The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-06-21
Terrible Tornado.

but few, The clothes can be seen by calling on
the coroner.
Terrible Tornado.
We gave last week some account, in part Of
our edition only, not receiving the Information till
our paper ,Igone TO press, of the most desruc-
tive tornado ever known in this part Of the coun-
try, which passed over portion of the towns of
Hebron and Hartland, in this county, on the ught
OF Saturday, the Ist ult In consequence OF this,
we will endesvor to embody the Information con
tanned in that account, in this, together with such
other particulars rs we have since been able to
gather.
BY this mourrful calamity, three persons lost
their lives, killed BY the falling tumbers Of the
house--the wife and child of Mr., Peterson, u
highly respectable and worthy citizen and a child
Of Mr. Martin, brother in law OF Mr. Peterson
| The tornado, or more properly speaking, the
wiirlw ind, commenced about nine o'clock in
the evening spending Its fury in few minutes,
but leaving behind scene Of desolation which
beggars description. Its track was from half to
threequarters Of a mile in width, the wind APP
pearng 10 Come from all points Of the compass
at once, the frighesed inhabitants only being
able to distinguish 4 roar before the wind was
upon them in It's most fearful violence.
The accounts Of its tremendous force seemed
/
IDLE, and we felt some msgivngs about putting
them IN type, surprising as they did all IDEAS of
ours IN relation to its violence in such cases yet
from the character Of our informants We felt sure
We were giving publicity to 10 more than the
truth. This subsequent information has confirm
ed.
We have heard, thus far Of twenty FIVE build
in.s being torn to pieces, or upset, and many
others damaged considerably, but still erect prob
ably standing little out OF the track of its heav
lest power.
( 1t IS truly marvellous that the destruction of
human life was not greater, for IN one house, that
of II Mr. Francis, We're fifteen persons, mostly in
bed, when the whrlwnd burst upon them, raising
tho house from its foundation, turning it angle.
wise, and tearing of the roof and the logs even
! with the chamber floor Yet, strange to say, no
body was hurt Two fanuing-ml. which stood
side aud side by the house, were each taken up,
one being found over quarter Of a mile east of
the house, and the other about the same distance
to the west
Its course through the timber was equally de
structiye. The largest oaks foil before tho blast
like rushes before the keen scythe of the mower.
Scarcely a tree lifts its head along its path, and
if one, It is mostly branchless. Old loss deeply
lmbedlod in the earth were hurled from their
.
lance This fact tells violence of wind which
has never before hccu experienced ia this country.
that we have heard uf unless it NAV be the Match
eZ tornado. To th,- may be added another equal
/ ~ astonlshing-a hosshead full OF water was ia.
ken up by TIE wind and carried several rods, aud
set down again without spilliug its contents, while
an empty flour barrel standing by its side was not
moved at all.
Fence rails, grind.tones, wagons, logs and earth
were all swept before the whrlwind; articles
Light or ponderous were alike borne along. The
destruction Of wagons and farming implements
such as the different mills and machines now in
use MUST be n heavy item in the loss Of property
on that occasion We learn further Of its work
/ of devastation in Ogle and Stephenson counties,
/ Illinois, and in the neighborhood Of Watertown,
/ Wisconsin, at about 6 o'clock. p NJ. some two
hours earlier, from the Freeport Democrat
Woodstock (JieHenry Co.. Democrat.
/ At the house of Mr. Miller, in Ogle county, be-
tween North Grove and Byron there was but
one person, a lady, in the house when the storm
struck it. She ran to the door to close it, but was
Immediately caught BY the whirlwnd and carried
a distance of twenty rods and dropped in slough,
but owing to the softness Of the ground, she was
not materially injured. The house from which
she was so provdentially snatched was torn to
house in its course was that Of the father of Mr.
Miller which was badly injured The old gen.
tleman was severely but not fatally hurt. The
next house was that of Mr. Birch, which was q
small. well built frame. The family Of Benjamin
Birch, consisting of himself wife and two children,
together with the wife Of William Birch and her
three children were in the house when the lorna.
do struck it, The whole building was caught
up and removed twenty feet aud let down up.
on the roof so as to leave the rafters in the
earth; it was again caught up and carried about
thirty rods in the bosom Of the tornado, and
finally dashed TO pieces. The wife of William
Birch and her three children, and the wife of
Benjamin aud one child, all persisted, being lit.
orally torn to pieces. Benz. Birch was severely
but it ia thought not MORALLY injured, His sur.
viving child was slightly bruised. Out of eight
persons in that fated house, but two remain to
remember the terrific scene. The next house
was that Of Mr., Shoemaker. A young mar
was in it who, at the approach of the storm,
attempted to flee out at the door, but failing
in that no dropped through the floor in time to
let the house go tenantloss through the heay.
ems But he soon followed: he was taken up
aud. carried n near half mile and dropped in a
grove Of small timber, and marvellous Ms it may
) appear, the only serious injury he received was
J the dislocatiEg Of his wrist The names Of all
the sufferers we could not learn, but houses
barns, fences, orchards, cattle, and in short ev.
erything that came within the range Of the
tornado were swept away.-Prdirie Democrat
---------------
Az Exrp AoRDlSARY HAnsroRx-Theho ilstorm
which occurred in Edgemont township Delaware
county, on the Goth ult, which we alluded to last
week, was probably one Of tho most extraordna.
ny phenomenon ofthe kind which has ever occur
red in this State. We saw notice Of II in the
Delaware County Republican, which said that
some ofthe stones measured nine inches, but could
scarcely believe that it was not an exaggeration
A gentleman from Edgemont last evening brought
basket full ofthc hallstones, which he had gath
; cred in his woods twenty .eght hours afte the
storm and preserved, to the Ledger Office for cx.
hibi,ion, and though It was one week after they
had fallen, some Of them actually measured five
inches in circumference, lacking an eighth-We
never saw before Jumps of ice so large found in
this manner, md we doubt whether many Of our
readers ever have. The storm extended abou,
three miles around, and destroyed everything Of