Milford chronicle., 1913-04-04
HUNDREDS Die IN
OMAHA TORNADO
Blocks Of Buildings Are Laid
in Ruins
PROPERTY LOSS ENORMOUS

Residence Section Of Nebraska Town
Swept by Wind and Fire-Troops
Guard Ruins-Many Killed or In
jured at otasr Places.
Fully 100 persons we're killed, 200
badly injured and hundreds Of thou
sands OF dollars worth OF properly
was destroyed by the tornado which
swept through Omaha, Neb., and its
! suburbs in a path four TO six blocks
wide and more than eight miles long.
The streets are filed with wreck
/ age OF houses, uprOoted trees and tan
/ gled electric wires. Street car move
ment is impossible, wagon and auto
mobile travel almost so. More than
$50 residences were destroyed and 250
badly damaged.
The list OF dead. although already
: a long one, is believed by those wnO
have been over a good part Of the
devastated territory 10 be but be-
ginning. Fire. which broke out in
many of the wrecked buildings. add
ed 10 the horrors of the situation, All
fires have been put out
The first and main storm struck
Ralston, three miles west of South
Omaha, and moved in a nOrtheasterly |
direction through the city OF Omaha. |
The only point at which the force cf |
the storm struck the business section |
was Twenty-fourth and Lake streets. |
Here the Diamond theater, a moving /
picture concern, well filed, was wreck
ed. According to the best available /
figures at least thirty of the patrons
were killed. Between forty and fifty
more were killed in the wreck OF pool
hall nearby, which was patronized by
negroes.
The well defined path Of the storm
ended at Carter lake, near the Missis-
sippi river, north of the city Fire
broke out in the ruins and Wrecke
buildings. The fires burned thems elves
out except in instances where flames
were brough; under control OF 70 un
teer bucket brigades.'
The second storm swept across the
Missouri river, doing conslder-bl
damage in Council B.uds
Figures compiled place the number
of known dead in Council Bluffs al
nine, with a score injured.
Omahas suburbs suffered heavily
from the storm. Ralston. southwest
of Omaha, was razed and half score
or more are dead. East Omaha. which
felt the tail of the "twis,er," reporte
houses demolished, but no lives lost
Council Bluffs. Iowa, suffered nine
dead, a score or more injured and
great damage to property.
The worst damage was done and
the largest toll of lives was exacte
in the western part Of Omaha and in
The vicinity of Twenty-fourth and LAX,
streets, and from there northeast t.
Sixteenth and Binney streets. This i,
he residence portion of OMAHA. and :
he destruction wrought was great
Whole blocks OF houses were picked
Up and dashed into a shapeless mass
Street cars were hurled from the
racks and demolished
From the Field club, which is in
he western part of the city, to the
Carter Lake club. situated at the
northeast extremity. is one mass OF !
lebris from two to six blocks wide
federal soldiers from Fort Omaha as \
listed the police in keeping looters '
nd morbid curiosity seekers at b 3 ID
me presence of the soldiers gives the Il
ity the appearance of being under
martial law.
Ten person are known to be deal
nd it is believed the list will reach :;
fteen, at Yutan, about thirtyfve
lilies northwest of Omaha.
Valley Still. a town north of Yu.an -
'as reported hard hit, with ten or :,
lore persons missing and many 9th -
rs injured.