The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-05-22
Terrible Tornado.

On Thursday evening Of last week, be
tween five and six o'clock the middle belt OF
this State, from say thirty miles South Of
| Ottawa to Springfield. and extending east
and west the whole width Of the State, was
visited by one OF the most fearful storms
ever known in this country. The papers in
the region Of the 'ornados Y, il was proceed
ed by singular luid greenncss of the
clouds and dead calm in the air, su c-cd
by vivid t.sze of lightning, d terrific
peal of thunder, and this instantly followed
by the rush of the hurricane, witt, torrents
of rain and showers of hail ST mes as large
as hickory nuts. Roofs, chimnevs, loose
boards, and all sorts Of moveables went
were being dashed TO pieces by the hail
There was temporary lull, and then came
second and fercer blast, das!iing down
houses and church s,ceples, and sweeping
the 1t into fury.
We could go on and give many columns
OF details OF the ruin and devastation wro't
by this tornado, but Tor this We have no
space. We cut from the papers before Us a
few paragraphs, which may give some idea
of its fury and of the ruin and desolation i,
& in lis track.
In Peoria, the Transcript says:
The stceIics of the Congregational church
and Catholic church were blown down; the
former contained the town clock ana this
,tc f.lt 81, D.. Mt
Concorar's house Methodist church, un-
rooi-d and damaged $4,000. ST. Paus
church partly uuro"icd and otherwise dam
aged. Chvrch Of the X .de.mcr, much in
jurcd.
Peoria House damaged $500 to $500; al
windows fronting tie storm broken chm
n-yS gone, partitions burst IN. &c. Gas
Works, ca>om-tcr nearly destroyed, rrtort
house injured; street limps blown down
works damaged 5000. and will take a
month 10 r,par. City Hospital unronied.
PRESBYTERIAN college on hiUi', "a larg and
costly building, unfinished, totally destroy
cd.
And so or, through column OF details
The Gaiesburgh DEMOCRAT gives similar
coumn of details Of ruin wrought in that
city, commencing thus:
The first Object that attracted our aitcn-
,ion was the beautiful brick church ed flee
Dr.. BrcrLcr',l on Broad street. pcrl,c,
mass Of ruins. The wind had blown the
,ie,pie ~ upon tie roof. an tie weight had
80 "ru~hod the roof aud ihe S.i,> AZ the
huIiGin. it ,,maius = a orrl,c, wreck
The church was erected one year ago. and
although nor finished, had area, y .,r,; about
- = r 49,. D., -.
set DOWN at 5000 A. 1t Will COS, quite a
sum "a rcu,evr The iUbhI>h.
The Catholic church, STUFFED southeast
of the pa depot, was entirely destroy
ID. Lus> 81 .uuu.
The cr.uc house OF the Northern Gross
R'ii'oad w"s icyried to the ground. Loss
5000. e, a..
The towns Of Kappa, kaw, Chcroa, To-
wand., and many other towns, made up
'iIi,fy Of frame teucurDi~, on tie open
prairie, along the II. Central and oticr
railroads, appear To have been alno-; tot,l'y
destroyed. Speaking OF the destruction Of
the town OF Ch.noa, an account oofore u
says:
One small two story house actually Sid
for some three hundred yardS :cio>> the
smooth prairie, win family INSIDE, and
tirr' y stopped, remaining upright and
Tyurvd.
Ia several instances rail- Dad trains in NO
ton upon tie tack were blown II and
turned over.
We aIe harry to find, h-...-"~ --------z.l-
ing over the heightened accounts. :rw in
stances Of the los al uuiI,au lie.