Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-04-14
.Meager Reports Of Damage by
Tornado Show Death List Of
Nineteen, With Hundreds Of
Injured, Many MortaIIy,
FREAK FUNNEL SHAPED
CLOUD WRECKS TOWN
Big Heart Practically Wiped
Out Joplin Badly Injured;
Loss in ST. Louis Alone
Placed at $750,O0O,
INV MorninE Journal Special Leased wlrel

INV Morning Journal Special Lea.ed wIreI
Kansas City. April 1s.--Although
the weather is fair tonight through
the tornado-swept districts OF Kansas.
Oklahoma, western Missouri and
northern Arkansas the major portion
Of the telephone and telegraph wires
are sull down, and only meager re-
ports of the death and destruction
wrought by the storm yesterday are
ohtainable. 1t will be several days
before a complete list can be obtain
ed.
Il now appears that at least nine
teen persons were killed. The names
of twelve of the dead are known.
Four deaths. reported from Meeker.
Okla., and three from Plummerville.
Ark, are without names
The list of injured will number
more than a hundred. Several who
were reported killed last night proved
TO be seriously injured.
The monetary loss in Kansas alone
IL estimated To be in excess OF $780,
GOO II is thought the damage In 9TH
er sections visited by the storm will
bring the total to more than Si,000,-
600.
OF all the stricken cities, Big Heart,
Okla, suffered the greatest damage.
Three people We're killed, sixty ininr-
ed thiryt-eight fatally, At first II
was reported eight peaple were KILL
ed there. All the injured from Big
Heart were taken to Tulsa on re-
lief train where they are now In hos
pltals Little of the town was left
standing.
In,,raprt Kan a.,ntAttlk1 the ia,s-
est nropertv loss ef any KansaR town,
II heinN estimated al Saen,00a. SeV-
enty-four seslden ~rs Hefa Wrocl,ed.
~ street Glars aud eloelrie lights
were lui cut OF business The oily Is
stllt dufk.
In Brown county. Kansas, the tor
nado hugged the ground and residents
are losers OF more than 100000
worth of property.
In past years this section or the
country has had experience with
many freak storms. but that OF ycs-
terday Is the strangest OF all. Re-
ports show that 1t travelled In
different sections. Each part of tho
storm was accompanied by hail, rain
and lightning.
Kansas received two different at
tacks. The first storm came up sud-
denly near Eskrldge southwest OF
Topeka, and moved northeast. lifting
roofs from houses uprootlng orch
ards. overtnrnng barns and killing
cattle. The funnel-shaped cloud could
be seen approaching for distance OF
several miles.
A few miles from Eskridge the tor
nado Jumped into the air again and
when II came down "A second time Il
was but 10 llft single barn from
farm near Topeka.
Again the twlster rose and WIS lost
track OF until whiting Twenty-Five
miles to the northeast was reported.
There II descended for long race
along the ground.
Strange to say, the tornado avoided
towns In Brown county. II side-step-
ped at least eight towns and villages
on this trip
That section OF the tornado which
struck Big Heart had its inception
near Checotah. Travelling northwest
II entered the Usage nation ut Ska
took. and few minutes later hit
Big Heart. From that city the wind
turned directly east and next visited
Ochelatah. There Il switched TO the
northeast and entered Missouri, Jop-
lin being the first city of this state
where any considerable damage was
done. From Joplin the cloud sped or
into the Ozarks and disappeared.