Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-05-13
FEARFUL DESTRUCTION Il
WROUGHT BY STORM AT
TOWN OF SNYDER.
ONLY TWO HOUSES LEFT

anu Dedo ana inJuTSu HIS Iy"S
Amid Piles. of Debris - Rescuers
Hasten to the Scene - Storm Was
Widespread.
Hobart, Okla, May 11.-A train
reached here at 1880 o'clock from
Snyder. Seventy-t1ve dead bodies
have been found and twenty-five
are known to be fatally injured,
and 100 to $50 seriously injured.
Fire broke out following the storm
and consum ed one business block.
Fifty freight cars were reduced to
kindling wood and the railroad
track was torn up for blocks.
Hundreds of people are pouring
into Snyder to aid the sufferers.
FIT. Worth, Texas. May II. = A
tornado which passed over the
southern part of Greer and Co
manche counties, Oklahoma, last
night, did frightful damage. At
Olustee only one house remains
standing and 1t is reported that
thirty persons are dead.
Oklahoma City, May II. = A
special from Olustee this after
noon declares that nobody was
killed there.
Guthrie, Okla, May II. - Reports
received here indicate that between
300 and 400 lives have been lost in the
partial destruction of the town of
Snyder in iKowa county, Oklahoma, by
a tornado last night, Relief trains
have been sent to the scene from the
neighboring towns. Details of the dis
aster cannot be learned until the
trains return, all Geographic and tele-
phone communication with the
stricken town being interrupted. Sny-
der has about $500 Inhabitants.
Scene Of Awful Havoc.
The first relief train which was sent
from Hobart, reached Snyder just be-
fore daylight On every hand the res
cuers found the streets almost obliter-
ated by piles of demolished houses.
Dead and dying were lying about the
streets, in the yards and mixed up
with the wreckage, while those who
had escaped ran hitler and thither in
excited attempts to bring order out of
the terrible chaos
Heavy Damage Elsewhere.
While the tornado seems to have
been widespread, rumors that other
towns in southwestern Oklahoma have
been destroyed were declared by the
telephone exchanges to be incorrect
However, there is no question that
much damage to property and loss of
life occurred in the outlying districts.
At Quinlan on the Santa Fe railway,
several houses were destroyed and
Mrs. O. w. Cox and her two sons
were killed.
A special this afternoon from the
agent at Hennessy of the Frisco rail
way says there are IS dead bodies and
352 injured. recovered from the ruins
that the entire business portion of the
town is destroyed and that the resi-
dence portion is not badly damaged.
The tornado struck Snyder from the
southwest. travelling north until within
| 100 yards from the tracks of the Okla
homa City & Western railroad: There
| it took a northeasterly course through
the business portion of the town. Com
| ing as it did, while most of the inhabi
tants were asleep, but few had any
warning of their danger.
Every Family Stricken.
1t is believed large number Of the
injured will die. In a number of cases
entire families were killed and in al
most every. family in the town some
member is injured All the houses II
the town except six are said to have
been either badly wrecked or demol
ished. The business portions is re
ported to be entirely destroyed. Up tc
1920 O'Clock this morning only the
names of the dead obtainable were
those of j. B. Ranston and his sor
Elmer.
Will Send Aid.
The mayors of Guthrie, Oklahoma
City and some other Oklahoma towns
have issued calls for mass meetings tt
formulate system of relief for the in
jured.
At l o'clock this afternoon it was
known that close to 100 persons were
killed. The injured will number per
haps 200. The known dead follow:
MRS. BREKWORTH.
| NEIL SlU
HENRY mozart.
TWO FESSENDER CHILDREN.
CHARLES STUTGILL.
MRS. GEORGE DAVIS.
MRS. COL. WILLIAMSON.
MRS. MURPnf.
RUSSELL BUISER.
JAMES mozart.
MRS. HUDSON.
ADA WRY
PROF. HIBARD, wife, father, moth
er and two children.
MRS. M. A. FAST.
N. w. H. FESSENDER and wife, O
Van Busklrk
BEEMAN, of Donovan.
TWO HUDSON CHILDREN, a DO,
and a girl.
HAROLD GARTEN.
AN UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN, sup
posed to be Mrs. O. Davis.
| T, a. HOMES Wife and hohv