The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-06-09

So far as has been learned, the storm first
appeared near the south west corner Of Linn
county, Iowa, passed down the line of the
Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad, swept
across the Mississippi at Camanche and AL
bapy, thence the current changed to due
easterly course, which would have struck
Chicago, had not some agency DETECTED it
slightly northward, striking Lake Michigan
about twenty Eve miles north Of Chicago.
correspondent Of the Press and Tribune,
who visited Camanche on the 5th, gives the
following narrowing details:
The tornado struck the town little past
seven o'clock, snd in less than ten inmates
the whole was in ruins. After ID had passed
the town was all afoat with water; oil that
could, began to run from place to place,
screaming at the top of their voices, calling
| for friends and for children. In every pile
| of rubbish, and from every demolished house,
the groans OF the dying and wounded were
heard, and as the sound came from every part
of the town, none knew where to go first
| The darkness occasioned by the black clouds,
the air being filed with rubbish of every
conceivable character, aid the near approach
| OF night, rendered the scene still more ap.
| palling, and such wall of lame ntation, sor
row and woe never went up from any place
| in the history OF ternadoes, as did from this
ruined and destroyed city. Nothing could be
found to bind up the wounds OF the suffering,
no medicines were to be got, and the walls
of the mother over her dead children, the
anguish of wife over the lfeless remains
of a husband, the father over his slaughtered
children, hunting in vain for his wife--all
these are scenes that cannot be possibly de-
| serihed.
With the exception OF half dozen houses
on the north side OF the town, every single
building 10 either torn down, unroofed or
otherwise damaged.
/ A worse sight no human eye ever beheld,
and the heart grows sick in seeing such a
destruction Of life and property. The town
is entirely ruined, and We do not see how il
can ever be rebuilt
Out OF the contents of three dry goods
stores not one cents worth OF the goods hays
ever been found.
Horses and cattle are lying in every direo-
ton, killed from the effects OF the storm
The buildings look as though they had all
been torn in small fragments, scattered over
the whole country, and feathers from the
been over-swept with rushing waters.
/ The whole atmosphere around the town ii
sickening, and a stencil is pervading tht
whole path of the storm that is almost i'm
possible to endure.
The loss of property ID immense, and neve
can be known TO its full extent.
We have Just learned TINT three of the m lei
on the raft have made their appearance
They state that they were blown from III,
raft clear on to the Illinois shore beyond Nj
hary, and for long time we're unable q
move or stir, bat after recovering from tn
shock succeeded in crawling to house wher
they were kindly cared for. They know
, nothing OF the rest Of their comrades, no
having seen them since. they were on the ra I
together.
In this vicinity, near Sterling, the wound
ed are dying almost every day, and ever
, farm house is a hospital for the dying M
wounded.