Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1886 — TERRIBLE TORNADO. [ARTICLE]

TERRIBLE TORNADO.

A Cyclone Sweeps Over Kansas CityDeath and Destruction in Its Path. Over Twenty Bodies Recovered from the Debris and Fifty People Injured. - The Gonrt House, a Public School and Several Large Buildings Demolished.

A furious hurricane, accompanied by a deluge of rain and hail, swept over Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, the 11th inst., wrecking the comt-house, the Lathrop School, Smith <fc Moffatt’s spice mills, and other structures, and carrying away a span of the railway bridge crossing the Missouri Biver. A thick darkness also settled over tho city, adding terrors to the storm, and causing many persons to seek safety in basements and cellars. Twelve children in tha, Lathrop school were killed, while inany were badly wounded. Twelve other, persons- dost their lives in wrecked buildings, and of the score or more injured half a dozen at least will not survive. A Kansas City correspondent gives the following account of the storm’s terrible work: \ About 10:30 ominous storm clouds began gathering over the city. They first-appeared in the northeast, and, surging westward, turned suddenly in their course, and. descending rapidly, brobb upon the city in terrific bursts of 'wind and rain that swept all lighter objects before them. The darkness was almost like night, and people fled to the nearest shelter to await with blanched faces the fury of the tempest. The clouds seemed to graze the roofs of the highest buildings, and poured out their torrents of water in apparently solid masses few a time. The storm struck the city in full force about 1150, and raged for half an hour. The streets were running rivers of water, carrying boxes and signs, and other similar freight, blown from the buildings or swept by the flood. A number of buildings were overturned, and in numerous instances drivers abandoned their horses to their fate and sought refuge in stores and houses. Borne bail accompanied the storm, but the fall was not great, otherwise the loss to property would have been enormous from water streaming. in at broken windows. As it was, windows in quite a large number of buildings were blown in and goods and furniture were water-soaked, All this, however, proved entirely insignificant when the full extent of the disaster wrought by the storm became known. The Lathrop school building occupied a prominent site at the corner of Eighth and May Btreets. It consisted of a main building, to which an art wing had been added. The building was surmounted by a tower, which for some time had been considered unsafe. It had been twice condemned, once within a few weeks, but no action had been taken in the matter. The building was crowded with children, many es whom went nearly frantic with grief over the appalling darkness and the stillness which preceded the tempest. The wind swept midway across Broadway from the west, and seemed to concentrate itß force in a desent upon the tower, which yielded with a crash, and, oarrying down the heavy bell, plunged through the Intervening floors to the basement. The main building is a mass of ruins within shattered walls, whieh will stand. The wing was comparatively uninjured, and tho scholars in it were not hurt. In the main building, however, tho effect was awful. The falling floors precipitated the terrifled children to tho basement, where masses of bricks and beams orushed them to tho ground and buried them from view. Persons near, hearing tho crash, made their way as best they could against tho beating storm to the scene. The gale quickly subsided, and the work of rescuing was undertaken by eager hands. Owing to the pretailing excitement, the first work was not very effective, but the fire department and police soon arriyed, and an organized search was commenced. The dead and wounded were taken out as quickly as possible and carried to the natatori -.m adjoining, which was turned into a hospital. Here the parents and lriends of the little ones soon gathered, each searching for his own, and uttoriDg heartrending cries as they recognized in toe maimed and bleeding forms those whom they loved. , Among the first taken out were several dead and one or two mangled almost beyond recognition, their clothing tom and their bodies covered with dust and mortar, the deathly pallor of the skin showing in painful contrast against grime and blood stains. Many horoio scenes were enacted during the rescue, and the wounded children seemed often to have greater control of themselves than ttoeir elders. One little girl, half buried in tho debris, over whom the rescuers were busy, begged them to leave her and help a boy beside her, because, she said, he was Only five years old. Tho scenes in the natatorium as the little ones were brought in and laid upon improvised cots, the dead placed together upon one side, were pitiful beyond exSression. A dozen dead were taken out during ie day and their bodies sent to toe houses ol sorrowing families. At 110 West Third street stood a three-story briek building in toe middle of the block, the third floor of which was used as an overalls factory', conducted by Hear Bros.; the first and second floors by the Graham Paper Company. In the factory were about twenty-five employes, chiefly girls. When toe storm broke out they started for the cellar. Tho building fell with a crash, being razed entirely to the earth, and most of the affrighted girls were caught in tha mins. Seven have been taken out dead, a number of others are wounded, and some are still missing. A force of laborers is busy there tonight by the flickering lantern lights, upturning confused masses of bricks and timbers. The County Court House stands at Second and Main streets, on the hill, exposed to wind* from the north and west. The building was erected nearly twenty years ago for hotel pur-pores,.hu-t-when completed was purchased by toe county for <200,000 and converted into a court house. The building has always been considered rather unsafe, and toe roof has frequently suffered injury from high winds. Th* storm struck the northwest comer, blowing in the root and the greater portion of the wall of toe third and fourth stories-.- Tho south wall, at toe east end, was blown into toe street and Deputy Sheriff Dougherty was caught and killed. All others succeeded in getting out of toe building alive. Tho jail is located in the basement qf the building, and that portion escaped injury. The prisoners were wildly alarmed, bnt became quiet when the crash had passed and they fonnd themsel vei unhurt. Judge Stover had been holding court on the third floor and had adjourned just before the storm descended. A portion of the roes in falling struck the chair toe Judge had just vacated. Across the street, on the northwest comer ol Second and Main streets, stood a two-stoiy brick building erected in 1860 by the Santa Fe Stags Company, one of the oldest buildings ia tho city, from which the stages formerly were started across the plains in tho stage-coaching days. The building has of late years been occupied by the United States Engineers. Adjoining that on the west was a three-story brick coffee and spioe mill, owned by Smith & Moffatt. This building was demolished, and, falling over upon the adjoining erne, wrecked it also completely. Frank Smith', ths senior partner of the firm, was taken bleeding from the rains and died in a short time. Mr. Moffatt was badly hurt, and three employe* were taken out badly bruised. The debris i* being removed to-night in Bearch for any who may yet be buried beneath. , The second span from the north end of the bridge across the Missouri, opposite the city, wa* blown into the river, the piers being left apparently uninjured. A'-great number of 'telegraph wires were carried down with the broken span. Workmen are busy to-night raising wires from toe wreck, and it is heped that communication in that direction will be restored by to-merrow morning. The bridge is owned by the Hannibal and St. Joseph Company, and is used by that load, the Wabash, toe Bock Island, and Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council'Bluffs. The bridge owners say that they expeet to repair it in ten days. Meanwhile toe roads wilt make temporary arrangements for transporting passengers ana freight The Wabaah will send its trains over the Missouri Pacific line via Sedalia and Hoberly. 0 “ So far aacan now be ascertained, twenty-two persons were killed instantly or have since died of their injuries, and twenty were wounded, numbers of them so badly that death is likely to follow within a few hours. Many of the killed ore-little school children who were canght in toe falling walls of the Lathrop Building and horribly mangled by the heavy timbers and broken iron work that crashed down upon them as they sat terrified at their desks, while others are young women employed at the o all factory, where! of twenty girls at work at the time toe storm began, four were taken out dead and the others are dangerously hurt. ..