Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-05-19
VICTIMS OF TORNADO
LOSSES AT SNYDER. OKLAHOMA
Death List viii Reach One Hundred
Streets strewn With corpses-
Not One Building Escaped Damage.


Guthrie. o. T.. May 1.-The latest
oticiAl reports from the tornado,
stricken town Of Snyder. Oklahoma.
place the list OF dead at ninety,iiye.
Other figures advance this figure 10
loo. II is highly probable that Tie
death list, when accurately tahu'Sied.
Will reach l3s. although muat conserya'
i've estimates place i at 100. A com
merclal traveller who reached Hobart
from Snyder said the streets wero
slTcYn with corpses after the tornado
passed. OF those injured there ar. va
fiouS reports. reaching from 100 10
100.
II Is utterly impossible to arrive AZ
any definite idea Of the property loss.
Considering the fact that not single
building In the town OF Snyder was
left undamagcd. and the additional fact
OF the great damage To live stock.
ffulI aud crops. II II very probable that
the loila harm don. by the storm will
reach high figure. The storm formed
near the Texas line and Its path es.
tends In noftheastsrly direction for
over forty miles. causing damage at
AlIns, olustec and other small towns
and In the countTy. as well as at sny.
der. Reports Indicate that tho casual
ties oltSld" ot Snyder will aggregate.
over twenty-five, and may go higher.
Al Snyder the lack Of means 10 bury
the dead In causing serious inconyen.
iehcc. There In plenty Of medical at
t.nii0n ho~c"sT. financial aid being
! needed most.
\ dispatch from Snyder last night
says:
The havoc wrought by the tornado Is
complete. Out II town of 1000 pco.
pie not more than score of houses
arr intact. Will" rwothirdH OF the
buildings are totally wrecked,
The storm formed south of oiustcc.
near the Texas line. and took north,
casiCfly course through "a wcll's1ttlcd
section. a, S o'clock II was observed
by the people of Snyder. but the usual
/ funnclsha,r'd formation wnR lacking
and though the roar was plainly heard
for some time before the storm broke.
\ many were Of the opinion that II waI
a hailstorm.
within n few minutes the sky BE-
cane suddenly dark and n terrific
| downpour Of rain began. lasting for
several minutes. when II stopped nj
most MS suddenly as II Ind com
| mCnccd.
A few minutes Of ominous calm fol
lowed and then the tornado struck
! tearing the buildings to pieces as
though they were made OF paper.
Many people who had thought to
| take advantage Of the calm TO seek ref
! ugc In cellars were caught In the
streets and between buildings. where
some were lifted high In the air and
dashed TO the ground as though hurled
from catapult. while others were
struck by falling debris and beaten al
most beyond recognition.
! Those who remained In their houses
! Jared better In the path OF the tornado
which swept across all excepting few
blocks In the southwestern corner OF
the town.
The frame structures collapsed like
| eggshclls. burying occupants under the
debris. .kiliing. crushing and manning
Six OF the eight hotels were torn Ia
pieces. burying many In the wrcckagc,
North of the railroad track. where
many cottages stood. not onc is left
and the wrcckasc Is mostly carried
away.
In n few moments II was all over
and the air was filled with shrieks OF
injured mingled with cries Of those
who had escaped and were seeking
lost ones.