The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-04-18
Pfom the Alliance Ledger Extra, OF Sunday 18Th inst
Terrific Hurricane at Alliance

Great Destruction # Prope,ty-Loss Of Life
Houses blo,on dot0n and aspooel-I iemen-
dous violence Of the Storm--FaI Particulars
lie Storm Else,otere, dc.
1t is with feelings of sadness that we are
Obliged to record calamity which has befallen
our place, involving the loss of life and prop
.erty, and spreading desolation and ruin on
every hand.
Last evening, about half-past 6 O'Clock, a
tremendous hurricane passed over Alliance,
the like of which has never before been wit
messed in this region and never, we fervently
hope, may be again.
The storm, we should think, lasted about
three minutes, during which time the air was
literally filed with the various fragments of
shattered buildings and other missiles blown
about with terrific violence.
AS soon as the gale had spent its force, al
though the rain poured down in torrents large
numbers of our citizens left their places Of re
treat to ascertain the cxtentsof the damages,
and as dismantled builc ings were seen in every
direction, it was feared that the loss of life was
great.
1t was soon discovered that Isaac johnson,
a farmer, whose residence is about one mile
west Of town, had been killed. no doubt, al
most instantly. Mr.. johnson had come to
t,wn with his wife, and was at the store of L.
Teeters & Co., when the storm came on. He
went out to the east of the block, to attend to
his team, when the wall of the building fell
upon him, crushing in the top part of his skull,
50 that the brain protruded. He presented a
horrible spectacle when discovered, being al
most buried in bricks and mud, the blood
streaming from his wounds.
The mother of Mr.. Johnson. an elderly lady,
experienced so severe a shock on beholdng
the remains of her son, that apeplexy was the
consequence, which speedily terminated her
existence. Thus has a double aff1iction be-
fallen this family.
DESTRUCTION OF AND DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS.
We give below the full particulars of the
destruction of property in our town by this
awful visitation so far as we have been able to
gather them.
The large frame building on Alliance street,
in course of erection by our enterprising
townsmen, MessrS. II. & H. Hoover and
Messrs. R. d. Hanna, and intended to be occu-
pied by them as stores, was literally raised to
the ground. Several carpenters were at work
on the building at the time, two ofwhom were
caught by the falling timbers.- One of these.
a Mr.. Savage, of Marlboro was extricated
with some difficulty, and found to be severely
inquired. He received severe confusion on
the lower part of tho head, and other wounds.
He was taken into the store of Messrs. Hoover.
where his wounds were dressed, and after
wards removed to the Buckeye House. His
wounds were not considered dangerous. The
other was German, by the name of Fosle.
He was considerably bruised, and those who
saw the timbers falling upon him assure us
that his preservation from instant death was
almost miracle.
The three story brick Hotel, known as the
Alliance Exchange, owned by j. B. Nixon, of
Mt. Union, and occupied by John A. Moore, as
landlord who moved in but few DAYS ago,
presents the: appearance of disnantIcd for