Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1857-06-30
Correspondence Of the New York Tribune
Remarkable Phenomenon near Utica.
Iso Ltses Loa-Houses and Trees Destroyed 6y 4
.Ucteor I 7 r.a.-i...,s1-.-
UrIcA. On. w June Ia, 1857

o"i o1t III lliio tlly, 10 llle eucct tflal the
| long threatened comet had struck In
| the nelghborhood of the city. or, if not the
Vertabie comet, itself, a fish from the
same pool, or member of the same fam
hy-a juvenile member. Ii was not sup
posed by your correspondent, at the time,
that anything serious or important was al
! the bottom of these wild and fiSiag re-
ports, bu. | nevertheless endeavored TO
trace them to their source and the result
was well-authentlcated statement that
phenomenon of a very singular character
had been visible IN the heavens, or rather
IN the atmosphere between the heaven
and earth seemingly suspended from a.
oove; that this body was a tuunel-shaped,
black, moving body, of nebulous cEarac-
ter that 1t had taken its rise, or made
It's hrst appearance, at n point over the
northern outskirts of the city. Thence it
moyCf eaSterly, accompanied by buzzne,
ruf bIng noise, and gradually elongated
It's hgure as 1t went, approaching the
earth nearer, until finally, having taken a
a noriherly sweep, 1t struck the ground
near the dwelling of Mr.. Root, ia Deer
field, tearing down a fence or ,wo, and
passing on, gradually settling lower and
lower. Al last, having reached point
some live miles IN norlh-easterlv dlrec-
ton from this city, near the dwelling of
Mr.. Nathan Budlong In Schuyler, il made
descent upon his barn, ripped il up. and
scattered II TO the winds. Then passing
on, tearing up trees, fences and outhouses
III lis terrible course, It finally struck the
dwelling OF Mr.. John Warren, and in a
iwlnklIng the entire building was one ut
ter wreck. literally Z" smas shed ali to pie
ces, and destroyed. The dwelling was
not blown over--such IN idea is not d
true one OF the utter and total crash. The |
tuildng was lifted from lis stone founda- |
uon, Carried distance OF some fifteen I
feet through the air, and dashed in SPIN /
ters upon the ground. leaving clean plat |
o. grass between the place where 1t stood /.
and the pile OF rubbish.
IL the house were family OF six--pa- |
rents and children. Mr.. Warren, seeing |
the terrible object rushing down upon him, |
tearing up trees and fences in its onward /!
course, apd buzzing like a thousand hor- |
nets nests combined, called upon his wife |
aud children to accompany HIM to the eel |
lar, and suIting the action to the word. /
seized Two Of the children and leaped !
down the stairway. The wife essayed !
to follow, bat her footsteps were tardy !
she was q momentum instant too late i; |
the engine of destruction tore the building
up carrying herself and child, together
with little son who was behind her, with
1t. The husband had but time 10 see her
ascend with the building that tore away
from above him, aud then he sood ex-
posed TO the day IL his open CELLAR
He went 10 view the ruin OF his home it
was complete. Here lay The dead and
nude body of his wife, lhe destroying pow
er having stripped her clothing from her
person; there lay his son, covered with
dwelling lay one such mass of destruction
as probably never was beheld before
Broken and splintered bedsleads, cradles,
tables, kettles, chairs, boxes, trunks, I'm
ware, hats, clo,hes, stoves, bottles, bricks,
plaster, clocks, beams, stones, shingles,
and endless ct catera, lay crushed and
crumb!ed In one heap befole him.
And still or beyond was the monster
nebulosity which had caused ali this ruin,
swaying and smashing on its course of
. destruction.
After destroy.ng the house it passed
out into the road, rushed on few rods,
turned and swung about into the garden
/ of tie next neighboF, Mr.. ] NJ. Budiong.
\ gentlemen who saw it here, describes
it as resembling monster elephants
trunk, swinging lazily yet powerfully a
bout, crushing all IN It's way and hurting
boards and trees mo the air like play
things. Swinging bout In Mr.. Budong's
garden, II crashed over the fence, swept
up to the house, large and beautiful
mansion, and swept SO close by It's front
as TO tear up one or two shingles on the
/ edge of the roof; but it was merciful and
| took another circle, and swung off TO the
southwark again, crossing the road and
striking Mr.. b. S barn, large, nearly
/ new and very substantial structure, 35x50
/ feet In Its base. The moment 1t struck,
! II hurled 1t IN all directions, as the agent
I OF destruction swung on. For hundreds
/ OF feet 10 the south, eas. and west OF the
! barn, the field was literally s:rewn with
the broken beams, shingles, ETC., and the
/ contents of the barn--straw, manure, hay,
/ etc. Unlike the case Of the house, which
was dashed IN one heap of ruins on a SIM
I gle spot, the barn was scattered over the
!
rent bruise or wound on her body, was
( found dead few feet from the ste of
/ the building. Some eighty feet 10 the
southeast, the body of large threshing-
machine with cylinder of massive iron,
/ had been lodged, while other and lighter
portions of the same had been carried fur
4 Their Oh. A three-yard wide creek, some
/ one hundred feet from the barn, was so
filled with rubbish as 10 be damned up,
/ and turned from its course. Near il an
other remarkable evidence OF the sweep
ing, circling, elephant trunk-lille motion
Of the destroying body was apparent; for
a large tree was torn from lis roots dash
ed over toward the barn, aud on lis fur
ther side, also inclined toward The barn,
lay large platform piece of the lighter
PORTION Of the threshing machine mem