Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1858-06-11
The Village of Ellison Calamity.

The Chlcago ITeSS OF the "a inst, has /
some details of the circumstances attend |
inc the destruction of the village of Eli
son by a whirlwind. Fourteen persons
we're killed instantly, and FIVE more died
in the course of a few hours. Others
were supposed to be mortally wounded.
The Press says:
"Among the dead are a Mr.John Hand,
his son, about ten years of age, and
babe, the latter of whom it is supposed to
have been drowned. The whole family
appear to have been whiTled with the
fragments oftheir dwelling quite up into
the air, and deposited considerable dis
lance from where the house stood, near
a slough. Mr.. Hand was carried about
fifteen rods, and in his terrible flight re-
ceived frightful wound in his side from
a timber He survived till the next
morning. Mrs. Hand had her infant in
her arms when she struck the ground,
but the conclusion compelled her to let
90 her hold upon it, and it was tossed
some distance into the slough, where she
heard its cry, but owing to her severe in
iuries was unable to attempt it rescue
There she remained all night, her per-
son partly in the water, and in the couIse
of its dreary watches the dead body of
her infant was drifted to the shore, and
she had it in her arms when discovered
in the morning.
Another family named MeWilliams
suffered terribly. Miss Mary Ann Nc
Williams, about Twenty-Five; her sister
Harriet, aged about sixteen, and her
brother Thomas, about fourteen, are
among the dead, and the poor old mother,
eighty years of age-the only remaining
member of the family, except some old
er children who were living at distance
was very badly injured. The boy
Thomas was not first conscious of having
received any hurt, and rescued the body
of his older sister from the ruins soon
after the catastrophe, but he was so bad
ly injured internally that he died the nexi
morning.
w. E. Thompson, his wife and child
Mrs. Brazelton and her two children,
son and daughter, Martin Wentworth
Levina Lacey, Hiram johnson and child
and two other persons whose name
were unknown to the informant, MAKE
I'D the list of the fourteen instantly kill
ed. comprised in a special dispatch to u
from Monmouth last evening. Thes'
embrace all the names of the dead wllcl
we have been able to obtain.
As neal. as can be ascertained in th
confusion which prevailed, about fit
persons were very seriously and man
more slightly injured. The tornad
struck the village about half-past
o'clock. and during its continuance n
rain fell. The houses were frame strut
lures. There was a tavern stand an
three stores, those of Samuel johnson
Joseph Knowles and another. The al
pearance of the dwellings and structure
after the passage of the whirlwind
described by one eye witness as it or
should tear to pieces and scatter lun
Der ward Of roofs and walls and ii
various structures there were seen
MANY instances scarcely trace, as it
giants hand had reduced and torn the
TO shreds and splinters. They lay sea
tered over the fields. Here piece
broken furniture and there shattert
door, and beyond an undistinguishab
mass of timbers and boards, floor beam
ceiling and rafters. Even the bodies
some of the sufferers were torn El plect
As an evidence Of the fearful force
the tornado. it is mentioned in the tel
graph from our special reporter last ev
ninG that of the victims, fragments
the bodies were scattered in all dire
tons.
An iron safe weighing nine hundr
pounds was taken from Jehnsons sic
and carried thirty feet.
Horses. cattle and hogs were taken
5v the wind, carried in the air and da:
ed to the earth, killed by the fall.
One cow was takenup, carried seye
rods, and killed by the fall. Her DC
iay at distance from anything that CO.
nave inflicted wound or injury upon he
A heavy cut stone doorstep, the
mansions of which are given TO US
being some seven feet long by three
width, and several inches in thickn'
was torn from lis SltS anu CHeA A'SO+ IL
than its length, or about twelve feet
The first trace of this violence Is
4iceable in the Ellison timber, abou
mile west of the village, the place c
cribed by John McWilliams as the mt
ing of the Clouds thence on through
timber, the evidences Of its force W
astounding.
The trees do not seem TO have b
Frustrated. They were only so IN
when released from the grasp of
Storm King. They were pulled up
the roots, twisted, turned about, sim
and in places noticed by our inform
It seemed as if they had been torn
by groups, as child would wanto
twist the tops of adjacent weeds,
tear them from the ground. Iret
foot in the diameter were thus made
sport of the tornado, and were das
crushed, and broken TO the ground.