The copper era., 1905-05-25
HORROR OF THE SNYDER
 CYCLONE GROWING.
Details of Catastrophe Paint a Picture of Terrible Suffering and Frightful
 Destruction.

the tornado will be somewhat in ex- cess of one hundred persons. Those who have investigated place the | loss at not less than half a million dollars. These estimates are conservative,
 Ninety-five bodies of the victims of | Wednesday nights tornado had been found up to noon today. At that time B persons were still missing and ! the list of seriously injured numbered 115, of whom it is believed 9 are fatally hurt.
 Pitiable scenes of want and suffer- ing were seen today on all sides. Much confusion still exists and last night many who had lost their all, went hungry and. practically unpro- tected from cold. Many bodies re- main unidentified, while among the injured dozens are suffering from ugly wounds and broken limbs, with out proper attention.
 Search of the wreckage for victims still continues.
 The most serious phase of the situation today was the necessity of immediately housing the homeless and providing medical care for the injured. This is being done as rapid ly as possible. Today dozens of fun erals will occur.
 MANY KILLED IN COUNTRY.
 Reports brought in today from the country, which has been shut off since Wednesday night by lack of tele- graph facilities, indicate that p per sons were killed outside of Snyder, making the possible total of dead of 12O. A verifcation of the loss of life in the country will naturally be slow.
 ToRoNADo CAME UNEXPECTEDLY.
 The havoc wrought by the coronado is complete. Out of a town of 1000 people not more than a score of houses are intact, while two-thirds of the buildings are totally wrecked.
 The storm formed near the Texas line and it's path extends in a north easterly direction for over forty miles, causing damage at Altus, Olus- tee and other small towns and in the country as well as at Snyder. Re ports indicate that the casualties out side of Snyder will aggregate over 25 and may go higher.
 At o'clock the storm was observed by the people of Snyder, but the usual funnel-shaped formation was lacking, and though the roar was plainly heard for some time before the storm broke, many were of the opinion that it was hail storm.
 Within few minutes the sky be- came suddenly dark and a terrific downpour of rain began, lasting for several minutes, when it stopped al- most as suddenly as it had com menced.
 A few minutes of ominous calm followed and then the tornado struck, tearing buildings to pieces as though they were made of paper. Many people who had thought to take ad- vantage of the calm to seek refuge in cellars were caught in the streets and between buildings, where some were lifted high in the air and dash ed to the ground as though hurled from a catapult, while others were struck by flying debris and beaten al most beyond recognition.
 Those who remained in their houses fared no better in the path of the tornado, which swept across all, ex- cepting a few blocks in the south eastern corner of the town. The frame structures collapsed like egg shells, burying the occupants under the debris, killing, crushing and maiming.
 Six of the eight hotels were torn to pieces, burying many in the wreck age. North of the railroad track, where many cottages stood, not one is left and the wreckage is mostly carried away.
 AIR FILLED WITH SHRIEKS.
 In few moments it was all over and the air was filled with shierks of injured, mingled with the cries of those who had escaped and were seeking lost ones.
 Physicians and nurses were called for and relief trains were made up at Mangum, Hobart, Chickasha and Lawton, and hurried to the scene by the Frisco. Meanwhile the able bodied survivors in Snyder were working heorically all through the night amid the most heartrending scenes. A building was utilized for a temporary hospital and another used as a morgue. The latter. a dry goods building, presented gruesome appearance when the day dawned with the corpses lying tier above tier on the shelves.
 At Snyder the lack of means to bury the dead is causing serious in- convenience. There is plenty of medical attention, however, financial 1 i'd heinU needed most