Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-07-02
LATEST REPORTS PLACE THE
CASUALTIES AT BETWEEN
400 AND 500.
WOUNDED HELP RESCUE.
Disaster 10 Worst Of Its Kind Ever
Visited Upon Western County
/ Scenes Of DesoIation 6eg0ar
Description.

stroyed az a result of a cyclone which
struck this city, cutting wide swath,
BEGINNING at the southern and central
residential sections and extending into
the very heart of the business dis.
trict, converting whole blocks into
masses of tangled wreckage.
At the present time no complete
estimate can be made Of the actual
number of deaths but every ambulance
In the city has been working since
six o'clock carrying the bodies to the
hospitals which were filled to their
utmost capacity early in the evening.
Numbers of improvised hospitals were
hastily constructed in some Of the
larger buildings left standing after the
storm had passed.
Crowds of volunteers all over the
city are assisting In tho work OF
searching the wreckage and for hours
hardly a minute went by that dead
body or the mangled form Of some
living victim was not uncovered.
Hurrying men and women, speeding
on their errands of mercy filed the
streets as the night wore on, while
the authorities strove to bring order
out of confusion, succoring the living
and to determine as best they could
a. to the identity and number OF
dead. The sweep of the storm, the
worst in the history of the Canadian
Northwest, was over city which only
. short time before had completed the
% N
for the celebration of Dominion day.
Bunting and flags covered the build
ings everywhere and networks of col
pred electric lights We're strung and
ready for illumination. Through these
gaily decorated streets the tornado
swept and within half-hour, Regina
had been turned into city of mourn.
ing. In the track Of the storm, build.
Ing after building lay in ruin, shroud-
ed in its gay colored bunting.
Everywhere are men and women
with heads and hands swathed in
bandages, but all thinking of others
troubles, forgetful of their own.
1t was 5 o'clock in the afternoon
when the cyclone struck the city and
In the history of the West, no such
storm has ever been known.
Coming from the south, it dropped
just few blocks north of the south.
srn city limits.
The Methodist and Baptist and Knox
churches, all magnificent structures,
were the first of the larger buildings
struck.
The former went with crash that
hardly sounded above the bowling Of
the storm and the roar of the cloud.
burst that accompanied the wind.
The greater part of the roof was re.
moved from the latter structure and
the storm moved on across Victoria
square, removing the walls and roof
from the Y. w. C. A., badly wreckine
the magnificent new public library,
both new this year; and passing
thence to the Presbyterian church,
which Jared but little better than the
Methodist structure.
The Y. M. c. A. was next in line,
and half of the building was demol.
ished In an instant. Three small
buildings were moved from their 10.
cation, some being carried across the
street, and the Masonic Temple was
next attacked and was almost raised.
In the next,-block to the west and
one block farther north, the telephone
exchange stood practically by itself
except for few smaller buildings.
Upon this the force of the storm
had an instantaneous effect, laying
the building a fiat mess of wreckage,
under which the girls were imprisoned
for over an hour.
Up until late in the evening abso.
lutely no attempt was made to esti.
mate the loss of property. The work
Of life saving will probably be con.
tinued all day today.
Except where 1t is necessary for the
rescue of bodies, the ruins was left
lying where they fell.
One of the best of the effects OF
the storm can be had from Lorne
street, looking south. Hardly a resi-.
dence is left standing on this street.
Facing on Victoria square are the
Methodist. Baptist. and Presbyterian
churches, all of which are ruined and
the Y. w. C. A., the new public II.
brary, and several smaller buildings
are practically destroyed
The c. P. R. railway yards are q
nat expanse of ruined shops and
trains. Hardly a car remains whole.
Several were picked up bodily and
carried distances in the air and one
was hurled through the freight sheds.
The whole north side of the city is
practically wiped out.
No one knows how many are dead
on this side of the city.
A canoe was carried from Wascana
lake, distance of three quarters of
mile, to Victoria park, and dropped
there. Others, together with Dinghies
and even small sailing vessels, lie
strewn over the southern section of
the city at distances varying up to
half mile from the lake.
The cupola of the Baptist church
was dropped in the middle of street
three blocks away.
The electricians have been wander
ing through the devasted section cut
ting live wires. Power came on about
8 o'clock, after being off since the
storm.
Husbands are hunting for wives,
mothers for their children, men stop
from time TO time In their work of
tessNs to ASH aeaii&iiitaRpss passing