The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-11
Number of Killed Appears to Have
Been Placed Too High.


Been Placed Too High.
Guthrie, Okla, May 11.=Snyder. a
thriving town of 1000 persons. sit
uated in the heart of the rich Kiowa
farming country which was thrown
open to white settlement in 1901, was
practically wiped out of existence by
tornado that struck that place last
night.
Up to 10 o'clock today no estimate
of the casualties was available be-
| cause of the confusion. A conservative
| estimate places the dead at between
rs and 100 persons and the seriously
injured at $50.
1t is believed that a large number
OF the injured will die.
In a number of cases entire families
were killed, and in almost every fam
lily IN town some member was injured.
Every house in the town except six
are said to have been either badly
wrecked or demolished, many Of them
were blown away. The havoc wrought
is most complete. The business por-
ton is reported entirely destroyed.
Ten undertakers attending the
funeral directors convention at Okla
hOma City left that place at 8 o'clock
this morning with a carload of caskets
for Snyder.
The mayors of Guthrie Oklahoma
City and some other Oklahoma towns
have issued calls for mass meetings to
formulate a system of relief for the
injured and early in the day special
| trains bearing physicians, nurses,
clothing and provisions. were started
for Snyder.
At least one other town in Oklahoma,
Quinlan, a small place in Woodward
county, was struck by the tornado, and
there it is known that Mrs 0. ". Cox
and her two sons were killed
Rumors that other towns were des-
/ troyed are not crediteI
St Louis, May 1.-THE following
message has been received from the
Frisco train dispatcher at Enid, 1S0
miles from Snyder, Okla, by the gen
eraI offices here:
"a tornado struck Snyder at 8:45
last. night. Twelve business houses
and 40 residences were destroyed.
! Seventy-five people are dead, so have
been seriously injured and so more
slightly injured.
The damage to railroad property is
rs follows:
eight cars blown from track ard up
side down; half a mile of wires down,
part of freight house destroyed.
1.-The western division of the main
ported badly injured. Our relief train
from Hobart arrived at Snyder at
1920 a. m. and then went to Frederick
after more doctors and assistance.
They are now on the way back to HO-
! bart for another party of doctors and
undertakers, who reached Hobart on
Rock Island early train this morning.
VIII keep our work engine in relief
service until released by southwest
ern division"
First News of the Storm.
Guthrie, Ok, May 1.-THE first news
of the storm at Snyder was received
about midnight. Soon thereafter, before
any details had been received, telegraph
and telephone wires went down.
Immediately relief trains were order
| ed out from all available points, start
ing from Hobart, Chickasha, L T.,
Guthrie, Ok, Oklahoma City and other
towns. Every train carried doctors,
nurses and any person capable Of rem
dering aid
The first relief train, sent from Ho-
bart, 80 miles north of Snyder, reached
the stricken town just before daylight.
Every one on board began at once the
work of relief
On every hand they found the wreck,
age and streets almost obliterated by
piles of demolished houses. In all di-
rections evidence of the terrible havoc
of the storm was apparent The dead
and dying lay about the Streets in
yards and mixed up with the wreckage,
while those who had escaped ran hith-
er and thither in excited attempts to