Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1905-05-05
CYCLONE WAS AWFUL
Both of the Laredos Victims Of the
Wrathful Wind.
TWENTY-ONE KILLED
Buildings We're Demolished and a
Number Of Others Also Lost
Their Roofs, While Wires
Are Frustrated.

Laredo, May t.--Never before has
this city has experienced worse cy-
clone than that Of Friday night while
fully 100 persons were injured. Il is
believed that sixteen will cov,r the
death list In this city and five at New
Laredo, across the Rio Grande. De-
spite the great havoc wrought by the
wind. causing the unroohng Of many
buildings and demolishing small ones,
Laredo is beginning to assume its GUS
omary appearance. Large forces OF
laborers are cleaning away the debris
which has filled tie streets. The
Western Union Telegraph company has
re-established communication with San
Antonio, and the electric light COM
pany has its lights again burning. It
win be several months before the In
ternational foot bridge can be recon-
structed, and In the meantime the only
means OF reaching the sister city OF
New Laredo in skins.
Conditions just previous to the
storm were very peculiar. A low.
black cloud suddenly appeared from
the southwest and rain began to fall
almost Immediately.
Suddenly flash OF lightning lit up
the scene. showing clouds hanging low
over the housetops A wind began to
set dust in a whirl. The lightning IN
few minutes was almost q continuous
display and the thunder broke over
the town like thousand guns pounding
out a mighty chorus Trees began 10
bend under the strengthening breeze
over the heart of the city carrying the
roofs Off the huts OF the suburbs. A
group Of men saw one roof being spun
by giant hand and then the lightning
and thunder seemed to combine In
magnificent climax. Houses were
swept away as II they were structures
of cardboard Roofs were carried away,
trees were 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 linn
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 flat
but many OF them were lifted like huge
beehives and carried for miles. Every
telegraph and telephone, wire in the
city was broken. The wind whipped
sthe roof off the telephone building and
reached down in the structure. caught
the big exchange toard and whirled It
around the operating room.
Incoming passengers from Mexico
state that the storm was very severe
IN the neighborhood OF Lampasas. but
Il at 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 1ve-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: ~ McDaniel's resi-
dence. wrecked. $1,000; brickyards S4.-
900; international tramwsy bridge,
$4,000; Richter's department store.
$4,000, city hall. $500; Mexican Ma
tional shops. $4,000: Hotels Hamilton
and Ross. $4,000; waterworks. $4,000;
fee factory $500; electric light and
street lines. $500; Southwestern Telc-
phone company, 5000: pumping sta
tons and houses on onion farms $4,000:
the Laredo Methodist Missionary SEM
mary. $4,000.
II is impossible to get a correct esti-
mate OF the heavy loss sust ined in
New Laredo. which was considerable.