Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1920 — TORNADO TAKES BIG TOLL [ARTICLE]

TORNADO TAKES BIG TOLL

NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHERN INDIANA HIT BY SUNDAY STORM Chicago, March 28.—At least 26 dead, hundreds of injured and prop-' erty loss of several million dollars were left in the wake of tornado that swept northeastern Illinois and portions of Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin today. Elgin, Joliet, the western outskirts of Chicago and North Shore and western suburbs were in the fath of the storm, which destroyed undreds of buildings, uprooted trees, and demoralized railroad traffic and telegraph and telephonic communication before dying out on the Shore of Lake Michigan, just north of Chicago. The fury of the tornado was felt chiefly at Elgin and Melrose Park, a Chicago suburb. Eight were killed and more than 100 injured at the former city, 36 miles west of Chicago, and the property toss there was estimated at $4,000,000. At Melrose Park, seven were killed and four reported missing. In Chicago proper two persons were killed ana a score injured, while at Dunning, a northwestern suburb, four deaths Were reported, more than a hundred were injured and 1,000 made homeless. _ While northeastern Illinois sustained the principal damage the tornado in its freakish career swept several Indiana towns, near Port Wayne, resulting in three deaths, caused the death of one man and the injury of several persons in St Louis, and killed Mm. Louis Brown at East Troy, Wis. Reports from the country districts in Illinois and Indiana were meager and it was feared the death toll might be considerably augmented when isolated communities were heard from. Telephone, telegraph and power wires to nearly all of the towns in the path of the storm were down and many of the places were in darkness. Outside of Chicago, Wauconda, McHenry, Woodstock, Algonquin and Marengo felt the full effects of the storm but communication with them was cut off. Edgerton, Ind., 18 miles from Port Wayne, was reported hard hit. Three persons were killed at Zulu, fad., near Fort Wayne, while several were said, to have been injured -at Parian- - • Property loss running into the hundreds ot thousands of dollars, was caused in Evanston,. Wilamette, and other north shore suburbs, while Bellwood, Maywood, Edgebrook and other villages west of Chicago, were damaged. No fatalities were reported from the latter place, but many were injured by flying glaps and timbers and broken trees. The tornado struck Elgin at noon, coming from the southwest and swept northeast. In the Chicago territory the tornado first passed through the village of Bellwood and sweeping from there through Maywood and Melrose Park, left a path of destruction 200 yards wide and a mile and a half long. , The wind tore into the business quarter of Melrose Park, ripping roofs from buildings, shattering windows and piling the streets with debris. _ , _ The church of the Sacred Heart was severely damaged, the church bell, weighing nearly a ton, being deposited 100 feet away. The roof of the parish house adjoining was carried away and three nuns were injured. Fire for a tune threatened to add to the havoc, but the flames were confined to the wreckage.* The state hospital at Dunning on the edge of Chicago, was converted into an emergency hospital and Blace8 lace of refuge for the homeless, [ore than 200 bouses were de-

stroyed. . . . , . Calls for medical assistance from the suburbs poured onto Chicago. Emergency Red Cross stations were established in several of the villages and physicians and nurses from the municipal sanitarium were burned to the stricken towns. Chief of Police Garrity supervised the work of the police in giving aid to the injured and in restoring normal conditions an the stricken area. At Elgin and Wilametteacompanies of the Illinois National Guard were called out to protect the storm-swept quarters from looting and at 'Melrose Park, a force of 126 members of the American Legion was organized to patrol the streets. The Citizens State bank, the first building at Melrose Park to be daraaged by the tornado was under guard tonight, and the mayor asked that state militia be sent to protect the building. A relief society in Melrose Park tonight obtained $6,000 to provide food and clothing for the storm victims.