The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-10

DALLAS, Tex. April 10.-one hun
dred known dead had been listed as
victims Of the tornado which yesterday
struck Northern Texas, Southern Okla
homa and parts of Arkansas, when or
oer began to be reached today after
the chaos which followed in the wake
OF the storm. The injured, some of
them SO badly hurt that they can not
recover, are expected to number sew
eral hundred, The property damage,
Whlie 1t will run into many thousands
OF dollars, will be smaller than at first
e1pected, owing to the fact that the
path of the storm avoided ali Of the
principal cities, striking only farm
houses and smaller villages,
Last night the homeless were cared
Tor ats the homes of their neighbors.
Inc storm, In its erratic course, did not
devastate any entire region, often enough
leaving several house untouched and
then dipping in and demolishing the
next few homes. THE temperature
dropped to freezing along the north
ern line Of counties and added to the
discomfort.
The counties most damaged were
Grayson. Fannin, Hunt, Wood, Van
Iandt. Wichita, Collin, Camp and Titus
In Texas, and Bryan, Cotton and Pom
totoc in Oklahoma. The oil fields of
Wichita county and Of Southern Okla
homa suffered hundreds of thousands
OF dollars, damage in wrecked derricks
and machinery.
The hour at which the storm struck
probably caused the high death rate.
Nearly all houses destroyed contained
sleeping people. In most cases the first
the occupants heard of the storm was
when the walls crashed down upon
The entire storm did not last more
than an hour afteh the first signs APP
peared, leaving wrecked houses, or.
chards and forests. Many communities
describe L as not more than few hun.
dred yards In width, its limits being vel
marked, while in other. places a swath
of ruined homes and fields was a mile
wide.
A plea for help from the storm area
has been received here by Mayor Frank
of Leonard, and so tents and a quan-
tity Of supplies were rushed to thai
town at once.
The little cotton town of Canaan was
completely wiped out. Its cotton gin
its church, school and cotton ware
house containing much of last, year,
crop of the nearby farmers and its. II
houses were all swept to the ground.
At Mineola the storm struck with ex.
treme severity. Three white womer
and eight negroes were killed and many
others received such serious injuries
that their deaths are expected.
Leaves Wide Path.
At Mineola, Texas, the storm wa'
preceded by an ordinary wind and rain
storm of great force, accompanied by
an extraordinary electrical display. The
tornado first struck a negro settlement
on the edge Of the town, .encircled thu
town on the east, demolishing 10 houses
and travelling along Lake Fork bottom
to the north and east for is miles
leaving path of ruin from a quarte
of mile to a mile in width. The con
tents Of the meat houses were scattered
far and wide. Four bales of cotton oil
a farm at Mcmillan were picked up
carried a quarter of a. mile and Sc
down intact, their pile formation beint
scarcely disturbed
injuries of a large share of thos
less seriously hurt are confined t.
broken arms and legs, according to tn
report from Wlnnsboro, due to so man,
having been caught in the collapse o
their houses and struck by falling tim
bers.
storm cellars saved many. lives, I
large share of the homes In the Who'll
region being equipped with them.
In the Bella community the stor
was swept away and heavy iron safe
weighing nearly a ton, was left uprigh
in the road, 60 yards from where tn
store stood.
In Wood county the property damag
was estimated at $3.50, 900 and more INA
100 families were left homeless. A mas
meeting was held last night at which
COMMITTEES, headed by County Judg
Capaty, was appointed to appeal to tn
state for aid.
the village of Mulberry, near Bonhan
where seven persons were killed an
others injured. At Ector, where Sam
uel and Cecil Huffaker and an Ashbur
child were killed, the family was awak
storm and were fleeing for the storm
house when 1t struck. Mrs. Huffakee
and one son reached the shelter
safety, but the two men were killed.
In Denton county a few houses an
barns were unroofed, but no hyes w@er yer
lost, the damage being restricted chief
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