The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-05-19

A DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO aud storm
passed over Peoria and. Oquawks, and
through Warren and Knox counties in
Illinois. on Thursday, doing Immense
damage At Oquawka. two large -four
ing mills and an extensive livery stable
were blown down and completely dc.
molished, and a large number.of other
buildings were unroofed and injured
It passed through Warren and Knox
counties, demolish,ng- a. great many
buildings in the course. OF erection, and
injuring large number Of others. At
Galesburg, it blew dewn a large brick
Presbyterian church, rendering it a
mass of shapeless rubbish. A Catholic
church was also destroyed at the. same
place, and depot of the railroad and
several other valuable buildings were
almost ruined. j ~ Asy-at-s -
The approach of the tornado was seen
about six O'Clock, in, the afternoon, by the
passengers on train of cars, about four
| miles from Lexington. A mass of cloud,
Law along the West, barrier of inky black
moss, save where its hung folds seem
ingly swept near the prairie, where it actual
ly had greenish tint. The look was
! threatening, and the cloud as it rapidly
swept on was watched by passengers, one
hundred or moro in number, with nervou:
apprehension.
| The speed Of the train was reduced TO 1:
| or Is miles an hour, and as the cloud swep
| on, there was terrific roar of the angr,
wind, seeming avalanche OF water and hal
| in binding sheets, with crashing thunder
and glare Of lightning; the din of the wheel,
was lost; all other noises seemed swallowed
up in the wrath of the elements; the ear,
swung and swaycd fOf an instant, and Their
mere 5loson from the track leaving the loco
motive alone in possession of the rails, helt
there alone by superior weight of metal
while the cars and the tender were no
very tcnderly deposited on their sides in tn,
ditch at the base Of the embankment, for
tunately there a low one. No one was seri
ously injured, though many were frightened
! AT Peoria, the hurricane struck the city n
| about six O'Clock in the evening. In tn
twinkling of an eye, fifteen or twenty house
were unroofed, every church spiro blow
down, three canal boats loaded with lum
her sunk, aud the steamer Olin, with twcnt,
one passengers on board, made complet
wreck, her cabin beng blown entirely away
but one life was lost in all this furious dis
organization of matter and utter dcmolitio
of structures. The lumber in the yards wa
blown all over the city, the gas lamps wcr
blown down, and the signs were sent flynn
in every directions: windows and gable end
were smashed in, whole trains OF cars wer
blown off tho track, and the beautiful Col
icge building upon the bluff utterly dcmol
ishcd
People were compelled to take refuge j
the Court House square, TO avoid the geneI
al destruction which threatened the city, an
to escape the flying signs, boards, boxes
and ether missels with which the air wa
filed. .-- ~ .--4 40 --
Floods of rain have fallen over Illnoi
as well as in the middle and Ncrther
portions Of Indiana. Passengers o
some Of the railroads. report the countr
almost inundated. in some places it pre-
sents the appearance Of succession
large Lakes. The roads are impassabl
and the water is deep on the meadow
and farms, and the wheat beaten dow
and destroyed by hail. The cattle
some pastures were almost swimming
The injury must Be immense. 1H