New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-28
0sen-]lork Dailp Grihnne.
TERRIFIC TORN AID O.
THREE PERSONS KILLED.
4 HOUSE CARRIED UP IN THE AIR!
TERRIFIC EFFECTS or THE wHIRLwINo.
From. The Chicago Tribune Of My u

From The Chicago Tribune Of My 81
Never before has IT been our duty to record go a"ui
a calamity that TO which we now sit down 20 "T'e'
The scene OF the tragedy is still before our mind eye;
tIe wrecks OF the tempest still lying scattered
about: but were il not for the uninpeacnaOle charac
ter OF our inionnants, witnesses OF the dreaGi
calamity we should be inclined TO believe that they
had been aboring under some mental hallucblauon,
and that what we are about TO relate but dream
of the Imagination. The reality however IL too r6e.
The bodies of the three victims and the wounds OF the
other persons constitute evidence too papabe to be
1T aside q,
our readers viii remember the violent hail-sterm
tIat took place in this city yesterday afternoon be-
tween and o'clock and the oppressive heat OF the
rest Of the afternoon. At the same hour the events TO
which we aludo took place IN tie town OF Jefferson,
near JEFF erson Mills sixteen miles distant.
A cloud of peculiar shape was first observed ap-
proaching from the northwest and terminating IN
funneshaped point, the apex toward ana nearly APP
,rocchiur the earth A. IL nearer II WAS dlscoy-
cred TO be- a whiTlwnd, rapidly revolving and whiri-
me- ND various objects in which were plainly seen
large sticks Of wood, boards, email trees aud ehars
II was coming toward our lniornants Dut did mol
reach them but turned to their night, described
sami-circle and fell upon Il large frame house. In
an instant and with crash, the roof was torn OIL and
Immediately the whole house was lifted from its
foundation literally torn 10 pieces, and the pieces car
ried u, i'm th. horrid vortex. The furniture IN the
bouse all of H. shared the same fate the weight of
the articles appearing no obstacle TO their ascent
whatever.
And now we come to part Of the narrative sad indeed
to relate ia the house we're nine lersOns. They were
al dra-yn M into the air and fell at different distances,
with great violence to the ground. The wife OF one 81
the Witnesses Mrs. Page. and two Of herchlldren,
were instantly killed. All the other persons in the
house were greatly injured The injuries; with tw9
exceptions consist OF singular and heavy bruises all
over the body. One man had bis arm broken, and
another his wrist badly spralned. Mr. Page only
saved himself from being drawn up into the AR by
holding on 10 large rock. The house stood upon
four large granite powders. These were AL moved
several feet from their places.
The whirlwnd went on and passed diagonaly across
a pOst-and rail fence. OF tbs II tore up twenty rods
so efectuelly that there i not the slightest Vesge OF
fence remaining From this II passed 10 tie barn, tore
away one side OF il and threw it against horse caus-
Ing II DEATH The side of the barn then fell down on
three calves and injured them badly that they died
during the night.
The whI1lwind seemed 10 pass on ID soutn"@au
NAM of the fragments Of the buildings, &c, fe to
the GROUND from great hight. In coming down they
fell nearly perIendicuaTly and entered the ground
ike stakes. Hundreds OF these were counted by our
informant.
The force Of The storm was tremendous. Not only
were the boards torn oil from the beams to which they
were nailed but the beams themselves were wrenched
asunder.
many of the hoiLs;ones being the size OF walnuts.
some OF them were nine inches in circumference.
From The Chieago Tires, May y.
earn from -tLueludu lcot.t0 III tii' VIM
;ty Of Plain station on the Illinois end Wisconsin
Railroad that an awful whrlwind swept over that
nerhborhoOd on Tuesday afternoon last. Persons az
o. Plain witnessed about O'Clock, spectacle like
aler Sc smoke rising in huge column from &c earth
AZ q distance Of few miles 10 the west The column
extended upward TO the clouds, whea It became vio
Ien,lv A iaied with whiring motion and commenced
moving over the country toward the southe a.. IL
bore some resemblance 70 a water spout, but was
more terrible in it, APPEARANCE and movements Light
ming flashed from tie heavens aud descended through
the column. ting sreaks Of flame with re dark
outlines, and lending to the whole an aspect raiy
fearful. -:
The column continued moving in a circular dlrecuon
toward the sout beast through segment OF ao1u,
fortv-fve degrees when it suddenly broke IN Two anu
disappeared. In fw minutes at the point WIZ ~:
eoumn went down. il was observed % rise AGAIN 'uS
time appsreutlv but a few feet in diameter. II eA-
pau5ea a. II went whiriing upward unui neariy -
LARGE A. before and reaching the couns 20 a'al-
anee moved back again toward the nofln-"est oyer
almost urecisey the sane path a. oelO.e. "neh
about halfway back 70 its inst starting point the COL
umn disauueared and was no morr 'esh'
This strange looking phenomenon @as whriylnd.
o. - rom the neighbOrhOod where il was first
obse-ed ~ r.e about twenty miles from this city, II
vas ound to have been OF the most terrible character
-uproo;ng and destroying everything which happened
10 t. hi i,s path. Tie house Of Mr.. Pnge about
mile south OF OPsin station, was totally demolished,
and four OF tie inmates were killed. Three others
the son and dausher-n-Iaw of Dir. Page, and one Oh