The Spirit of the Valley from Randolph, Kansas • 1

VOL. I. RANDOLPH, RILEY COUNTY, KANSAS, MAY 21, 1896. NO. 9, CYCLONES DO THEIR.

WORK. P. B. VA WTBR, NORTHWESTRN RILEY IN RUINS -DEALER IN THE WINDS TERRIBLE WORK. Several Distinct Storms Sunday Afternoon Fred Winland, corn crib and wind mill gone.

Ienry Mohler, house and oarn damaged; orchard pulled up by the roots. Fred Sondker, barn ruined, house unroofed. J. S. Cunningham, house barn totally destroyed, stock killed, implements gone.

Thomas Wait, house, barn and corn cribs damaged. Will Sondker, house twisted. Fred Toburen, jr. barn ruined, Partial list of damage Loss estimated to be at least Drugs, Paints, Oil, Glass, Brushes, nalsomine, Wall Paper, Books, Stationary and School Supplies. A terrible cyclone of huge dimen sions swept this part of the- state May 17, doing much damage to City, great damage was best and most :0 done and a number of people injur ed.

A Preston, a large por tion of the town was laid waste and ten or more people in ured. MILLINERY GOODS At the lo west prices, call at MISS GEORGIA ENDRES MILLINERY STORE Extra fine line of trimmed hats at very low prices. Be sure and see them before you buy. Second door north of postoffice. RANDOLPH, KANSAS The second and smaller of the funnel shaped clouds worked almost wind mill totally destroyed.

Fred Sondker, roof off barn, wind mill totally destroyed. John Finley, near Parallel, shed and out houses badly damaged. Nels Johnson, outside property slightly injured. C. Martinson, ditto.

M. Balrd, lost wind mill and corn crib, barn twisted from foundation, apple trees pulled up by the roots, timber badly damaged. The storm came within fifteen feet of his house but did not hurt it. Richard Finley, barn blown down windmill demolished, orchard hurt. Henry vers myer, sheds hurt.

M. Evens, barn unroofed, wind directly east from the county line and passed just north of the Peach Grove church only doing compara tiveiy small damage. It was the cloud and storm which was watched there on west no accurate estimate by the Randolph people. can be given. The Congregational Very heavy rains and some hail followed which fell only in that church near Fact being among the buildings totally destroyed.

Along the parallel, the storm lost none of its fury and made a mill damaged. Bodaville store, completely de clean sweep of every thing in; its stroyed. path. Just north of the parallel Henry Mulls, house wrecked. section covered by the storm.

The first signs being about two miles south of Peach Grove church from there on north and west, the roads were almost impassable on account of mud, washouts, fallen timbers, trees, etc. It is almost impossible to give any accurate account of ths damage barn badly torn up. the Spring Valley church was its path. Meeting was in progress and the building full of people. Ole iranson, house entirely swept away, barn down, wind mill When the storm struck the church it carried it completely away, seriously injuring three or four and destroyed, honsehold goods completely demolished.

E. Lewis, dwelling, barn, windmill and gran-ery gone oats and corn scattered over the premises. bruising several quite badly. It is almost a miracle that none were killed. Those injured here were: Elmer Spurrier, in edge of Clay county, everything clean swept.

Rev. Mason, leg broken and body severely bruised. John Inman, leg broken. John Finley, leg hurt and hip Nothing remains of a well improved place. buildings, fences, orchards, crops, etc.

The cyclone originated in northern near where the cyclone of a few weeks ago spent its force, and traveled in a northeasterly direction, covering a territory from three-fourths of a mile to two miles wide. The greatest damage done was in but Riley came in for a share a strip in the northwest corner of the county, reaching from north and west of May Day on through by Bodaville and Parallel. In that direction there were two separate storms, each one having the usual funnel shaped cloud. The paths of each of these are plainly marked, mile after mile with heaps of ruins ol dwellings, barns, wind mills and all manner of deb-ris. The storm formed in the afternoon between 3 and 4 o'clock and was being watched by nearly everyone in the county, and as it made its way on one family after another took refuge in caves and other places Of safety.

It Ayas probably on account of its happening at that time of day there was no loss of life and so few injured. The main storm struck Riley-co. two miles west of May Day axd its violence is demonstrated all along the county line. The amount of damage done is terrible. All along the road pieces of furniture, bedding and farm implements are strewn.

The barb wire on fences was stripped off and rod after rod lies stretched in the roads. At Bodaville, the store was crushed over on its side like a paper box, the front end torn out and some of the goods scattered over the hills. The church which stood across the road was completely destroyed, although some of the side wails still stand. school house which stood within a few yards of the other two buildings was unhurt, save that the chimney was blown off. The stock of goods in the Bodaville store was moved into the school house, and the loss sustained on them will only be about $100, while the building they were in will be a total loss as no insurance was carried.

A barn belonging to the merchant was also destroyed. The timber just west of the village was torn and twisted. Huge trees, the size of a man's bod were snapped off like matches, others were blown across the roads, in some places, making thera entirely Sam Reeds," entire lossot dwell badly mashed- ing and stables. Mrs. John Innley, breast hurt.

Mr. LaChell, buildings all badly damaged. D. McAllister, house damaged, contents entirely ruined. H.

Bergen, buildings all gone. 5J 5 John Huran Chris Hunter, Geo. Cushing, house and all de stroyed. When the storm was seen ap-proaching some went out, unhitched their teams and attempted to hold them. Wrecked buggies and carriages covered the ground in all shapes.

From Spring vallev the storm kept on in its north easterly direction doing damage untold in its course. Near the Missouri Pacific and Blue Valley crossing south of Irving it crossed the Blue river, ruining the property of Mr. Guthrie end twisiting trees pulling up trees by the the roots that ha i stood the storms of many years. From here it followed its easterly course. At Bigelow, the west part of the town was wrecked and several people were hurt.

At Frankfort, The Schoaf place badly wrecked. Mr. Winblade, house damaged, stable gone, horses hurt some. Mrs. Hoover, building slightly done as it would take a week's canvass of the storm swept district.

A considerable portion of the build-ings were partially insured, though some are a total loss to the owners. Martin Muliin on the extreme north west looses three dwellings, horses barns, orchard grapes everything, with no insurance whatever. He had a large crib of corn which is scattered over the fields around for forty or fifty A clock noticed in the rooms of the house probably is a good index to the time of the storm as it stopped at 4:07 The family here took refuge in a plum thicket and their worldly possessions were seen passing over them as they grasped the brush. We give below a portion of those whose property was damaged, and althodgh incomplete covers con-siderable of the Riley-co territory visited: Mr. Files, residence, and all other building, small amount of live stock.

Mr. Kitchen, very fine barn destroyed, house damaged. I. Reed, house unroofed, stables destroyed. Carpenter Rate, barn damaged house twisted.

Mr; Nelson, house and barn injured. Mr. Haswell, house unroofed, out buildings gone. J. Vittitoe, house, barn and orch.

ard badly damaged, windmill down M. Mullen, three houses, barn, cribs, graneries, fences and orchard. Mr. Taswell, dwelling and outside building demolished. Neh Nelson on north Fancy creek house unroofed, bam destroyed.

damaged. John Detmer, buildings all wreck ed. Mr. Baker, buildings wrecked Green Rouse's also. Mr.

Ludwig, barn totally wreck- ed, houses demolished. Mrs. Finly, house, barn outbuild ings destroyed. Wm. Finley, all buildings gone.

Mr. Wink, house, barn and mill severely wrecked. Widow Womans name un Known buildings all gone. Cnas. Carpenter, house and out fifty buildings were destroyed and 200 people rendered homeless.

No one was killed, but eight persons were badly hurt. At Bailille half the town was laid waste and a num. ber of people injured. At Seneca four persons were killed, and many building wrecked, and at least twen ty persons injured. At Oneida, three children were killed.

At Sa betha, twenty residences were de-stroyed, and twenty-five persons in-jured, two of thera have since died, while eight were killed in the vicin ity. At Reserve, four people wera killed, and fifteen injured. At Falie buildings wrecktd, also the place oi Eugene Carpenter. Mrs. Hawley, stable gone, house damaged.

Congregational church near corn From Bodaville west to the county line was complete ruin. Seven- teen bouses, in four miles, were leveled to the ground, and from er of Washington and Clay coun'ie completely destroyed. Continued on page 5. "Till U- i H3l" "a "if Kt 1 INI 1,1 I.