The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-06-14
From the Cedar Valley Times Extra.
Terrible Tornado

Terrible Tornado
At about 81 o'clock, last Sunday evening
occurred the most terrible storm which this
region ever experienced. The tornado con.
sisted of two wings-one sweeping to the
northward, and the other to the southwark
of this city-in which the awful working Of
the reused elements could be distinctly seer
by us as they swept on their maddenine
course. The noise was like stupendouS
cataract, and all turned pale as they listened
The formation Of water-spout or whirlwind
which was in the south wing of the storm
was witnessed by a large number of our cit.
liens, being first seen bellying and surging
down from the clouds, and twisting and
writhing like a huge worm till it finally
reached the earth and became an hour glass
shaped column rushing wildly onward with
the gale. The column looked to be about +
mile high and to 5 rods through the small
est part-an awfully sublime and magnifi-
cent spectacle. The cloud which passed over
Cedar Rapids appeared to be as full of force
as those at the sides, but fortunately rose
too high to do much damage directly over
head the clouds were of a purple hue, Dor
dered on the van by pitchy black, and the
rear by gray and lurid white, constantly H.
Illuminated by flashes of lightning. The
north wing of the storm was much more ex-
tensive than the other, and comprised the
real tornado so far as the effects prove, and
had the appearance of mountain mass of
heavy inky colored clouds crashing along
the surface Of the ground. To the north
east, between Marion and Lisbon, the two
wings combined, and the awful force thus
concentrated swooped round, passing again
near our city, then rushed away to eastward
to deal death and destruction to tho unsus-
pecting families who happened in the storm
fiend's path. The course OF the storm, after
leaving this vicinity, was due east till it
reached the Mississippi, though verging
out of line in some places from five to ten
miles. We give an account of the calamity
as they have come to our knowledge:
From the Chicago Jou, nal.
The tornadoes, for they were two in num-
Der commenced as near as can be ascertain
ed at little town called Palo, short dis
lance above Cedar Rapids, about 7 o'clock
on Sunday evening, and rapidly progressed
to Cedar Rapids, gathering size and force in
their course. At Cedar Rapids they veered
and almost miraculously passed on either
side of the town. On the west side, five
houses were completely demolished, one
man killed and one severely injured. South
of the Rapids, two houses were blown down,
but their occupants escaped. In the woods
near this point, man observed the tornado
approaching and instantly threw himself
among some hazel bushes with bis face to
the ground and clung 20 their branches for
protection. They passed over him hurting
him distance ofsome rods and stripping
every vestige ofclothing from his body
Another man wasSurprised in a similar man.
ner and threw his arms around a young
beech tree, holding on with all his strength,
which was considerable, as he was an I'M
usually powerful man. The whirlwind how
ever, as quick as thought, unwrenched his
grasp, as one would snap pipe stem, hurl-
ed him into the air a I'd dashed him to the
ground, and twice and thrice repeated it, of
course leaving him a corpse. Another man
as established by affidavits of respectable
citizens of Bertram, the first station to Cedar
Rapids, was caught up from the town plat
hurled in the air and carried high above the
timber until he was out of sight Cattle,
horses and sheep were also drawn up in the
airy Maelstrom whirled terrifically about and
dashed to the earth again with force which
reduced them to a mere pulpy mass. The
prairles between Cedar Rapids and De Witt
are literally strown with the carcasscs of cat.
tie, and the loss IN stock alone must be i'm
mense. There is scarcely farmer between
the two stations, a distance Of forty miles,
but has suffered the loss of either part, OF
the whole of his stock.
Passing around Bertram and filling its
streets with leaves, grass, branches
and stones which came down in terrible
showers, The tornadoes passed around the
outskirts OF the beautiful villages of Mt.
Vernon and Lisbon. one just touching the
northerly portion of the latter, and the
other passing through the country south.
west of Mt Vernon.
At Lisbond, the large brick and frame
grain warehouse and the freight depot of the
G. |, &. N. r. r. were utterly demolished
and their contents scattered to the four winds
Ten freight cars were hurled from the tfac
and broken up. One of them heavily load
ed with lumber was lifted into the air and
turned over twice, finally descending with
such force as to completely SILVER the car ant
its contents in to indistinguishable fragments
an splinters. Four persons were killed in
vicinity of Lisbon and one 1T Rogers Settle.
ment, few miles from Lisbon.
Mt. Vernon was spared, but the neigh
boring country was the scene Of terrible de
vastation. The crops in the path Of thu
whirlwind were beaten down; barns were
destroyed and stock in large numbers, in
hlcting an almost irreparable loss upon the
farmers. Trees were twisted off and ont
immense oak, measuring nearly three feet in
diameter at the base, was torn up by thu
roots, lifted into the air and dashed dowr
Amin q few feet from its nrininal citnatior,