Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-06-02
A Water Spout on the Prsirlss

Terrible Destruction Of Lite aud Popet
The telegraph has already furnished u,
with a brief account Of a severe tornad, =,
Iowa City. but II letter from that place 10 he
n. Y. Tribune. dated May -, gives ths.-
new particulars:
Last evening, while yet il was light, there
suddenly arose q heavy wind, accompanied
by strong indications of rain. Ina few m.
ments the whole horizon became pitchy black
and the most vivid lightning darted athwsrt
the sky. A terrible thunder storm burst up-
on us. While yet it was raging f~earfully the
sky suddenly appeared unclouded in the ea.,
for Il several inches in width. Many Of our
citizens discovered, in~distinctly at first, the
rapid approach of an immense waterspout.-
The phenomenon was So unusual that the NJ
tention of hundreds was drawn TO il. The
appearance of the huge volume Of water as il
reached from earth to sky-swaying 10 and
fro like a rope hung in the wind-was exceed.
ingly grand. The water spout remained in
sight nearly fifteen minutes, when the sGy
becoming obscured it was lost sight of.
Scarcely an hour elapsed before news Va,
brought that Jesse Berry u member Of our
common council, had been killed in a barn,
which was thrown down by the violence OF
wind and water. The next express from the
country brought us information that IA family
by the name of Morgan, three IN number,
had been ~struck-tw" of its members kiliri
instantly. and the mother 50 seriously injured
that it is thought impossible for her t. recoy-
er. Two men, whose names | could not
learn, were killed instantly. Many have
had their legs or arms broken, and other,
have suffered from contusions and fracture.
occasioned by the fall of houses which had
been blown down upon them.
The waterspout seems To have been from
thirty TO forty feet in diameter, and 10 hQy,
destroyed a large amount of property. H..
extent was from seven to ten miles, and iii.
said to have travelled with great rapidity -
In one instance IL barn OF Mr.. Bcrry's was
taken from its foundation, carried some three
hundred yards, thrown down and crushed
into a thousand fragments. a child of Mr.
Walsh was taken up and carried nearly five
hundred yards, thrown into a slough, but.
strange to say, escaped with its life. Tn,
spout appeared like an immense funnel, aud
it seemed very near, for the whlrl and spar.
kle ofthe water couldb b. plainly seen"
On the same day a similar tornado passed
over II portion of illinois. A dispatch from
Jacksonville, says:
AS far as heard from, it began in Calhoun
county, carrying everything, men, houses,
barns, fences, trees and cattle with it from
Manchester to u distance Of II miles direc,ly
northeast. We can count thirty.six dwe!.
ing houses, with all the barns and out house,
destroyed. The number killed, rs far a,
heard from are Mrs. Route, Il son of Gr1.
Van Zanes, Samuel Brown, n Portuguese IL
the employ of Mr.. Route, Jonathan Carlisle.
Jacob Sample and wife. and n Mr.. Thoma,
There are about fifty seriously. if not NOR.
tally wounded. Most of them, il is feared,
must die.
To give an idea of the force of the storm, |
have in my possession II stone weighing three
pounds that was lifted up and carried sixty
feet, passing through II window four ircr
from the floor. The floor and partition OF q
school room, twenty by thirty feet, was ear.
ried away, with heavy timber, and all can.
not be found within two miles Of the place.
A wind mill was carried over four hundred
yards with pipes, pumps, &c. the small end
foremost. There are not ten feet square with.
in the route of the storm that has not rail
boards, &c, stuck in the ground. So that ~
one can easily pull them out. Whole part.
tions of houses are gone and cannot De found.
A man riding in a field was blown from hi,
horse, the saddle torn of and carried about
two miles from the place.