The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-28

walton, Illinois $780,. L
Sterling, Illinois ....,.. =.
Traverse City. Mich. :. l =.
Perth, Indiana l
Totals .22S 6S9
Edwin Vogelpohl returned this
morning from Omaha, the scene of
panic, disaster and horrors. 81 can't
describe the scene at all" said Mr..
Vogelponl this morning. 1T is ut
terly beyond description. 1t makes
me sick to think of it. Linn Thro,
of Mankato, who is attending a medi-
cal school there, was walking with
Inc when the cyclone struck the
town. We were about five blocks
away from the path of the twiSter,
and in a few minutes we were help
ing to carry out mangled forms and
dead bodies from under the ruins.
In less than no time the hospitals
were full to overflowing. Pandemon-
ium reigned supreme. From every
direction came yells, screams of ter
ror, groans of agony and death walls
Of burned and mangled people fluc-
tuated with sickening cresendo and
diminuendo on the smoke-laden at
mosphere.
People Were in Panic.
People rushed hither and thither,
without homes, half clad. torn and
bleeding, and with no place to go
for help. A lady came up to me, cry
ing and screaming, and throwing her
arms about my neck screamed hys-
terically in my ear: 'T'm a stranger
Tbt-n rN1n 20 tor
away to help those who were to bad
ly injured to walk. Men and wom-
en-, boys and girls could be seen
everywhere hanging to each others
necks, and making a hellish din with
their oaths, prayers, screams and
howlS
"a street car was left standing on
the track, the, roof torn completely
off, and the occupants, every one of
them. kneeling in prayer.
"The storm was in the very best
residence portion of the city, Some
of the finest homes in Omaha are
in ruins. My room was only a short
distance from the wrecked district,
and even there the chimneys were
blown off. and the chairs swept off
the porch. Some of the people. as
well as household goods were taken
up in the air, and transfxed on
broken boughs of the trees, and on
jutting timbers from wrecked build.
ings.
81 sent a telegram home Sunday
night, saying that the city was struck
by a cyclone, but the telegram did
not reach here until this morning.
When [ left Omaha last night there
were over hundred and fifty dead
bodies in the undertaking parlors,
and all had not been collected yet
have a glove for souvenir that ]
picked up where dead body lay
Linn Thro has q knife that he found
somewhere.
Il hope sincerely that / will never
again witness anything SO horrible
as that Sunday night in Omaha. II
makes me shudder Am l going
back? No, none of the tornado stuff
in mine
Allemans Are Safe.
Judge w. l.. ComStock received
letter this morning from friend who
lives in Omaha, and who was form
er MankatO man. G.. l.. Alleman.
formerly manager of the Standard
Oil company in this district but now
president of that company in Omaha,
wrote as follows to the judge, "The
dead will reach about hundred,
and the injured several hundred. 1t
is absolutely impossible to estimate
the financial loss to the city and the
suffering and hardship caused by the
cyclone, which took course from
the southwest to the northwest about
six o'clock Sunday evening
Cannot Be Described.
81 have spent the forenoon in going
over the devastated district, and it
is beyond description. 1t is simply
appalling from every point of view.
Thousands and thousands of houses
and buildings have been wrecked with
their entire contents. 1t is estima-
ted by good many people who
have been over this district that
the loss of life will be very much
greater than the number mentioned.
] have no words to convey to you the
scene of destruction. Several of our
employesslost their homes and a few
are injured. My own home is about
three blocks from the course of the
cyclone. Of course We suffered no in
jury or damage. $3.50