The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-05-29

Destructive whiriwind In Michigan.
The town Of Marathon, In LApeer county Mich, was
the most destructive ornsdess ever experienced "a that
State We take the following account from the Lapeer
Democrat: -
II came from westerly direction, and the Arst We
hear Of IL at John Crawfords in the town Of Forest
Mr. Cawfords barn unroofsd and the boards raft
T re- Sanss 70 s % MI
John Blues house and barn were unroofed, and the
barn, new frame building, was much rscked His
rails lumber and rubbish that IL will require as much
labor TO clear II of 1t did in q state Of nature
VIM Merrns house was removed from its foundation
and unrooed The widow Luther's house was entirely
demolished and some of her furniture carried of the
whiri. Her SON, young man Of eighteen or twenty
years, to be holding on to a wild plum tree,
but after the tornado passed he found upon
ground some rods OFF, the plum tree had been twisted
of, and ives laying across Mr.: Luther, who had one
arm broken in two places, and otherwise seriously
injured that his recovery very doubtful
The sehoo, house was unroofed Martin va,ient,nes
house was also unrooted These are the only buildings
we have heard Of that injured.
The heaviest loss will be in the destruction OF the
valuable pine ano other timber in It's course 30 great
the force the whr Wind that nothing could with
stand il The giants Of the forest, which have with.
stood the of hundred years were wren ched
from their firm roots and tossed about Like straw,
Even stumps, firm v embedded In mother earth, were
torn up and carried many rods Old logs, which had
lain upon the ground for years were and torn
with fence rsis limbs OF tress, boards rafters shin
gles &C., which were lifted immense height. rhe
ranging from twenty RODS to half mile in width aud
making cissn sweep as it went. We have heard from
eight miles Of it's and it still moving
its track Of devastation and ruin
It passed north Of TONER'S MILL and also of shaer's
and south of Persons mill. Had its raage been changed
but little north or south, the destruction would have
been much greater. We have bean told by these who
have visited the spot that the track of the tornado pre-
sents most singular appearance The trees growing IN
the centre were twisted of and thrown lengthways
while those each side thrown those In the
centre the tops pointing in, and forming Handsome
wiprow.
girl carrying a satchell caught the outer edge
of the whrl and thrown violently distance, whue
her satche bonnet, shawl &c, went up, and as they
have not yet been found it is not known If they have
come down. bed was taken out OF Mrs. Luther's
house. and sailed gard as natural as though the fsa
theirs of which made had been plucked from
the bodies TO which they one belonged.
In some pla es the culverts across the roads
were torn up by ths tornado and the roads generally
and rubbish Of all kinds.
We hear rumors of the destruction of other buildings
but hope they may not true An eye witness
that the tornado presented most singular appearance
He says ''the wind would rise in sn immense whirl,
drawing up rails limbs of trees boards leaves, dirt,
&C. - TO great height, when suddenly it would to
crop again TO the earth and feed itself with sup
ply CT such things as were moyeaoe and again riss
Since writing the above we have been called upon
by DR.. sold who spent two three days In Mara
thon last week. and visited the scene of destruction
The Doctor says the tornado first broke upon small
log house. in the town Of Forest which was unrooed 1t
next struck the log SCHOOL house near Ora Words,
another Near Crawford's is small LAKE. about forty
rods wide and fifty sixty long the water Of which
raised higher than tops Of the trees leaving the lake
Yearly dry. From thence it passed through forest
moving its way till it came to the town of Marathon.
Blues house and unrooted.
Mrs Lutbers house was entirely destroyed, and her
furniture ashed to pieces and rendered
every thing in her house uined and scattered in all
direcsit ms hal. mile around. Jeromss house
unroofed others much damaged. Near tie house OF
Mr. Merrils ia what ia called mound spring. from which
q stream OF water sufficient to fill three inch pipe is
Ttat nrtNUf0 n N
in diameter spd about eighteen inches deep all tas wa
ter up and those who observed say that
naeo passed The roofs Of the buildings raised
tire to the height Of twenty thirty feet, when the
whr would break them up and scatter the frag in
all directions In the frsgm snts have been
found two miles from TIRE place from which they started