The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-04-02
HELP PICK UP THE DEAD
PASSENGERS ON TRAIN TELL OF
THE TORNADO.
Graphic Descriptions Of Some Of the
Awful Scenes Of the Death-Deal-

Stories replete with thrills and
pathos were related in Chicago Mon
day by eye-witnesses of the tornado
which swept over parts Of Ne
braska, Iowa and Illinois Sunday
night. Terror-stricken, the nara
tors Of these stories sat fascinated in
the coaches of a Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy Railroad train watching
a great dark cloud skipping wierdly
on it's work of destruction. In sew
eral villages they helped pick up the
dead and dying.
The wounded and the dead were
placed on seats and in the aisles OF
the cars until the train, which had
passed through the beginning Of the
track of the whirlwind that struck
Omaha, reached the latter city. On
the way in, the injured told tales OF
suffering and gave vivid descriptions
Of escapes which seemed to them
miraculous. William Coon, of Lin
coin, Neb., gave graphic description
as he viewed it from the platform OF
the observation car.
"For miles," he said, cit seemed
as if the train were being pursued by
the storm. We were approaching
Ralston, Neb., when first noticed a
copper-colored cloud amounting toward
the sky. The cloud grew rapidly and
was travelling at tremendous speed
It assumed the form Of funnel and
the air was filed with curious
noise, very piercing.
The funnel seemed to grow black
and the smaller end-that near the
ground-was about a half-mile in di'
ameter. It swished across the rail
road track, then struck the town
Houses collapsed as though made OF
paper. The roofs sailed away and
the sides fell in. AS the passengers
comprehended the decolatior
wrought, cry Of horror wept up
It was terrible night.
'Then the train stopped and the
passengers ran over to the wreckage
of the houses. We could hear the
groans of dying men, injured wome1
| and children were moaning. We go'
all of the injured out of the ruin:
and brought them to the train. We
| were about to leave when our atten
ton was called to little house some
distance from the others. 1t hac
been wrecked and moved from Its
foundation, but we found mother
and her baby lying upon a bed unin'
jured.
Another man was in a basement
of the house. His house was carried
away and he was left standing witt
a very surprised look on his face, IN
injured. Houses were rolled ano
tumbled along the ground by the
twind. I saw box car carried along
by the terrific air current for a quar-
ec OF rai.e. When it split open si1
n seve1 men, who turned cut to bt
part of repair gang, dropped out.
''The next town we passed through
was Benson, where the scenes were
still more appalling. Several large
factories there were strewn In heaps
We picked up lot Of injured and
don't know how many dead we lef
behind. Then the cloud wheeled ant
made toward South Omaha. We were
not far behind but our way wa
blocked by derbis the tornado hat
thrown on the tracks"
| Another passenger was Mrs. Geo
J. H. Aidervent, Of Syracuse, N. Y
When tie houses began to fall" sh'
said; s'I saw a little girl dressed II
| white start from one Of them and ru1
down the street with her hands above
her head. Just then the side of
house came soaring through the ali
| It struck the child and buried her be
meath it." Another eyewitness wa
a Chicagoan, who told Of the scenes
at Omaha when the train stopped
there. He said:
ct was just recovering from VIVA
! had seen on the train when We pull
ed into Omaha with the injured. L
was night then-but such a night
the sky was lighted with great ret
glare and the streets were filed will
frightened people. 1t was raining
deluge. frequently the cries OF tht
wounded unloaded at the station
were drowned by terrific peals o.
thunder. The town is burning; wei
all be killed. some kept crying, ale
this added to the others fears. There
was no sleep that night for many o:
the passengers. AS our train left
| Omaha we could see big hotel burn
ing"
STORM KILLS FIVE IN CHICAGO