New Britain herald., 1925-03-20
WITNESSES TELL
 ABOUT HORRORS
 0F GREAT STORM
Children Screaming and Mothers and Fathers Weeping as They
 Seek Youngsters in Ruins

kEfUkIEk
 GIVES VIVID PICTURE Chicago Daily News Man Relates
 Strip of Country Mile Wide strewn
 With Debris, Wrecked Cars, Shat
 tered Furniture, Upturned Autos
 and Uprooted Trecs-Pitiable
 Scenes.
 Gorham, H., March 2O-Wednes- day was a dark and gloomy day at Gorham, It rained all morning. The air was heavy. No wind stirred the countryside. In the afternoon it rained harder and the day grew black. Huge hailstones peted down. Then came the tornado, like a huge wall of smoke.
 Cow Hurled Into Restaurant.
 A thousand things filled the air. There were boards, stoves, poles, cans, garments, sides of houses and even living beings. A COW was pick ed by the wind and hurled into a restaurant.
 Mrs. Judith Cox. wife of a Mis- souri Pacific workman, was in a res taurant.
 Tt began to rain and thought would go home" Mrs. Cox related. I opened the door and saw great wall that seemed to be smoke, driv- ing In front Of 1t white pillows that looked like steam. There was a deep roar, Ike a train, but many, many times louder.
 "It's tornado I cried and it's here!'
 Rushed For School.
 Tt seemed to me that I must reach my two children who were in school and l started out. Then the storm hit me: I was blown back into the restaurant and against the stove. The whole building rocked and then it began 10 fall in. Fire flashed in great puffs from the stove. l tried to get away from it. But the wind blew mo back again against it. Then the walls fell in. Something 1It mo nD t11a 1oao5
 How long I was unconscious I do not know. When I came to was buried under boards and timbers. Near me was a red COW which seem ed to be holding some of the weight off of me. A man lifted some of the heavy boards, helped the COW up and pulled me out.
 T started for the school. I found my own raincoat down the street hanging on q twisted pile of plank ing. l was wearing it before the storm struck. 1 put my hand in the pocket, there was my husbands pay check-safe.
 Riddles Found Alive.
 There was a great crowd about the school Children were screaming and crying. Mothers and fathers were weeping. Everybody was trying to dig out their own children. I found mine. They were both hurt, but. thank God, they were alive"
 NCwspapcrman's Story.
 Chicago, March 20.-The Chicago Daily News correspondent at De Soto, H., says
 Picture q mile wide strip from De Soto. Jackson county, to West Frankfort, Williamson county, strewn with lumber, uprooted trees, shattered furniture. upturned auto mobiles, tin cans and wrecked rail way cars; a desolatc, unoccupicd scrap of yard. and you have a fair view of what the surviving occupants of the tornado-strickcn territory are trying to reclaim today.
 'Daybroak this morning found rt- tlc groups In tattercd clothing with red eyes and stoId vountcnancas, picking up small piles of IliudHnr wood where their homes formerly stood in the hope of salvagiuc some thing of value from the ruins.
 Here and there earnest faced mon under the leadership of a Rcd Cross worker, are fcverishly digging in smouldering heaps, for the deal that arc reportcd to be buried there.
 At intervals their task brings TO- suits and the bodies are removed 10 the morGue while their former neigh bors look on with little show of emo tion--they have seen too much hor- TOT of late to be much shocked at anything now.
 "Pitiable scenes were enacted at the morgues in West Frankfort, tar- bondale and De Soto. whore long lines of friends and relatives waited to identify their dead.
 Roads Congcstcd
 'The rush of friends and relatives of those living in 'hr stricken counties to inquire for 'h" welfare of their loved-ones, has so congosf the roads that they arr almost im- passable.
 Meanwhile fearing that two of Continued on Page :Ql.