Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 May 1917 — Tornado Again Deals Out Death and Destruction [ARTICLE]

Tornado Again Deals Out Death and Destruction

Third Tornado of Year Sweeps Over Country Killing Over 150 and Injuring Hundreds. Hundreds are Homeless Following Spasmodic Winds. Millions of Dollars Worth of Property Damage. Farm Implements are Hard Hit.

INDIANA DEATH TOLL 9 Aid is Rushed to Stricken Cities In Indiana and Illinois Following Cry Sent Up For Succor—Many Injured In Lowell, Crown Point, Shelby uad Cedar Lake— Houses Are Razcd~tir ‘ Ground and Telephone and Telegraph Lines Down and Trees Uprooted—Hundreds Live Years As Death Rides By On Wild Gale. KNOWN DEAD. At Hebron: Kenny, Leslie. Pesh, D. B. Pesh, Mrs. D. B. At Kouts: Bessecker, C. J., Ivan, Juma. For the third time within as many months, a tornado of three days, striking Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and portions of Indiana, dealt out death and destruction in its wake and left a scene of desolation in its path. More than 150 persons are known to have been killed, a thousand or more injured and millions of dollars worth of property destroyed by the tonado. Reports indicate that a large amount of farm implements, needed to produce the bumper crop desired this year, was ruined, although the spasmodic wind struck only here and there in its frightful play through the rural regions. Crop damage is said to be not heavy in grains. Ln Indiana at least nine Hoosiers were killed, seven at Hebron and Kouts in this section of the state, and two at Black Hawk, near Terre Haute. The death list in this state may reach twenty. More than two hundred were injured in the Indiana territory swept by the storm and the property damage is estimated at $2,000,000. The heaviest toll of life was taken at Mattoon, 111., a city of 10,000 population in the broom corn country of southern Illinois, where 54 are known to be dead and 500 injured. At Hebron and Kouts five persons are known to be dead, several hundred injured and many houses demolished as a result of the storm early Sunday,, which was perhaps destructive that ever visited this vicinity. Great numbers of live stock lay strewn about the fields of the various farms devastated by the tornado. The towns of Hebron and Kouts lay directly in the path of the storm and the extent of the ravages there is not known as yet, as they are cut off from communication with the outside

world. It is considered probable that a number of those injured may die. According to the survivors in these two towns the cyclonic eloud seemei to strike the ground a short distance west of Hebron and swept through the buildings on several farms after destroying the entire northwest c rnerofthe city of Hebron. — The tornadowshattered a grain elevator, unroofed the. hotel Gordon and then swept due east to Kouts, where thirty buildings were wrecked, including churches and a big elevator and creamery. Estimates of the property damage, placed the amount at $2,000,000 or more. The towns of Lowell, Cedar Lake, Shelby and the adjoining territory near the Kankakee river were visited by the tornado. The property damage in this region is extensive. Communication in most directions is cut off, but enough is known to place the estimate at forty injured. Hebron, a town of about 1,000 popuialtion, was the city in Indiana which suffered the heaviest. The business section of this city suffered but little, the storm striking on the northwest side where practically every building was razed to the ground. Telephone and telegraph wires are dow nand giant trees uprooted. Practically every tree in the wind-swept territory was a victim of the wind. From Shelby on north for a distance of several miles along the Monon tracks, hundreds of trees were broken down. Live stock and farm implements also suffered heavily. The Pennsylvania depot at Hebron was unroofed and the water tank blown over. There were three fatalities, only one of which was right inside of the city. 59 to 75 houses in the city were blown down.

Little is known as yet concerning the extent of the damage at Kouts. At least thirty buildings are estimated to have been destroyed within the city limits and it is reported that the store belonging to Joseph Luers was among those wrecked. Mr. Luers is also said to haVe had a house destroyed. A call was immediately sent out from the stricken towns for aid and physicians were rushed to the scene of disaster from Valparaiso, Crown Point and Hammond. The hospitals are filled with the injured. Red Cross nurses are actively engaged in helping to relieve the sufferings of the wounded. Visitors streamed into Hebron by automobile throughout the day and all responded liberally to a subscription paper which was passed and nothing was left undone to help the unfortunate town. Police from Valparaiso patrolled the town. J The storm, as usual, committed many freaks. Live stock was pidked up and carried a considerable distance and then gently set down again. A horse hatched to a buggy in Hebron was earned a quarter of a mile and tjien dropped, demolishing the buggy but leaving the horse uninjured. One large house in Hebron was turned completely around on its foundation and another had ,ths, four walls flattened out. Houses in some instances were picked from their foundations and carried a considerable distance, leaving the families uninjured.