Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-12
STORM In OKLAHOMA
Section seventy-Five Miles Long
Devastated by Tornado.
SEVEN TOWNS BADLY WRECKED
Casualties at Grand, Arnett, vici,
Mutual, Estelle, Cooley, Richmond.
NUMBER OF PERSONS KILLED
District is Far from Railroad and
Details Are Meager.
HOUSES AND CROPS DAMAGED
storm Traverses Four O. antics In
Northwest Corner of state and
Extends Into Kansas and
Texas.
Casualties at Grand, Arnett, vici,
Mutual, Estelle, Cooley, Richmond.
NUMBER OF PERSONS KILLED
District is Far from Railroad ant
Details Are Meager.
HOUSES AND CROPS DAMAeEl

sicn Of tornsdoes swept over a district
iyir e twenty-five miles southwest, south
and southeast Of Woodward late yester-
day and last night. Several small isolated
towns. all off the railroad and without
telegraph Communication, are reported de-
stroyed. many persons have been injured
and several are reported killed.
Seven towns are reported TO have suf-
fered damage. more or less severe. They
are Grand. Arnett. vici. Mutual. E'stelle.
Cooley and Richmond.
At each place casualties are said to have
resulted The known casualties are:
At Arnett:
HALE. killed.
Half dozen persons injured. one IA
tally.
At vici
HAUsER physician; fatally injured.
At Mutual:
ARTHUR sIBEL. his wife and several
others seriously injured.
Grand, the county seat OF Ellis county.
is said to have been wholly wrecked.
The towns Of Esteile. Cooley and Rich
mond are also reported 10 have been dew
astated
-Four Counties Affected.
AN Of these places are twenty-five miles
from a railroad. Wires are down and It is
difficult 20 obtain details. The villages
where damage is reported are all small
places. Grand is the largest of the seven
and II has only few hundred inhabitants.
The scene OF the tornado is the north
west corner OF the old portion Of Okla
homa, close to the Texas and Kansas state
lines. Az far as learned It traversed four
counties and covered a distance seventy
five miles in length.
Yesterday and last night there was a
terrific rainfall in this part of the state,
following oppressive weather, ideal cyclonic
conditions.
At Little Robe, fifty-five miles south
west of Woodward. Mrs. j. E. Hale was
killed. In the vicinity of Arnett o. E. Null
and daughter were caught in the storm
while driving. They escaped injury but
their team was killed.
The little town Of Cestos, Dewey county,
also is reported wiped Off the map. No
details from there have yet been obtain
able.
High wind at wichita.
WICHITA. Kan. May la wind and
rain storm that visited this section of the
state at midnight last night did damage TO
growing fruit A large number Of trees
were uprooted A wind velocity Of fifty
six roles an hour was recorded, breaking
the previous high record OF fifty-four miles
March %. 1873 The rainfall was "a Of an
inch.
Houses and Crops Damaged.
ENID. okl., May n.-Nashvine' town
thirty miles northwest OF here, suffered
serious damage by a heavy wind storm last
night. The storm also extended into the
country around Nashville, wrecking farm
houses and doing much damage 10 crops
Details are lacking. but so far no casual
tues are reported.
In Nashville the following building were
wrecked:
Clapp's general merchandise store Rus
sell q Giyens. dry goods; James Weber,
furniture: three dwellings.
The Nashville hotel was partially
wrecked, the Farmers elevator was blown
down. the office OF the Pioneer Telephone
company was demolished and the News
building was moved from Its foundation
Scores OF residences were more of less
damaged.
ROCK ISLAND. Ill. May IA tornado
this efiernoon swept through Mercer anc
Henry counties, touching several towns and
doing considerable damage. Mrs. Gottch
an elderly woman. was killed at Cleveland
where the storm demolished a school in,
turing. II is reported. several children. Th'
depot OF the Rock Island road at Colon wai
wrecked. AT Millersburg fifteen houses
were destroyed and damaged and two per
sons were slightly injured Wires are dowT
and detafiR ara difficult to learn