Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-06-09
:rAs Terrific Tornado at IIIison.

me Terrific Tornado at EllisOn.
The Chicago TFi5HRs contains further
particular Of the whiFlEind which destroy
81 the village Of Ellison. which we con-
dense. The grove west Of Ellison is about
three miles vide, and west Of this ia South
Prairie fourteen miles across. About s o.
cloek, May sob, the residents Of South
PraiTie noticed funnel shaped cloud, the
fan or tail some Eve hundred feet vide,
moEing with almost incredible velocity
from west 10 east and so near tie surface
ofthe ground thai at times il seemed to
sliiks the earth and rise sasin. The cloud
was black. accompanied with terrific tbun-
der bail and rain. lis extreme length ap-
peared TO be not over six or seven hundred
feet and lis thickness only some fifty feet.
and At times the air was apparently eulire-
" undisturbsd shove and below IT, In
crossing South .Psirie fourteen houses
were des,royed, and a number Of persons
were killed or wounded. Four houses 10
one grOup were torn to shreds and scatter.
ed over the praire, but the occupants saw
the storm H-6end approach and took refuge
in q root cellar, detached from the houses,
and escaped injury.
! The family Of ~. Wm. johnson living
mean the east edge Of the prairie, suffered
severely. Mr.. johnson. his sister and three
children were killed outright. Mira John.
Hon had an arm and leg broken, and cannot
recover. Mr.. Hurd's family, near by. we're
blown in ell directions. Mr. Hurd was
buried into the air aud struck by flying
iimbers. He died tie next day. Mrs.
Hurd had her infant in ber arms but il was
torn from her grasp and killed. Both
mother and child were thrown into a slough
were they remained all night. 1t is hoped
MrS H. will recover A SOD Of Mr.. IL.
was 50 injured that bis reco'ery is doubt.
fol. Mr.. Rankin, Who lived farther out
on the prairie was fatally injured, but hi.
family escaped with slight bruises.
The path of the whirlwind through the
grove evidenced ts terrific power. The
largest trees were twisted of, even to the
smallest branches and fbres. Some places
in It's track the grass was crushed into the
earth as by the wheels Of a heavily laden
wagon,and cedar posts set for fence were
broken eff or blown down. From the
grove the cloud eaped uponEllison, destroy
ing every building but four, on the out
skirts of its course. The village contained
two stores, q warehouse, aud thirty dwell.
ing houses, besidessheds, DC. Seven per-
sons were killed outright,snd every inhab
liant, numbering some two hundred, was
more or less injured. Nineteen in all are
dead. The storm.coud then rose and stri
king the earth again three miles farther
east destroyed few fences, after which i
rose again high in the air and passed Ou
OF sight.
The first building struck in the village
wasthe two story frame store Of Mr. Know
les. 1t was taken up, whirlej around {
few times iu the cloud, and burst to frag
ments. Not even yard Of the goods Cal
be found. The next was the large framt
house Of Dr.. Yoho. 1t was lifted higl
into the air aud shattered into thousau,
pieces. So complete was the deskuctiol
Of the buildings of the village that no.
yestige Of them OF their contents remain
save scattered timbers aud boards and her
and there fragment Of garment or
broken piece of furniture. The terror
stricken inhabitants had no time to escap
from their homes. One family, Mr.. God
frey's, succeeded in getting to the bottom
Of the cellar stairs just as the house wa
lifted into the air and torn TO fragments.-
They were only slightly injured. Mr.. W
e. Thompson WAS instantly killed, an
his wife 50 badly injured that she 500
died. She held her infant in one arm
when found, the top of its skull torn Of
and its bowels torn out. jacob Brazeltot
wife aud son, were killed outright. Mrs
B. was found hundred yards from wher
tie dwelling stood her bowels torn out anc
breast bone broken. Miss Lavina Lac
was killed instantly, and her clothing w'
entirely stripped from her body by III
wind. The body of Martin Wentwoh
vas terribly mangIed. During the pa''
Age of tie cloud the water ieli in sheet
snd terrific thunder and lightningadded
the horrors Of the work Of destruction an
Aoath FR.,tl los,d Tsoner-