People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1893 — WIND, FIRE AND FLOOD. [ARTICLE]

WIND, FIRE AND FLOOD.

They Are Responsible for the Loss ot Many Lives and the Destruction of Much Property—Thirty Killed by a Cyclone in Oklahoma and Six Perish Through a Similar Cause in Indian Territory—Six Persons Burned to Death in Burlington, la. Damaging Floods in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. Fort Worth, Tex, May 3.—A cyclone struck the town of Cisco at 9 o’clock Friday night, totally demolishing everything in its path. The Texas & Pacific depot was lifted from its foundation, blown across the track and fell a mass of shattered and splintered timbers 400 feet from the railroad in a patch of timber. Churches, residences and, in fact, every house in town but two were leveled with the ground. The reports so far received are that thirty persons have been killed and at least 140 injured. Out of forty-five business houses forty were blown to fragments and four of the others are so damaged as to be useless. Twenty-five dwellings were wiped out of existence. Several persons who have not been accounted for are undoubtedly buried in the debris. The most conservative estimates place the total property loss at over $2,000,000. Burlington, Ia., May 2.—Burlingtom was visited Saturday morning by a terrific and sickening holocaust the like of which has never been known in this locality. Shortly after 2 o’clock Sunday morning fire was discovered bursting from the windows and doors of an old brick tenement house at 85 Jefferson street The house was full of lodgers of the poorerclass of workmen and mechanics, and many of them saved themselves only by jumping from the windows, a numberwith no clothing on their persons, butt all did not escape. The house was averitable fire-trap, with numerousdevious halls and dark landings. A number of the sleeping-rooms had nowindows. So quickly did the-fire spread that six of the lodgers were caught like rats in a trap and perished miserably. Theywere: F. G. Schuman, a carpet weaver;. Mike Hines, a transient lodger; MikeLee, a stove molder;, of Chicago; Joe Swindler, a plasterer; of Burlington; John Morgan, a stove molder, residence not known; a boiler maker,, known as “Charlie,” supposed to be from Chicago. Guthrie, O. T. May 1. Another cyclone visited the Ponca Indian reservation, 40 miles north of here, Friday night and did a great amount of damage on the Blevin cattle ranch. The buildings were - destroyed, and J. J. Keithley, wife and two were killed and many others injured. On the adjoining ranch. Mr. Jackson and two children: were crushed to deaths Many Indians are reported killed and a large number of cattle perished,. Much more damage was done farther east, but no particulars are obtainable. At Edmond great damage was done by the - Wind and hail and several persons were injured east of here. At Waterloo a waterspout washed out the Santa Fe tracks badly and did much other damage. Springfield, O., May 2.—One hundred acres in the northeast part of this city, containing 200 houses, were flooded Monday evening. Scores of families are threatened with destruction.

At noon Monday an immense -waterspout burst over Tremont City, a village near here. At. about the same time the river broke-'its banks, and within eighteen.minutes the water had. flooded the town, carrying away outbuildings and stables and flooding-the first story of residences. No person is reported killed .or drowned, but there isa heavy loss of stock. St. Louis, May2.—An additional rise in the river Sunday night brought disaster and the situation now is critical. The East St. Louis dock immediately south of the Eads bridge gave way. before the rush, of water at., 11:30 Monday morning, and fully onefourth of the vast building, with the heavy contents, fell in a heap, the roof sinking and settling upon the wreck. Thousands of barrels of flour, sacks of grain and boxes of canned goods-were precipitated into the water. One of the laborers, Cicero Pate, a colored man, is missings and William Harris had his arm broken. The building is said to belong to Chicago people and’was used as .a warehouse. It now appears that repetition of last year’s flood between East-. St. Louis and Cahokia is inevitable. The water about Cahokia has already reached an alarming stage and several families have left their homes in advance of the flood. The river is beginning to enter the lower port of North. St. Louis. Brooklyn, 111., a town of 1,000 inhabitants.just north of East St. Louis, is in imminent danger. The town, lies on a*, low piece- of ground, triangle shaped,, protected; ®n two sides by railroad em—bankments and on the third side by theMadison county levee,-. Tins levee is. very insecure and is protected, only bya railroad embankrient of little stability. The force of. the stream strikes, this embankment,full at abend in theriver and it is bnt a question of time- , when ifc will go and the town of Brooklyn will be swept, away, Vuscennes, Ind., May 2.—The low-, lands, in Indiana and Illinois are inundated! by the Wabash river and thousands of bushels of wheat in. the vicinity are at th® mercy ©f floods, which shows no signs of abatement Vandalia, 111., May 2.—The Ownk river has flooded all the bottom lands, in this vicinity. Hundreds of cattle and hogs have been drowned aoid miles, of fencing have been washed away.