Arizona republican., 1911-04-13

Topeia. April l2-A heavy wind storm attaining the velocity OI a tor nado in some sections and accom- panied Jy rain, hail and lightning swept over Kansas and Okla homa today, killing twenty-three persons, practically destroying two towns, njuring almost hundred persons. wrecking scores of buildings and putting almost every telephone and telegraph wire out of commis sion.
 Western Missouri was visited by a rain and hail storm but that section was not in the main path of the tornado.
 The tornado levied its greatest toll of death at Big Heart, Oklahoma, where eight persons were killed, ten injured and almost every building in the town wrecked This town had a population of 400.
 Whiting. Kansas, was practically wiped off the map, sixty buildings being blown down. thirty persons were hur. and Mrs David Stone was killed.
 At PoWhattan, Kas., a woman and a child were killed The high school building vas wrecked at Eskridge, Kas., a number of houses were dam aged and from fifteen to twenty per sons injured. At Hiawatha. Kas.. school house was blown down. an eight-year-old boy named Pelton killed and several buildings were struck by lightning. Several persons
 
 waka. Kas.. and a child was killed at Manville. Kas.
 Two more deaths were reported from Hiawatha late tonight Geral- dine Meisenheimer. ten years old, and a small child of Otis Melott are the victims
 The Kansas end of the tornado started near Whiting and swept in southeasterly direction for a distance of more than fifty miles
 It is thought that many more per sons were killed and injured than have beeH reported at this time Telephone and telegraph crews are working. now that the storm has abated. to get their wires in shape. It is a big task, as the storm left only one telephone wire in operation between Topeka and Kansas City, and all the telegraph wires between Kansas City and Oklahoma are lost
 In KansIs City the storm dld little damage. A few horses were killed by lightning and some buildings struck. The rain lasted about an hour and a half and was quite heavy.
 The tornado hit Eskridge twenty five miles south of Topeka, shortly before 4 o'clock The high school building was blown down and twenty students were injured. A woman and a child were killed at Powahattan. Mrs. David Stone, wife of a farmer living near Whiting. was swept from the steps d her home into a neigh h- boring yard, half nrne away. She was picked up dead. George NJ Scott, an Atchison, To- peka and Santa Fe engineer, who was in Eskridge at the time of the storm. says that at least fifteen houses were blown down. After he left Eskridge, says Scott, he could see the tornado sweeping across the country for ten miles overturning houses. barns and sheds in its path. Benjamin Resch. a fireman on Scott's engine. was blown out of the cab window and hurled across the l street. The only injury he sustained | was a slight cut on the head. While Mrs. Ray Garnum. of Pow | haitian. was sitting in her house. the | storm swept the greater part of the l building from over her head. She was | but slightly hurt. The tornado was accompanied by a | driving rain and swept everything in | its path. Houses were blown from | their foundations and the occupants | whirled through the air. Tele- | graph communication was cut off. | As soon as communication could be re-established with nearby towns. re- lief trains were started from Avant | and Pawhusk4.