Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-03-26
TORNADO RUINS
SHOW 823 DEAD
IN FIVE STATES
Relief Workers Aid Victims
of Storm in Illinois, Indi-
ana, Missouri, Tennes-
see and Kentucky.

Chicago.-Following the organiza-
ton of relief in the tornado-stricken
area of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ken
lucky and Tennessee, it was disclosed
that about 1913 persons had been killed
and $3.50 injured. Several towns were
completely obliterated and thousands
were made homeless.
The Illinois total of deaths is 645,
Indiana 100, Missouri 81, Kentucky Is
and Tennessee about 33.
Following the wind in many cities
and towns, fire broke out In some
cases the relief work already had been
organized so well that the confiagra-
tions were under control in a short
time. In others scores of manned and
dead were burned almost beyond recog-
milton.
Illinois Suffers Most.
Murphysboro, West Frankfort and
De Soto were the Illinois cities that
suffered most from the terrific wind
blast. Gorham also suffered heavily
in dead and wounded In Indiana,
OIIIlll, = IluGCIOA dllQ UNVEILS NlllC w u z
hardest hit while in Missouri, Biehle
suffered about ten deaths. Gallatin,
Tenn, reported that about thirty had
been killed there.
In a number of towns lighting sys-
TENS were out of order and darkness
hampered the workers at night. Ma
tional Guard troops are protecting
these places from possible looting.
Pullman cars have arrived in many of
the villages to provide sleeping places
for the thousands Of homeless while
tent villages are arising rapidly.
In a few cities where there had
been happiness, prosperity, and future.
the tornado blasted all. In others it
showed fiendish eccentricity by level
ing and blackening portions, while
sparing the rest.
Towns Swept Away.
Nearly half of Princeton, Ind, was
smitten. A sister city, Griffin, was
virtually carried away. De Soto, Ill,
with 500 people, lost It's existence. A
neighbor, Gorham, Of 800 souls, was
wiped out. Murphysboro, ILL.,, lost
nearly three square miles Of its bust
ness and residential sections. Other
hamlets are yet cut off from telling
their story.
Property losses in Millions.
Those in charge speak in millions
when asked to estimate material
losses. The brief dispatches read:
100000 in southwestern Kentucky"
100000 at Princeton" "$6,O0O,O0O
In southern Illinois, 100000 in Mis-
souri," At the other scenes no one yet
ventures to estimate.
The tornado took it's toll over a ter
ritory of 300 miles in FIVE hours and
within the same period of timetoutside
aid was covering that distance to
carry help and comfort to survivors
The Red Cross rushed supplies from
ST. Louis Chicago offered 100000.
The Illinois legislature appropriated q
like amount and the Missouri legisla-
ture $4,000
Toll Of Dead Mounting.
In southern Illinois, where terrific
havoc was wrought in four towns,
Murphysboro, West Franfort De Soto
and Gorham, all in coal mining terri
tory within a twenty-five mile radius
OF Carbonate, the relief center, the
toll of dead and injured continued to
mount as additional bodies were taken
from the ruins. The death list was
above the 500 mark, while between
1900 and 5000 were injured and thou
sands were homeless. Relief workers
said the loss of life might resch 1000.
The property damage in the area was
estimated at $7OOOOOO.
Grim Story in Morgue.
It was at the morgue Of southern
Illinois largest city where the story
of West Frankfort's tragedy was brief
ly but grimly told Ninety-one bodies
lay stretched in long rows, and the
first twenty-one were the forms of
little children, ranging from eighteen
months to four years in age.
They lay in a pitiful row on long
table, faces uncovered so some heart
broken mother or father or perhaps
nm older brother or sister might claim
them. One by one the little bodies
were tagged with a family name as
identifcations were made
At a mine known as No. 10 twelve
men went to their deaths when the
plant above ground was demolished.
Terrible was the destruction vented
on Murphysboro.
Makes KindIing Wood of Homes.
More than half of it now is little
more than kindling wood and smolder-
ing ruins of hundreds of homes.
Hours of gathering by field artillery
could do no more to town than the
tornado did TO the stricken area of