The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-15
FOUR ARE KILLED.
TOrnadOeS Hold a Reunion in
Central Part of State.
Death, Suffering and Property
Loss Mark Path of Storm,
HOLLIS is A RUIN.
Three We're Killed at This Place
and Many More Injured.
Train Blown Into Ditch Near
Great Bend, Killing One.

Newton. May 15.-A series of tor
nadoes in central Kansas late Fri
day killed at least five, injured many
more, wrecked one town, and did
great damage to property.
The town of Hollis, Kan, near Con-
cordia, was swept away, here three
were killed and ten injured. The
dead:
FRED JEARDOE.
JOHN eyre.
GEORGE ECKERT.
Tha Echstrom family consisting of
five persons, is missing. Their house
is laid ir ruins and 1t is thought they
are dead.
Near Great Bend tornado killed
one and injured twenty. All wires
are down in that vicinity, and it is
feared that the death list may be
great
William Ackerly, a Santa Fe en-
gineer was killed while working with
a bridge gang between Great Bend
and Kinsley Another trainman con-
ductor, Frank Nicholson, of Newton,
also was injured. The tornado wreck
ed the work train of which Acker1y
was engineer and blew it into a ditch.
Several members of the crew were
blown 100 feet. The pile driver top
pied over. crushing Ackerly to death
in his cab, where he remained with
his hand upon the throttle, refusing
to desert his post even after the storm
struck him.
Following are those killed and in
jured in the Great Bend storm.
The dead:
WILLIAM ACKERLY.
The injured:
Lester Preston.
Ransom Middaugh.
Porter Thomas.
r. E. Rucker
R. NJ. Brown.
T. E. Fulkerson.
Clarence Avery
Brakeman Murray.
Eleven unidentified.
The wrecking train was sent from
Dodge City to clear the track and re-
cover the bodies of the dead.
Most of the storm victims in this
case were members of the Santa Fe
bridge crew on the train wrecked by
the wind
The storm spread over wide area,
however, and laid waste to many
farm houses and injured many whose
names have not been obtained On
account of a great portion of the
damage being done on farms the full
extent of the storm will not be known
for sometime Many conflicting re-
ports have been received.
At Hoisington. Kan, tornado in
iured number and damaged farm
property. 1t was not so severe how
ever as that which passed over other
portions of the state in the same To-
cality At Pond Greek, Ok. a severe
wind storm slightly injured four and
l1nroofed several houses.
binding rain and hail storm, ac
conpanied the wind. Many washouts
demoralized railroad traffic.
The Missouri Pacific main line was
washed out near Walcott between
Leavenworth and Kansas City. The
Burlington and Santa Fe were forced
TO annul some of their trains. Elec-
trical disturbances crippled tele
graph and telephone wires and ON
this account only meager reports
from the stormswept area could be
obtained.
Hutchinson, Kan, May 15.-Conductor
Frank Nicholson of Newton who was
to have been killed by the
which struck Great Bend last
night is alive though severely injured.
Besides Internal injuries both of his
legs are broken and he has been taken
to the Santa F'e hospital at Topeka.
The hospital authorities stated at
noon today that Nicholson had not been
at that institution here.