Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1913-03-28
WIRE COMMUNICATION
STILL OEMORAu|zEO
Nebraska Metropolis Suffers
Brunt Of the Casualties and
Property Damage.

Omaha, Marcn Zo.-MOre tndu ~IVu
persons were, killed and 400 were in.
jured in a wind storm that demol.
ished $50 homes, damaged hundreds
of other buildings and caused none
tary loss of $5,000,00O, according t.
reports availables from the main path
of the tornado in and near Omaha.
Most of the casualties were in Oma.
ha, which was stricken as never be-.
fore. Nearby towns in Nebraska and
across the Missouri river and Iowa
suffered severely. Wires were snapped
off in all directions and it took many
hours to gather and circulate news
Of the disaster.
many wrecked buildings in the Ne
braska metropolis and there we're
menaces for some time, as the fire
companies were hindered by fallen
walls and blockaded streets. heavy
rain followed the wind, however, and
drenched the hundreds of homeless
persons. but also put out the flames.
Of the known dead 1873 were resi-
dents of Omaha. The remaining dead
are scattered over considerable
range of.territory. with Council Bluffs
reporting IL; Yutan, Neb., l6; Berlin,
Neb., Z; Glenwood. Ia, 5; Nola. la.
2, and Bartlett Ia, 2.
Fifteen Hundred Homeless.
Perhaps fifteen hundred persons
are homeless Three thousand build
ings were damaged to some extent
Eight of Omaha's public schools were
wrecked. -.
All forms of communication were
almost interrupted by the wind. Sol
T., diers and state police poured into the
city and are patrolling the residential
districts in an effort to maintain or.
der and relieve such cases of suffer.
ing as come to their notice. &
The greatest damage was done in
and near Omaha, through part Of
which terrific storm swept Sunday
evening, throwing down many sub.
stantial buildings, ripping off roofs
and sidings of hundreds of houses and
shaving men, women and children by
the score.
The storm kept it's work secret
from the rest of the world for hours
by breaking down all wire communi-
cation. Messengers with news stories
had to go by train to Lincoln, the
state capital. to give out the first def
mite tidings of the disaster. 10y
Many Fires Break Out. a
Uninjured citizens worked desper-
ately to remove such persons as had
been caught beneath RACED buildings.
The debris caught fire in many places
and many persons were painfully
burned before they could be extricat-
ed from broken timbers.
No great number was killed in any
one place. The wind swept along,
taking it's toll here and there. The
tornado even jumped over portions OF
the city in it's path, swooped down
again and dashed distractions to
earth. The gale left Omaha only to
sweep on to towns in Iowa in the
same destructive manner.
The rage of the elements even ex-
tended in a somewhat abated form to
| points far to the east. No sooner had
the great wind passed than second
violent gale swept over much of the
same territory, but with lessened fury.
What seems to have been a separate
4 storm swept portions of Indiana, do.
ing greatest damage in and near Terre
Haute. There nearly score of per-
sons were slain and hundreds were
injured. Other places in Indiana re-
port lesser damage. ..s