Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1924-07-04
|lO4 DEATHS
STORMS TOLL
118 Hurt, 80 Million Lost at
Lorain, Ohio
SEVEN DEAD IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland Has Seven Fatalities And
Pittsburgh Five; Fear Tragedies
On wsters-wreckage
Cleared.

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 reehecking 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 50
dead and lis injured. score Of them
suffering severe hurts. The property
loss there was upwards Of s3D,O00.00O.
125 city blocks having been demol
ished. At Sandusky 1t was found that
only six persons were killed. although
a hundred were injured and property
valued at $2,OOO,oOO was destroyed.
There were seven fatalities in Cleye-
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
II, making death list of 104. The
total property damage, when reports
from the rural regions are complete,
will probably aggregate $5O.0O0.0O0
Despite the devastation at Lorain.
where the tornado tore down a 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 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
cral fairly large assemblages.
AT bathing beach house the struc-
ture was torn to pieces, and It was
announced that dozens had lost their
lives.
Investigation, when light permitted
search of the ruins, showed that
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 a 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 Loraln over undermined tracks
and flooded automobile roads.
The police and IRE departments,
aided by the first arrival Of State
troops, began clearing away the
wreekage 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 25 miles eastward
to Lorain without doing much serious
injury.
But at Lorain, thriving manufac-
turing city of some 10000 persons,
the black funneled shaped wind drop
ped down with renewed fury, 1t blew
at speed of SIS 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
well in hand. but that several days
time would be required to clear away
the wreckage in the places which the
storm hit hardest.