Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-06-29
People Are Panic Stricken, but Do Not
Know Where to Go to Escape.
FORTUNATELY NO ONE IS HURT
Property Loss, However, Will Amount
to Many Thousands.
CROPS IN BIG SECTION RUINED
what the wind Did Not wipe out
IL Destroyed by Hail which
Follows ON AFTER the
Tornado,

MITCHELL. S. D., June 2S-(Special Tel
egram) THE little town OF Pukwana, In
Brue county, about fifty miles west OF
Mitchell on the Milwaukee road, was nearly
wiped out OF existence last night by the
visitation Of a tornado which covered an
extent Of about quarter OF mile wide
The storm struck the place about IL
o'clock, when the people were sound asleep,
and It came with terrific force. lasting
about five minutes, but the damage was
awful. The tornado came from the north
west, levelng houses in its pathway. Be-
tween twelve and fifteen business places
and residences were absolutely destroyed,
while there is not a house in the town
but what was wrecked to some extent.
People were driven from their homes by
the fear of danger that threatened. but
they had no place to go, and with the
darkness that ershrouded them made the
scene all the worse.
Two large elevators were blown down
across the Milwaukee track covering a
freight car; the depot was practically
wrecked and the main track OF the road
was shut off from traffic for the day. Sew
eral new houses which were just completed
in the town were flattened to the ground
| and the lumber scattered in every direc-
| ton A AKA timber was driven through one
/
| of the houses.
The greatest personal loss was on the
| Carpenter Sanborn farm, which adjoins the
| town on the north. from which direction
| the tornado came. Every building on the
ranch was destroyed but two these being
small residences. over 100000 worth of
! improvements have been made on the ranch
in the last few years An immense big
barn had just been completed, and 1t went
with half dozen other large structures.
Accompanying the tornado was a hail
and rainstorm. The hail covered a section
| of country about three miles wide, and
what the tornado failed to do the hailstorm
finished up In the entire farming country
passed over by the hailstorm the crops
were ruined, hardly vestige of the once
promising crops remaining to tell the
story when the light of morning revealed
| the fearful waste. A coal car standing on
the track was half filled with hailstones
this morning, many of them being six to
eight inches in circumference. The heavy
rain that followed covered portions OF the
town with large surplus OF water. Both
lumber yards were filled with floating lum-
ber and the presence OF so much water
made 1t impossible to get around to any
extent.
Telegraph and telephone wires were
wrecked in the storm, and the town was
cut off from outside communication, ex-
cept the Sunday passenger train service.
Throughout all the storms there was not
a person injured, which was considered
miraculous considering the flying missiles
through the darkness OF the night. The
damage to Pukwanna Is very large, but
no estimate could be secured OF the loss
entaied from the storms
Small tornadoes were reported rbout ten
miles east Of here, but the damage was
| slight
BOONE Ia, June 2S.-CSpecial Telegram.
The worst storm in a decade struck this
city last night Lightning struck the Arit
, theater, entering over the wires, and
panic among the several hundred patrons
was narrowly averted. A vaudeville team
on the stage was stunned, but continued
with the number. Daniels restaurant wal
struck and $1,000 worth OF fireworks dis
charged causing havoc to people and prop
, erty. Sullivans pool hall was struck an
men standing on the platform with an elec
trio piano We're knocked to the floor below