Evening star., 1925-03-19
1,0DObEL|EVEDDEAD
IN MINING TOWNS
NEAR CARBONDALE
Injured Expected to Total
1900 Within Radius of rs
Miles of Illinois City.
By the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press.
! CARBONDALE. Ill, March 1e.-Up-
ward of 1000 persons are dead and
probably 1000 injured, with thou
sands of others homeless, within a
radius of 25 miles of this city, as a
result of yesterdays tornado, accord
| ing to reports filtering in here this
| morning.
A tabulation based on estimates OF
persons reaching here from the
! stricken and devastated towns fol-
! lows:
Murphysboro, with a population O.
$4,000, reports between $50 and 500
dead, upward of 700 injured, 1000 to
200 homes wrecked or burned and
1000 to 5000 made homeless.
At o'clock this morning fire
which burned or wrecked 20 square
blocks, was still raging, but was re-
ported under control after dynamite
had been used. One company of the
Illinois National Guard was on duty
In Murphyboro and another was re-
ported at West Frankfort.
West Frankfort Isolated.
West Frankfort, a thriving mining
town of $4,000, was practically cut off
from the outside world with 81 known
dead and estimates placing the num-
Der at from 800 TO $50. More than
500 persons were injured in this city
with many homeless.
Gorham. few miles south OF
Murphysboro, was isolated and was
reported practically destroyed. In
the village of 500 upward, ] 90 or more
were reported dead, and scarcely a per-
son escaped injury.
De Soto. little town of 500. was
practically wiped off the map. The
village, six miles from CarbondaIe,
did not have a dozen homes left in
tact today, with from 100 to 125 dead
and $50 more injured. Nearly 80 school
children were killed at De Soto when
the schoolhouse collapsed as the
youngsters, ranging in age from 6
to 10 years, struggled frantically to
escape. Several were reported dead
and injured at Ziegler and Christie
pher. small mining towns, and many
were hurt at Bush, Hurst, Parrish,
Royton and Benton, according to mea-
ger reports received here this morn
ing.
Carbondale, one of the few towns in
the storm area to escape serious dam =
| age, was practically swamped with
, dead and injured. More than 40 bodies
were OrOuBnl mere early To-Day, prln-
cipally from De Soto, while hospitals,
the Elks' Lodge, churches and pri-
vate homes were filled to overf1owing
with injured and more were being
brought in hourly by automobiles
from the stricken towns and cities in
this district in the path of the tornado.
Country Sections Escape.
The district in the path of the
| storm, after a night of suspense and
| uncertainty, dazedly looked upon the
| devastation with the coming of day
| light and then organized the hap
hazard relief work. A special relief
train from Chicago travelling over the
Illinois Central railroad arrived here
at o'clock with more than a hun
dred doctors and half as many nurses.
Half the nurses and doctors were
kept here and within an hour were
administering to the more seriously
! injured, while flying squads of other
| doctors and nurses were rushed to the
| more seriously stricken areas. AT
| local hospitals and at the Elks Home
Carbondale doctors and practitioners
| from surrounding towns labored tire
| lessly throughout the night. Matters
! became so desperate that sweating
surgeons finally resorted to opera
tions without administering an anes-
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