store
buildings stepped inside aud to
my surprise there lay two rooms full
Of corpses the entire length Of the
building, sixty in all, with clothes
half torn of, aud smeared with mud
till they scarcely resembled human
beings.
Everything was quiet. No one
said much but continued to search |
for dead bodies. joined them aud |
before the search was ended one hun
dred aud thirteen dead bodies we've |
found. Other buildings were turned
into hospitals where nearly humid
red injured persons were being cared
for.
The weather continued 50 wet that |
it was nearly impossible to bury the
dead. Relief trains were sent from
all the neighboring towns carving
doctors, nurses, provisions and cloth
ing, and in short time all were be-
ing properly cared for.
A relief fund was started. which
up to the present time amounts 10
s22, 900, and the town will be rebuilt.
soon after leaving Snyder the cloud
raj sed and nothing more was seen of