St. Cloud visiter [sic]. [volume] (St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1857-1858, 1858-06-17
Hurricane in Illinois.

.s,. X.
Hurricane in Illinois.
A portion of Central Illinois was visited
on the Ii inst. by one of the most violent
and destructive tornadoes ever experienced
in the northern States. We clip the fol-
lowing condensed account from the Chica
60 Prairie Farmer.
The hurricane seems to have crossed the
Mississippi near Oquawka, and to have ex-
tended eastward as far as Nc Lean County,
where we hear Of some Of It's most disas-
trous effects. In the west there was much
hail accompanying the wind, and every
where great fall of rain. The greatest
force Of wind seems to have been on tho
ridge on the line Of the Peoria and Oquaw-
ka Railroad, and the towns and stations on
it all suffered damage, At Lexington, on
the line Of the St. Louis, and Alton & Chi
cage Railroad, the storm was terrific, and
nearly every house in the village was un.
rooted OF blown down. The air was loaded
with the wreck which was made; the heav-
ems were black with clouds which were
pouring out destruction, and many people
were frightened almost to death. Great
damage was done at the junction of the
Peoria 4 Oquawka with the St. Louis, AL
ton Il Chicago Railroad. Both station
houses were unroofed, five or six empty
cars were blown from the track, dwelling
houses were unroofed, moved bodily TWEEN
ty or thirty feet, or entirely demolished
At Galva, a large two story dwelling house
was rendered a complete ruin; a portion of
MIR. Babcock's dwelling was also blown
down. Nearly all the out-houses in the
village were upset. The wind carried
large boxes, lumber, barrels, &C., into, the
air, as if they were paper A large church
was movedctrom its foundation about a foot.
The storm ragged hardest between, 6 and
7 O'Clock. At Mendoza thestorm was also
furious, and, while in progress, the railroad
engine house caught fire and was con-
sumed, together with the locomotive Rock
ct. The hurricane reached Peoria at about
five o'clock in the evening. In the twink
ling Of an eye fifteen or twenty houses were
unroofed, every church spire in the city
blown down, three canal boats loaded with
lumber sunk, and the steamer Ohio, with
twenty-one passengers on board, made a
complete wreck, her cabin being entirely
blown away. And what seems really mir
aculous, is the fact that but one life was
lost in all this furious disorganization of
matter and utter demolition Of structures.
The lumber in the yards was blown all
over the city, gas lamps were blown down,
and signs were sent flying in every direc-
ton; windows and gables were smashed
in, whole trains Of cars were thrown off the
track, and the beautiful college building
upon the bluff utterly demolished. A cor
respondent, writing from Galesburg, says
that at that place, the storm was accompa-
MED by an unheard: of volume of rain,
pouring in such torrents as to perfectly fill
the atmosphere, concealing the nearest OBJ
jects, and making the air so dense with wa
ter that respiration could with difficulty be
sustained out Of DOORS The greatest loss
was the entire destruction of the new and
unfinished Church of the First Congrega-
tional Society, upon which $4,000 had
already been expended The spire (the
highest in Central Illinois,) was twisted
from the tower and hurled upon the GEN.
trail sections of the roof, crushing it in to
the basement floor, and so racking the walls
that they soon fell, leaving only the end
walls standing, which We're supported by
projections. The church was beautiful
structure, being near completion, and its
loss will be felt by the whole CITY. The
tin roofs, cornices and chimneys of the
best business houses were torn away by the
storm, leaving the stores and shops unpro-
tected from the rain, which did great dam
age. In some instances the tin was car
ried in large sections several rods high in
the air, and thrown upon other roofs, while
the signs, to great extent, whirled about
at the mercy Of the winds; and sidewalks,
in whole blocks were carried bodily for sew
eral rods: Carriages, wagons and horses
were whirled about promiscuously, and
people thrown from them at distance, be-
ing able to save themselves only by holding
to fences, and even then lifted from the
ground in spite of their utmost exertions:
But we have not space for particulars,
enough of which we might collect from our
exchanges to fill three or four pages
Millions of dollars worth of properly was
destroyed in Illinois, the heaviest loss fall
ing upon the farmers whose buildings and
farms were most exposed. At least half a
score Of lives were lost, and, in hundreds
OF instances, the earnings of years were
swept away in few minutes. Some beau
tiful groves were destroyed, the wheat crop
was badly injured by the hail, and hun
dreds of domestic animals were killed or
MANNED The MantoruiMc Erprese
h a.