The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-03-29

Walton. Ill. ................. =
Traverse City. Mich. ........ 9
Perdh; ing; ,................. a
Tornado 1sdt sweeps five state.ESebrss-
ka. illinois, Iowa. Indiana and Mis-
Property loss may reach $4,000. 900.
Another severe storm predicted to
pass over the East Tuesday and We'd
nesday.
Governors of many states, mayors Of
ing Denver. offer immediate aid to the
Twelve hundred houses destroyed In
Omaha. Loss of life estimated at $50.
Terre Haute. Ind. COUNCIL Bluffs, Ia
Governor Morehead OF Nebraska has
taken personal charge of the policing
Money for homeless pouring in
Wires snapped off in all directions
and II took many, hours to gather and
circulate news OF the disaster.
Denver. March 25.-Death destruc-
ton and desolation lie in the wake OF
the tornado that swept five states
Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and
Missouri. at least 24O are dead anil
hundreds are injured. many of them
SO seriously that they will die.
The property loss in the five states
struck by the storm msy exceed &c.
100000. The path was swept clean.
The finest residence section of the
city Of Omaha was swept away and
hundreds Of buildings took fire. Tha
fire department was helpless and the
loss of life will probably go beyond
the first named mark.
Omaha, March 25.-More than 200
persons were killed and 400 were in.
jured in the wind storm that demol.
tshed $50 homes, dana ged hundreds
of other buildings and caused a mon.
etary loss Of $5,O00.000.
Most of the casualties were in Oma-
ha, which was stricken as mover be-
fore. Nearby towns in Nebraska AMI
across the Missouri river in Iowa also
suffered severely.
Fire broke out in the debris of many
wrecked buildings in the Nebrask.. !.
metropolis and these were menaces
for some time, as the fire companies
were hindered by fallen walls AMI
blockaded streets. A heavy rain fol-
lowed the wind, however. and it
drenched the hundreds of homeless
persons. but it also put out the
flames.
1t has taken Omaha and the sur
rounding country thirty-six hours TO
begin to appreciate the enormity OF
the devastation wrought by the East
er evening storm OF wind and rain.
The storm assumed first the veloc-
ity and destructive effects of cy-
clone, and ended its existence in a
series Of tornadoes which dropped
fiercely on many parts of the city
and country without regard to human
life or property and visited the great
er portion Of the residential part of
Omaha.
Wires were snapped off in all d.
rections and it took many hours to
gather and circulate the news of the
disaster.
All forms Of communication were al
most annihilated by the wind and only
two or three wires we're in working con-
dition when daylight relieved a night
of high tension, which at times almost
became panic. Soldiers, state and ma
tional troops, poured into the city dur
ing the day to aid in bringing order
out of what for twenty hours had been
chaos. These guardians of the peace
are patrolling the residence districts,
aiding the police to maintain order and
relieve such cases Of suffering as
come to their notice.
The greatest loss of life occurred
sectionally. Three points in the path
of the storm offered the greatest sac
rifices. These were at Fortieth and
Farnum streets where crowd had
sought refuge in a garage; at Twenty
fourth and Lake streets, where NOV
ing picture theater was demolished,
and at Twenty-fourth and Willis ave-
nue., where a poolroom had attracted
a crowd. In each OF these places the
fatalities were large.
The monetary loss will, 1t is estimat-
ed. exceed $5.o00.ooo, Perhaps 1,5oo
persons are homeless.
Aside from this, 5000 buildings
were more or less damaged. many Of
these being church edifices and school
buildings. Eight of Omaha's public
schools were wrecked. ...
No such catastrope had ever before
visited the city, and II. was over
whelmed by It. They quickly rose to
the situation, however, and measures
of relief were organized promptly