Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1920 — STORM DAMAGE OF MILLIONS [ARTICLE]

STORM DAMAGE OF MILLIONS

And Scorns of Dead In Many Middle West Cities and Towns DEAD IN INDIANA NUMDERI34 Thirty Dead and Property Loss of $6,000,000 at Elgin and Other Nearby Cities in Illinois. Revised reports from edght states struck by Sunday’s' tornado placed the number of dead at 158, with 103 In northern states, and 55 in southern states, as follows: Indiana, 34; Illinois, 30; Ohio, 26; Michigan, 11; Missouri, 1; Wisconsin, 1; Georgia, 38; Alabama, 17. Many hundreds of persons were injured. Property loss In Illinois was estimated at $6,000,000; in western Ohio at $2,000,000; in Georgia at more than $1,000,000, while other states visited by the tornado reported a large amount of damage done. Indianapolis, Meh. 30. —Latest reports from the storm swept areas of northern Indiana place the number of dead as a result of Sunday’s tor* nado at 34. Hundreds of persons were injured in 10 countiee in the state and although property damage cannot be estimated it will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many persons have not been accounted for. Five deaths were reported from’ Adams county. Nine dead were reported from Ft. Wayne. Eight persons were reported killed in Jay county, one in Steuben county, one in Montgomery county and 10 from Union City, which is located in Randolph county on the Indiana-Ohio state line. Some of those killed at Union City lived on the Ohio side of the line, it was said. Because of the demoralization of telegraph and telephone service and the almost Impassable condition' of many roads, full reports from many rural districts in the path of the storm have not been received and the list of injured is being added to hourly. Several counties In which no loss of lite was reported, suffered heavy property damage. Those included St. Joseph and Lake counties, in which South Bend and Gary, respectively, are the principal cities. Several small communities today were reported completely obliterated but no confirmation of these reports have been received. Reports of damage have been received from more than 25 cities.

Chicago, Meh. 29.—The death list from the Palm Sunday tornadoes that swept sections of eight states tonight stood at 158. Telegraph and telephone service with many Isolated communities In the middle west had only been partly, restored tonight and Indications were that the toll of death and destruction would be augmented. The known dead in six central western states numbered 103 while 55 were killed in Georgia and Alabama. The property loss in the Chicago area alone was estimated at $6,000,000, while in other states affected the material loss was large.Elgin, 111., suffered the heaviest property loss, the damage there being $4,000,000. Illinois was the hardest hit of the central states, with 30 dead, more than 1,000 Injured and 2,000 made homeless. j The districts most affected in the Chicago area were Irving Park, within the city limits, with six Melrose Park, nine dead; Elgin, eight dead; Maywood, four dead, and Plainfield, three Heavy property damage resulted in these towns and also at Wilmette and Evanston, north shore suburbs. No fatalities occurred in the latter places. At Joliet, 111., three persons were probably fatally injured, 14 were seriously hurt and the property damage was estimated at a $500,000. Troops patrolled the streets at Elgin, Melrose Park and Wilmette today. Health Commissioner Robertson of Chicago mobolized every available surgeon and nurse and sent them to I the stricken areas. Mayor Thompson

acted with the city council in raising funds by public subscription and Red Cross headquarters were opened. In several places American Legion posts sent volunteers to watch for looters and assist in relief work. Henry J. Cox, weather forecaster for Chicago, said the tornado was the result of a combination of two storms. One developed in Alaska, traveled through British Columbia and joined a storm from the southwest which developed In the arid plateaus of southern Arizona and Nevada. This combination, Mr. Cox said, resulted In a rotary motion which formed eddies and caused a torhado.

Although the tornado traveled forward at a rate of . about 50 miles an hour, the wind at the core of the tornado was estimated to have had a velocity of from 200 to 300'miles.