Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-03-28
SIXTEEN TOWNS MORE OR LESS
WRECKED By TERRIFIC
WIND STORMS

2 HIND DiOHtI>
Two hundred and twenty-five
. persons were known 10 have been
killed and fully seven hundred III
jured by the awful storm that
broke over Nebraska last Sunday
evening.
It conferred about Omaha and de-
vastated al least sixteen towns
Chicago, March 2i-StOries re-
plete with thrills and pafhOs were
related in Chicago toOay by eye
witnesses Of the tornado which
/ swept over parts Of Nebraska. Iowa
and Illinois last night. killing and
/ iniufmg hundreds.
Awed and horror strick ken. the
narrators Of these stories had sat
fascinated in coaches Of a Chicago.
Burlington & Quincy railroad train.
watching a great dark cloud skip
ping fantastically d it, work OF
destruction. In several villages
they helped pick up the dead and
dying
The wounded and slain-muti-
lated. grOaning. dyIng-weFe placed
on the pllISh-coVened seats and in
the carpeted aiSles Of the cars IN
til the train reached Omaha. Here
they We're removed and taken to (
hospitals CT mOFgues.
On the way in the injured told
heartrending tales Of suffering
and narrow escapes which seemed 4
to them mlrac culOus.
William KoOn. president Of an
automobile company of Lincoln.
Neb.. gave graphic description Of
the storm as he viewed il from
the platform Of the observation car.
For miles il seemed as if the train
We're being pursued by the storm
Strange ColOred Cloud Appears
We were approaching Ralst0n.
and when | first noticed q strange.
copper colOred cloud mounting To-
ward the sky" said KOOn. Be
fore that it had been clear. The
cloud grew rapidly and was trav-
cling at tremendous speed toward
Ralston. 1t assumed the form OF
a funnel and the air was filled
with a curious noise, something be
tween hiss and a moan, but very ,,
piercing. Then the funnel seemed
10 grow black and the smaller
end-that near the grolHld-was
about a half mile In diameter. II
across the railroad tracks
md swept toward the little town.
Then the storm struck the town. =
Houses collapsed, the roofs went !
sailing away and the sides fell in. ;
The passengers sat as though glued
o their seats when the cloud
truck. Then, as they compre- ?
lended the deSOlatiOn wrought. a
ry of horror went I'D from ev- T
ryOne. II was a fearful sight.
Passengers as Rescuers.
Then the engineer brought the 7,
nglne to a stop and the passeng- II
Is ran over to the wreckage OF a
he houses. We could hear the :.
roans Of dying men and the :.
-allS and Shrieks Of injured wO- =,
len and children. I entered a
ouSe. or rather what had been a -,
ouSe. and beneath me lay wO- =,
IAN. I looked. and I knew she was =,
cad. We got all of the injured out =
the ruins and brought Them to :,
Ie train. We We're about TO -
ave when our attention was call ~
/ to a little house some distance -.
ON the other side. II had been ~
recked and moved from It's foun- "a
ltiOn. but we found a mother and se
II little baby lying upon bed ~
injured. Another man was in a.
basement: his house had been az
Fried away bodily. and he was '-
It standing with a very Surpris-
look on his face in the open IN -
Iured. tu
Il recall that there was big ma
reShing machine standing near az
c OF the houses. and when the ~
lud struck 1t shot straight up NJ NJ
% the air and was carried about .ll'
rods. Houses We're rolling and ~
mblng aong the ground. rVi
I saw boxcar carried along for
quarter Of mile. When II split de'
en SIX OF seven men who turned Ui
[ TO be part Of a repair gang. II
Dpped out. Some of them lay ilel
Il while others feebly crawled VII
ay.
Appalling Scene at Benson
The next station that our train
ssed through was Benson. where l
scenes were still more appali- cen
: There We're several large fac ser
les there and all were Strewn in Wit
bps. We picked up a lot Of in cTo
ed and | don't know how many sen
id We left behind. The cloud tor
eeled and made toward South Den
aha. We We're not far behind, Me-
our way was blocked by the Bor
riS the tornado had thrown upon Z
tracks Then too, we stopped mos
luently to pick up the injured. spe'
,re We're some with their limbs and
4 off and all were cut and skill
ding" rem.
Saw Child Killed. LNn
mother passenger was Mrs. GeO. SerN
Il. Alderwent. of Syracuse. " solo
who boarded the train at LIN Miss
/. She still showed traces Of East
experiences through which she Sche
passed. cam
When the houses began to fall, eaus
SAID. Il saw a little elI@ rfsssesi hfe