The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-07-04
118 Hurt, 80 Million Lost al
Lorain, Ohio
SEVEN DEAD IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland Has Seven Fatalities And
Pittsburgh Five; Fear Tragedies
On Waters-Wreckage
Cleared.

Cleveland.-Loss of life in the
tornado which wrecked a large
portion of Lorain and parts Of
Sandusky and other Ohio cities,
was not as great as first reports
indicated, but rechecking of cas-
ualties showed that probably 104
persons lost their lives in this
storm and almost simultaneous
disturbance at Pittsburgh and
upper Mississippi Valley.
The greatest loss of life was at Lo-
rain, where latest count shows SO
dead and 11S injured, score of them
suffering severe hurts. The property
loss there was upwards of $30,000,000,
125 city blocks having been demol-
ished. At Sandusky it was found that
only six persons were killed, although
a hundred were injured and property
valued at 100000 was destroyed.
There were seven fatalities in Cleve-
land, although the property damage
was small. Pittsburgh reported 16
persons killed in Western Pennsyl-
vania while Nantua, Ohio, reported
three dead and at Akron. one. The
death total in Iowa and Illinois was
IL, making a death list of 104. The
total property damage, when reports
will probably aggregate $50,000,000.
Despite the devastation at Lorain.
where the tornado tore down quar-
ter of the city, organized rescue work
went forward smoothly and State
troops kept order among the inhabit-
ants. hundreds of whom were thrown
out of their homes and had to be shell
tered in tents and with friends.
The greatest loss of life at Lorain
occurred in the State Theatre, four
story building, which party collapsed
and crushed many of the spectators
at a motion picture show.
AS soon as rescue work was organ
lied survey of the situation led to
the deduction that many scores had
been killed, for buildings had been
whipped down over the heads of sew
eral fairly large assemblages.
At bathing beach house the struc-
ture was torn to pieces, and 1t was
announced that dozens had lost their
lives.
Investigation, when light permitted
aF n.yir1 oh hot
probably every one at the beach had
escaped with his life. The fact that
the tornado struck both Sandusky
and Lorain while factories were
emptied on account of the Saturday
afternoon holiday probably reduced
the death toll by hundreds, for num-
Der of manufacturing plants were TORN
down only few hours after several
thousand employees had left their
work.
Housing of the homeless and atten-
tion to the injured occupied the at
tention of scores of doctors and nurses
and Red Cross workers who had been
rushed to the scene during the night
as quickly as trains could be piloted
into Lorain over undermined tracks
and flooded automobile roads.
The police and fire departments,
aided by the first arrival of State
troops, began clearing away the
wreckage that blocked many thorough
fares and continued by daylight the
haphazard search started Saturday
night for the bodies of those who had
been killed and for any injured per-
sons who might not have been able to
release themselves from the fallen
buildings.
The rural damage probably was not
so great as at first feared because the
storm jumped over large areas with
out doing much damage. The tornado
struck Sandusky, about fifty miles
west of Cleveland and demolished
many buildings, bridges and telegraph
lines, and then jumped almost the
entire distance of rs miles eastward
to Lorain without doing much serious
injury.
But at Lorain, thriving manufac.
turing city of some 100000 persons
the black funneled shaped wind drop
ped down with renewed fury. 1t blew
at a speed of IS miles an hour in
spots and possibly much faster at its
vortex.
The devastating whirlwind swept
through the city twisting and tumb
ling whatever came in its way. 1t
was thought that the situation was
we'll in hand, but that several days
time would be required to clear away
the wreckage in the places which the
storm hit hardest.