Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-29

down Street car service was sus- pended. Trains were blocked by up rooted trees and for time only one telegraph and telephone wire connect e. the city with the outside. In pro- claiming military law, Mayor Price called out Company D, 1eth Illinois National Guard to patrol the wrecked area. He also asked for volunteers and more than 100 former service men in uniform and scores of Boy Scouts responded.
 The known dead are:
 Mrs W. D. Kimban, 55; Miss Eliza beth Mowat, 20 Miss Zilla Foote, 21; Miss Isabel McConnachie, 12: John Van Virac, engineer at the state in sane asylum Sam Beverley, actor; Mrs. Ada Beverley, actress. The first four were killed in the collapse of the Congregational church. Services in the church had been | completed and most of the congrega : tion had left. A few remained wait | ing for the rain to abate, when sud- denly the storm struck. The brick edifice collapsed, burying the victims | in it's wreckage.
 1 Mir. and Mrs. Beverley were in the Grand Theater preparing for their af- ! ternoon performance when the thea | ter fell.
 | The G. W. Peck department store, a three story brick structure and sev- eral of the other principal business structures were completely destroyed
 Fire broke out in three places fol- | lowing the tornado.
 The storm struck Elgin from the
 southwest during a torrential rain
 and swept northeast across the heart
 of the city. leaving trail of destruc- tion 200 yards wide.
 Communication with SIIrrOundin0 2 towns was interrupted but reports
 brought in indicated heavy damage
 and probable loss of life in nearby
 rural districts.
 Sherman and St. Joseph hospitals
 here were filled with injured tonight while scores who were bruised and cut received treatment at doctors offices
 then went to the homes If friends
 Eight square blocks of the business district and five blocks of the resi-
 dence section were in the path of the tornado. which left behind trail oi
 wrecked and damaged buildings. Stout brick business blocks were demolished roofs were blown off and in the residence section houses were lifted from their foundation and flung
 against their neighbors. Hundreds ot trees, torn out by their roots, blocked
 the streets and railroad tracks.
 The window display of a jewelrS
 store was blown into the street anc
 and carried away by looters befor,
 the military guard had been estab
 lished.
 Girls were reported to have lootec
 the windows of millinery store. car
 rying away the display of spring hats Under the mayors proclamation calling for military law. all person were barred from the damaged distric b unless provided with passes. ' Stories of strange pranks by tn storm were many. The families 0 ! Louis and Charles Henning were seat
 cd at dinner when the tornado lite ! the house from over their heads with 2 out injuring a member of the party Ten houses in space of three block in the neighborhood were destroyed. !. Hardly a business block downtow = escaped damage. The Kelly and tn = Fosgate hotels lost most of their win :. dows. Part of the roof of the city ha
 was carried away and many of tn - windows broken.
 % Six box cars standing at the Chica
 go and Northwestern station weT a hurled down the embankment to tn d edge of the Fox river.
 o William Mcclure, city assessor. es e timated tonight after a survey of th e wrecked district. that it will cost s4 n 000.00 to restore the buildings dc
 stroyed and damaged. Few of the sui r ferers carried tornado insurance. tt Elgin was visited by a destructiy l. wind storm seven years ago next Jul g but the damage then was not heavy.