The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-06-26
STORM AND TONY
LIVES LOST AND RIuIn, aoo
BLOWN To ATOMS.

The country in reference to tho dam,.o ,
property, and loss oflife by tho late .,o,.
Among tho most destructive is the To..
d. Tint passed through portions &c W..
bago aud Ogle counties, Ill. We conv e.
the Prairie Democrat:
Its course lay between North Grave
Byron, passing through Wesllicld and ~. :,
prairie North East. We have no, laa, 'us
where tho Tornado had its source Nov s"a u
length Of It's devastating track. Our ;or ru'
mant Witnessed one scene Of its apn,lrs.
ruin. How many moro such scene.
have 10 record, time only can de,crm0. -
We commence at the house of M AZ,
Ter, in Oglo county, between North G,on"
and Byron. There was but one perso,
lady, in the house when the storm s,rucLi
She ran to the door to close it, bu, Va, i ~
mediately caught by The whirwipd and ~
ried distance OF twenty rods and dro,n.a
in slough, but owing to the soltue.o fr tSu
ground, she was not materially ioia,.a
The house from which she was so pro,5,,
tally snatchcd was torn TO atoms and so.
j tered over The prairie. The mex, ha,a !.
lis course was that Of the father of N, Mi
Ter, which was badly injured Tbe ia
i gentleman was severely bu, moi f,,.na
hurt. The next house was that Of NJ,
| Birch, which was smnl, well bull, franz
The family Of Benjamin Birch, cons,,;nr
of himself, wife aud two children, ,ooe,bss
!, with the wife Of William Birch and ~.
three children, were in the house whom ,ho
tornado struck il. The whole building wa, vas
cangh, up and removed twenty feet and IL,
down upon the roof 50 as to leave thu r,r,
ers in the earth; it was again cauuh, y,
and carried about thirty rods in the 10.
som Of the tornado, and finally dashed 10
pieces. The wife Of VIM. Birch aud her
three children, rnd The wife of BENJAMIN
aud one child, all persisted, being literally
torn to pieces. b. Birch was severely bat
il is thought not MORALLY injured. His
surviving child was slightly bruised. Out
Of eigh, persons in that laled house, b..
Two remain to remember that terrific scene.
/ The next house was that Of Mr.. Shoemaker
4 young man was in il who, at the 49,
preach al the storm, attempted 10 flee ou,
1T the door, but failing in that he dropped
through the floor in time 10 lie, the house %
ienanlless through the heavens But b.
soon followed; he was taken up aud carried
near half mile and dropped in srore q
small timber, and marvellous as il NAV sp.
pear, The only serious injury he received
was the dslocating Of his wrist. The
names OF all the sufferers we could not learn
but houses, barns, fences, orchards, cattle,
md in sior, everything that came within
The range Of The tornado were swept a.
@av.
Passing towards the northeast, j, next
lnncapped leg house down 10 the second
ilaor belonging 10 Mr.. Mnford; unrooed
and raeked sundry buildings Of Mr.. Bar
nun; look of the roofs or otherwise injut
ed, and scattered the contents Of other hoo.
ses in that neighborhood belonging 10 Mes
srs. Dahen, Gorham, and Sloan. Approach.
ling Rockford % the ives, side il struck
small new house near kent's creek. 10
which were wolnln aud child, and whlrl.
cd il about, removing il several rods lroml's
site, md tearing OFF part Of the roof, bu, not
/ harming its inmates; then tearing up the
new bridge across that stream, scattering
the plank and timbcrs for ten or twenty
rods around. 4 little further on, i, shlv-
cred small house occupied by Mr.. Myers
md tamily, all Of whom escaped with some
slight bruises, though il broke and destroy
ed everything in and about his dwelling,
even TO atwo horse wagon which i carried
some dozen rods, breaking the reach in Two
places, and nearly all the spokes 10 one Of
the wheels.
Mt coming in contact with any moro
buildings in this vicinity, il did but LITTLE
more damage until it crossed Rock River
and unrooted the barn Of MIR. Morse, a.
bout four miles to the north east, which
is the last we hear its disastrous effects.
Gov. Bcbb, who was returning home
from Rockford, with cooking stove, pipe
aud furniture, in the back par, Of his w'g-
on, saw the storm approaching and asiemp,,
ted TO drive out Of the way. lie succeeded
in escaping himself, but the furniture Of his
stove and the pipe were caught in the io'o'
Of the whiflwind and carried to parts un'
known.
A gentleman, who, in company WIN
Gov. Rabb, examined several miles Of 'hs
track Of the storm describes the countTym
being literally strown with the wrecks ana
fragments Of buildings, furniture, fences
and dead animals. gentleman who WIZ
uessed the march of the tornado describes,
il as one of terrific and sublime beauty anu
grandeur, presenting tho appearance Oh az
inverted cone, The base covering an area
about 10 rods, It's column gradually cxpanu'
ing until il lost itself in the Heavens tao
wreck Of its devastating power whIrllns ~
wild confusion around the awful vortex :"
driven by centrifugal force beyond Inc . 10
dius of the whirlwind, falling in run on '"'
prairics.
The Rockford Forum states that 'ne WI
nado swept in its destructive course ~ wv
distance Of abou, fifteen miles.
The Indian editors are getting ING nork
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