The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-24
CYCLONE CIT BIC JAGGED HOLE IN CITY
STREN|NG STREETS WITH CORPSES

when In its very path, some seemingly
without the power to move or not
knowing which way to go.
The streets in the storms path were
filed with debris.
Although dazed for d time by the
suddenness OF the storm and the dam
age done, the people living In the
wrecked portions of the city who were
unhurt and those residing nearby
fastened to the task of rescuing the
injured.
Every available motor car and wag-
on was pressed into service, physic.
ians and nurses hastily summoned
and hospitals and other public build
ings turned into relief stations for
the injured and morgues for the dead.
Every undertaker's establishment in
the city and even in South Omaha was
taxed to the limit in caring for the
dead. As the night wore on the de-
vastation wrought BY the storm be-
came more and more evident and the
city commissioners, headed by Mayor
Dahlman, took personal charge OF the
relief work. Headquarters were es-
tablished in the telephone exchange
building at Twenty-third and Webster
and Major Hartman's offer to take
charge of the patroling of the devast-
ated district with between 200 and 800
regulars was gladly accepted. Every
policeman and fireman in Omaha,
South Omaha and Council Bluffs was
used in an effort to prevent looting Of
the buildings, In the rescue Of the in
jured and in putting out fires.
Before morning g call for the local
companies OF state troops had been
issued and the state troops will aid
the regulars and the city officers In
guarding the wrecked buildings and in
searching the ruins for the dead and
injured AS soon as daylight appear
ed Mayor Dahlman and Major Hart
man made tour along the storms
path and planned the work Of caring
for those rendered homeless by the
storm and for the policing of the en-
tire district.
The Diamond Moving Picture thea
ter, between oath and 25th on Lake
street was totally destroyed by the
storm and reports of dead in the
amusement place we're being told by
those who were near the place at the
time.
sixty-Five Dead.
OMAHA, Neb., March 24.-The
death list resulting from the awful
tornado here last night has now
reached we'll above sixty-five. Many
of the dead taken from the ruins this
morning are unidentified and the
names will not be known for some
time. Scores of injured people have
been found in homes of friends and
relatives where they took refuge. The
list of injured is probably TOO.
At o'clock this morning Governor
Morehead, who had rushed to Omaha
on a special train with Adjutant-G Gen
eral Hall, made a tour of inspection
along the path Of the cyclone. Tears
stood in the executives eyes as he
viewed the ruins of what had once
been Omaha's best residence district.
Plans and maps of the path of the
storm were plated on the ground by
army engineers, called from Fort
Crook. Calls were issued for three
companies of militia from outside
Omaha while the company here in the
city was modified 20 carry on the
rescue work Three hundred soldiers
from Fort Crook are now working on
the wreckage, aided by the entire po-
lice force and most If the city fire.
men. More bodies are being momen-
tarily taken from the ruins, and 1t is
believed the list of dead will reach
the 200 mark.
Omaha homes have been thrown
wide to the homeless victims. Relief
parties are Offering every aid to those
who are without clothing. Nearly
every home within RADIUS of ten
miles OF the stricken district is filed
with VlctlmS.
A relief fund Is being rapidly raised
for relief work. Several prominent
men have already donated hundreds
OF dollars. The commercial club has
thrown its luxurious club rooms open
as a place of refuge for members
who suffered in the cyclone.
The morgue of undertaking parlors
are places of horror. Friends and
relatives of the people who lived in
the path Of The storm are fiocking to
view the bodies Weeping hysterical
women stand in front of the under
taking parlors in small knots, begging
officials for information regarding
ntfuued on page e.