TERRIFIC TORNADO.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 553, 26 March 1913, Page 5

TERRIFIC TORNADO.

OMAHA IN RUINS

[ HUNDRED AND FIFTY KILLED. By Telej;raiili.-—Fr«K.'* A hh<mm :it joii-- OoiiyrlirJH, Now York, Monday. A terrific tornado struck Omaha, the chiof city of Nebraska, to-day. Many buildings wero destroyed by the force of the storm, and a hundred and fifty people wero killed by ftUlintf masonry and timber. Fire broke out amid the ruins;, and a whole section was destroyed.

The Diamond Picture Thositro col lapsed and thirty people wore crushed amid the ruins.

Communications with the outside world has been entirely cut of!, the telegraph and telephone linns being down and tlio railway linen badly damaged. LOOTING FOLLOWS FIRE. TOWN UNDER MARTIAL LAW. Now York, Monday. The latest news from Omaha minimises the loss of life, but. the damage to property is enormous. Twenty bodies have already been recovered. The district, is practically under martial law, soldieis being camped in the streets. The injured will probably number hundreds. Twenty negroes were caught in a pool-room when it collapsed, none escaping. The storm first struck Ralston, and then moved eight miles in a north-east direction through Omaha, cutting a swathe of destruction four blocks wide.

Much looting followed the lire, but the presence of the soldiers acted ae an effective check. A second tornado followed, completing the ruin.

The town of Qutan, Nebraska, suffered heavily by the name tornado, house being unnroofed and ton people killed. WHAT THE PASSENGERS SAW. OVERWHELMED AT THE SIGHT. WOUNDED ASK TO BE PUT OUT OF THEIR MISERY. Received March 25, 0.50 p.m. New York, Tuesday. Passengers on a train saw the tor« nado strike Omaha. Buildings were whirled bodily in the air, and bodies were seen falling out of the buildings. When the train stopped passengers ran to assist and were overwhelmed at the sight which met them. Dozens lay dead and dying. Some of the latter asked to be put out of

their misery. The tornado cut a swathe twentyfuur blocks long and three blocks wide through tho wealthiest part, of the city.

Twelve hundred houses were wrecked and the damage .is estimated at three million sterling.