The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-03-28
HALF OF CITY SWEPT, OTHER
TOWNS RAZED. AND DEATHS RE-
PORTED FROM NUMBER OF
MIDDLE WEST TOWNS.
LARGE DEATH LIST NOT
CERTAINLY KNOWN YET
Lightning Fires Ruins-Wires Down
and Details Hard to Get-Res-
cuers Struggling to Strick-
en- Towns Over Washed
Out Roads.

Out Roads.
Omaha, March 25.-At least 200 per
sons are dead, 700 are injured, $40, 000,-
600 worth of property has been de-
stroyed and 1000 persons are home
less as the result of the worst tor
nado thai ever struck Nebraska, and
which swept a strip five miles long
through the northern part of the city
Sunday evening at 6 O'Clock.
Full Horror Known.
The full horror of the storm broke
upon the city when Governor More
head. Mayor Dahlmap and Police Com
missioner J. J. Ryder authoritatively
stated that the death list would reach
200 in Omaha alone. Surrounding
towns were swept from the map by
the tornado which really consisted Of
two storms. The first and main storm
struck Ralston. three miles west of
South Omaha, shortly before 6 p. M,
and moved in a ~northeasterly direction
through the city of Omaha.
The only point at which the force of
the storm struck the business section
was Twenty-fourth and Lake streets.
Here the Diamond theater. a moving
picture concern, we'll filled, was
wrecked. According to the best avail
able figures at least thirty of its pa
irons were killed. Between forty and
fifty more were killed in the wreck of
a pool hall nearby, which was patron
lied by negroes. The fashionable
West Farnham district and the we'll
known Kountze place were wrecked.
The well-deined path of the storm
ended at Carter Lake. near the Mis-
souri, river, north of the city.
Fire Breaks Out.
Fire broke GU in the debris and
wrecked buildings. The fires burned
themselves out, except in instances
where flames We're brought under con
trcl by volunteer 'bucket brigades.'
The second storm swept across the
Missouri river about 6:20 p. M, doing
great damage in Council Bluffs, Iowa
where nine were killed and a score
injured.
Six relief stations have been estab
lished in the vicinity of the ruins and
every drug store is giving literally tc
aid volunteer nurses in caring for in
jured persons. An entire regiment O
militia will be on the Gene before
night and will aid the government
troops in going through the ruins in
the sruesome search for bodies.
Reports from outlying towns tell OF
horrible deaths taken by the tornado
Fears are entertained that Gretna
Ashland and Louisville were in the
path Of the storm. It is believed the
storm originated along the Platte river
near Louisville and swept UP the
stream to Ashland, then cut across
country to Gretna, striking Ralstor
before Omaha.
After a night of terror. in which
women and children. frantic with grief
walked the streets, cold and homeless
Omaha awoke to a scene of almosr
unbelievable devastation. Enterine
the city from the southwest. after
wiping Ralston entirely from the map
the tornado swept past the county
hospital to the west and swept in {
northeasterly direction, taking every
thing in its path. 1t travelled east tt
the river and lost itself some place il
the Iowa bluffs.
Buildings We're blown down OF
picked up and hurled with terrific
force, many yards, trees were levele(
and smaller structures were com
pletely wrecked by the wind. Some
of the finest homes, those recently
erected by several of Omaha's wealth
lest men, are today a mass of ruins
Hundreds of families saw thei
homes swept away or damaged 81
badly that they were uninhabitabl,
and the occupants were forced to tn
street during the torrential rain tina
followed the twister.
Twenty-Five Houses Burned.
Following the tornado and the rail-
came an even greater menace in tn
fires that broke out in a score O
places. At least twenty-five house
were destroyed by flames. To add t.
the horror of the night, the electri
lights failed, wires went down and no
only the house light. but the stree
lights were e%xtinguished, leaving onl
h fitful flare from hundreds of LAM
erns to light up the scenes of horro