Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-05-18
A TERRIBLE STORM.

cuabe.
|
A TERRIBLE STORM
Immense Destruction of Property.
RAILROAD TRAINS BLOWN OFF THE TRACK
HOUSES UNROOFED.
Steamboats, Blown To Pieces
The gale on Thursday evening was II
some portions Of the State, of Unprecedented
violence. II covered a large extent of ter
rtory, and everywhere It's track il mark ed
with painful damage to property, and per
haps as further Intelligence will show loss
OF life II seems to have crossed the Mis-
sisippi, near Oquawka, and to have extend
ell Eastward, at least as far as Mclean
county, where We hear of some of its disas.
irons effects. In the West, there was much
hail accompanying the wind. and every
where a great fall of rain. We hear that at
Lexington. on the line of the 81. Louis. Al
ton and Chicago Road, the storm was terri
fc. In a letter below We are told of its
freaks with the train; and an informant at
our elbow says that nearly every house in
the village was unroofed or blown down
| nc All "ue Will Tie wreck WHICH
was made the heavens were black with
clouds which We're pouring out destruction,
and more than one who were left there felt
that the end Of all things was at hand If
Lexington has escaped without great los Of
life, the fact is most wonderful Of all.
| At this point there was copious rain,
and some thunder and lightning; but moth
| ing to indicate the destruction going on
to1, l.. q
as usual, and though the gale was high, it
was not unusual. Later in the evening the
| wind increased, but before 10 o'clock all
| was still again.
Below We print hasty letter from Lex
| ington, kindly forwarded by an officer Of
| the road:
The passenger train from ST. Louis, by which
send this, was blown from the track and
cars TIPPED over, but, with the exception Of
| a few slight flesh woun IS, the passengers
were uninjured Before the train capszed
| all the car windows, on the windward side,
were blown out, the engineer and fireman
| were both blown from the engine, and a
| brakeman was also blown off one of the
cars. The storm struck the train short
distanc. north from here. The passengers
speak in the most complimentary terms of
| the GOODNESS and skill manifested by the
| conductor, Mr.. l.. d. Williams in the sud
| den emergency in which he was required to
act, and also for his efforts to provide for
the comfort Of his passengers after the acct
| dent occurred
| have time to write only a few particu-
lars, but you will doubtless learn of wide
spead and severe disasters in this portion of
the State. STORM
We learn from a passenger on the above
capsized train, that great damage was done
by the tornado at the junction of the Peoria
and Oquawka roads with st. Louis, Alton
and Chicago railroads Both station houses
were unrooied, five or six empty freight
cars We're blown from the track, dwelling
houses were unrooied moved bodily twenty
or thirty feet, or entirely demolished, and
vet, amid all this wide spread disaster, he
could learn of no one seriously injured.
We cut from the Journal Of last evening,
| an account of the effects of the storm at the
West, which agrees with information receiy.
ed by later trains.
GALE>BuRG The storm was severe along
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
At Galesburg it was terrible. The engine
house of the Railroad Company and two
churches just completed, were blown down,
and a number of dwelling houses were I'M
rooted. Three ears standing on the track
were blown oil and turned upside down
The amount of the damages at Galesburg is
estimated at $4,000. No lives lost.
OQUAwKh Two steam mills We're ruin
ed at Gquawka and ten houses unroofed,
besides other damage done. Damages est-
mated at from $4,000 to $4,000. So far
as ascertained, no lives were lost
GALvA.-At this place large two story
dwelling house was rendered complete
ruin; portion of Mr.. Babcocks dwelling
was also blown down. Nearly all the out
houses in the village We're upset. The wind
carried large boxes, lumber, barrels, &C.,
into the air as if they We're paper. A large
church was moved from its foundation
about foot. The storm ragged hardest be-
tween and o'clock.
MENDOZA Here the storm was also furi-
Gus, and while in progress, the railroad en-
CINE house caught fire and was consumed,
together with the locomotive Rocket
We hear of much damage done in the
country, but, with the above exceptions.
have no particulars. We shall probably
have further details by tomorrow
While this severe gale was raging, the
sheet We have not as yet heard of any
disaster on the lakes.
From one Of our citizens who was in Pc
oria at the time, We learn tie following par.
ticulars Of the ravages of the great storm
at that place. The hurricane struck the CT
ty at about five o'clock in the evening. In
the twink ing of an eye, fifteen or twenty
houses were unroofed, every church spire
in the city was blown down, three canal
boats loaded with lumber sunk, and the
steamer Olin with twenty-one passengers
on board, made a complete wreck, her cab
in being blown entirely away. And what
seems really miraculous, is the fact that but
one life was lost in all this furious dsorgan-
ization Of matter and utter demolition Of
structures. 1t is said that little child was
lost from off the wrecked steamer. The
lumber was blown all over the city, the gas
lamps were all blown down, and the signs
were sent flying IN every direction; win
dows and gable ends were smashed in,
whole trains Of cars were blown off the
track, and the beautiful College building
upon the bluff utterly demolished Our in
formant was obliged to take refuge in the
Court House square, to avoid the general
destruction which threatened the city, and
to escape the flying signs, boards, boxes and
other missiles with which the air was fill
ed.-Chicago Press.
FoRT DIS MoINEs DEMOCRATIC Last Mon
day was rainy, wet and disagreeable dav