Evening star., 1905-05-11
BLOWN FROM EARTH
Oklahoma Towns Razed by
Heavy Tornado.
THOUSAND LIVES LOST
WIRE COMMUNICATION CUT OFF
ENTIRELY.
Relief Expedition Sent Out-Physicians
in the Party-Full Extent
Not Known.
THOUSAND LIVES LOST
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

is believed to have entirely razed the town
of Snyder, Okla, and the village OF Oluscee,
with loss of more than 800 lives swept
over this section of the country shortly be-
fore midnight last night. All wire COM
munications with both places are cut on
and only the fact that it is one of the
greatest disasters that has befallen the
newly opened section is known
Relief expeditions were sent out from
Hobart, Chickasha and Mountain Park
Okla. while all the physicians and able
bodied men in Lawton. which was the near
est point of telephone communication with
Snyder, have gone a work train of the
Frisco road to the scene. Later d spatches
from Quanah, Tex, indicate that all section
hords on the railroad have been ordered
to join with the people of that town and go
to Snyder.
The fate of the little village of Oluscee
is lost sight of in the greater cal unity of
Snyder, but the place is mentioned to have
beer blown away entire buildings having
been picked up in the course of the storm
and dropped .arther on a heap of ruins.
Snyder was a town of 1000 inhabitants,
mostly Texans. 1t on the line of the
Frisco road forty-five miles north of ver-
non. At Snyder was a round house and
repair shop of the railroad. Many of the
railroad employees lived at Snyder. which
was besides a center of Kiowa county
The first person reported killed whose
name was ascertained was Station Agent
j. NJ Eagan, formerly superintendent OF
telegraph on the Frisco system. He was in
charge of the companys business at Sny-
der.
Carried Like Feathers.
People at Hobart, thirty miles north OF
SrNr- AAr
by men whose ranch houses were on the
edge of the tornado's course that sheds.
cattle and entire shingle and tin roofs were
carried like feathers on the bowling dust
laden winds. Along the plains when day.
light came were masses of wreckage
stretching fully fifteen miles from the
scene of the demolished town. 1t is esti-
mated that at least half of the 600 inhabi-
tants met instant death in the crashing of
their buildings.
AS yet 1t cannot be known how the sur
vivors managed to escape death. The town
was located I'm the pocket of the hills.
with only one side open to the sweep OF
wind. With such a tornado breaking in on
1t men of experience say that the position
of the place in the gap of the hills would
have tended to double the force of the wind
compressed between the hills, and would
Snyder came into prominence eight months
ago. when its inhabitants waged war on
the men of Mountain Park. Both towns
We're striving for supremacy in county af-
fairs and many were killed on both sides.
In the face of the great calamity the feud
has been forgotten, and the people of Noun.
tam Park have sent out a large force 10
aid the unfortunates of Snyder Food
clothing. medicine and money have been
contributed by every one and the relief
therein is expected to be in Snyder by this
tine.
Wires Went Down.
GUTHRIE, Okla, May 1.-THE first news
of the storm was received about ,nidniebt
Soon thereafter, before any details had been
received telegraph and telephone wires
went down.
Immediately relief trains were ordered
out from all available points. starting from
Hobart, Chicllasha, !. T.; Guthrie, Okla
homa City and other towns. Every train
carried doctors, nurses and any person
capable of rendering aid
The first relief train, sent from Hobart.
thirty-two 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 wreckage
and streets almost obliterated by piles Of
demolished houses. In all directions evil
dence of the terrible havoc of the storm
was apparent. The dead and dying lay
about the streets, in yards and mixed I'D
with the wreckage, while those who had,
escaped ran hither and thither in excited
attempts to bring order out of the terrible
chaos and to render what meager aid they
might.
The storm was not confined to Snyder.
On the way to the boom town dead and in
jured were passed in plain sight of the
relief trains. but these were passed by in
the efforts of the rescuers to reach Snyder,
where there was greater need of their sery-
ices.
Report of Station Agent.
The first man to reach Snyder and return
to a telegraph point was the station agent
az Mountain Park neighboring town. He
had walked into Snyder, reaching there at
daylight, and, after taking hasty view
of the situation and without gathering any
exact details of the storms effects, re.
turned to Mountain Park.
This man reported the town partially de.
troyed, and asserted that the list of dead
would reach somewhere between 800 ana
400 The injured. he said. were to be seen
everywhere, and their number undoubtedly
will reach into the hundreds.
While the tornado seems to have been
widespread, rumors that other towns In
southwestern Oklahoma had been destroyed
were declared by telephone exchanges to
be incorrect. However. there was ques-
ton that much damage to property and
loss to life had occurred in the outlying
districts
The same tornado struck Quinian, in
Woodward county, on the Santa Fe rail-
way, destroying several houses. and at
that point at least three persons. Mrs o.
w. Cox and her two sons. are known to
have been killed The tornado struck Sny-
der from the southwest, travelling north un-
til within about 100 yards from the tracks
of the Oklahoma City and Western rail-
way. There 1t took a northeasteIiy course
through the business portion OF the town.
North of the track not a building was left
standing.