The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-25
WORK OF TORNADO
TERRIBLE SIGHT.
Passengers on Train Describe
iFrighthful Spectacle They
Witnessed.
HORRORS ON EVERY SIDE
.ifhcy See Great, Dark Cloud
Skipping Wejrdly About on
Mission Of Destruction.

Chicago, March 24.-Storles replete
with thrills and pathos were related
I in Chicago to-day by eyewitnesses OF
the tornado.
Terror stricken. the narrators of
these atpc.cs had sat. fascinated In the
coaches y II Chicago Burlington and
Quincy 4;;lilroad train watching a dark
cloud skipping weirdly on its work of
destruction. In several villages they
helped pick up the dead and dying.
The wounded and 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
whirlwihd 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 Lincoln.
Neb, gave a graphic description as
he We've eel 1t from the platform of the
observation car.
For miles" he said. "it seemed as
Ii the train were being pursued by the
storm we were approaching Ralston,
Neb.. when first noticed copper
colored cloud mounting toward the
slsy. The cloud grew rapidly. ard was
travelling at tremendous speed. 1t as
inc OF IunneI, ana the
air was filled with a curious noise
very piercing. The funnel seemed to
grow black. and the smaller end-that
near the ground-was about a half
mile In diameter. 1t swished across
the railroad track; then struck the
town. Houses collapsed as IL made Of
paper The roofs sailed away and the
sides fell In. AS the passengers COM
pretended the dcsolation wrought, a
cry OF horror went UP. 1t was a ter
rible sight.
Then the train stopped and the pas
sengcrs ran over to the wreckage Of
the houses. we could hear the groaus
OF dying men. injured women and chill
dren were moaning. We got all OF the
INJURED out OF the ruins and brought
them TO the train. We were about to
leave when our attention was called
10 little house some distance from
The others. 1t had been wrecked and
moved from it's foundation, but we
found n mother and her baby lying
upon bed unlnjurcd. Another man
was in a basement of the house. His
house was carried away, and he was
left standing with very surprised
look on his face. uninjured.
Houses were rolled and tumbIed
along the ground by the wind saw
box car carried along by the terrihc
air current for quarter OF 4 mile.
Nhen 1t split open six or seven men,
Who turned out TO be part OF a repair
.s,,iE. dropped out
The next town we passed through
was Benson. where the scenes were
sun more appalling. Several large
factories there were strewn in heaps
We picked up lot OF injured and I
don't know how many dead we left
behind. Then the cloud wheeled. made
toward South Omaha. We were not far
behind, but our way was blocked by
debris the tornado had thrown on tho
tracks
Another passenger was Mrs. George
J. IL Aideryent. OF Syracuse, N Y
When the houses began TO Sall."
she said. II saw little girl dressed In
white start from one OF them and run
down the street with her hands above
her head Just then the sIssc OF a house
came soaring through the air. It
struck the child and buried her be-
meath it"
Another eyewitness was chica-