The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-06-16
THE GREAT TORNADO.
FIaRrUL DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN LIFE.
oyER Owe HUNDRED PERSONS KILLED
FAN Particulars ef the Calamity.
fsrsia, rlspa.sa .e sae rress and r.sssme.l /

. OVER ONE HUNDRED PERSONS KILLED
Fan Particulars et the Calamity.
/ fspexia, nispa.eA .e tie Press and r1ismesl
j CLINTON, Iowa. June 4, 1860.
/ Last eyening q terrible tornado passed
over this country from Marion, in Linn Co.,
through Cedar and Clinton counties, cross.
ing the Mississippi River al asCamanchs, Iowa,
and Albany, lllinios.
i The 6rss heard Of the tornado was between
Marion and Cedar Rapids, in Linn Co..
/ gong from northwest to southeast, in three
different yesns, crossing the treck Of the Z.
i |. and n. Il. R., At Lisbon, taking the station
/ house, eating house, and all the warehouses
! at that station, missing the principal part
/ of the village and killing none there, but
before reaching there We hear Of sixteen
deaths. One vein ofthe storm passed north
of Meehanicsville. demehshing everything an
its course and killing sixteen persons.
/ The rest took ia its course part Of Onion
/ Grove and killed two persons, and near
Onion Grove il killed fifteen persona. II
passed south Of the railroad near Dewitt,
killing 81 persons, le on tho farm Of Thos.
Hatfield, and dem molished the residence Of
q. w. Ames. 1t then passed south OF Ro-
messa and Low Moor, taking in its course
the house Of David Millard, killing him and
portion Of his family; also the house Of
Thorhurg Mckinney and Ralstons, and
several others; il then struck the town Of
Camsnche, demollshing almost the entire
| town, and thus occasionins the loss Of So
| lives " est Of Clinton.
A house containing three persons was
blown into the river. and immediately
crushed on striking the water. Ot the
| thirty-one citizens Of Camanche killed, the
greater portion were in brick hAildings.
/ Many sought shelter in the cellars Of wooden
buildings, and in every such instance,
though the buildings were demolished, the
persons were saved. The burial Of the
killed will take place Tomorrow.
AT 10 o'clock A. ~, the storm struck the
town of Albany, H., two miles north Of
Camanche, with full force, destroying every
building in the town, although but FIVE lives
were lost, ihirty-fre were seriously wound
ed. At Camanche there are about l25
wounded, some mortally and 10 person.
missing. The tornado is known, at this
time, TO have iraverssd q distance Of 90
miles in this State and some 10 miles in
| Illinois, a total of l6o miles, and doing an
incalcuiable amount of damage. Twill 20
west tomorrow to gather further particu-
| lars.
| IFscm the Mt. Vernon News Extra jane 4thl
| We have to record this morning. one Of
the most terrible visitations that ever desc
lated u country inhabited by men. About
| I O'Clock last night, terrific whirlwind or
| tornado passed mile south Of our town,
| from West to East.
When first seen, probably six or seven
miles away, it had the appearance of a
large black shaft or column, shaped like al
upright hour glass, extending from tire.
mendous threa,enining cloud, which for
some time had been hanging over the West
to the ground. Hundreds of people watched
| it as it swept on its course seemingly bear
| ing directly toward Mt. Vernon. 1t was
! attended with heavy roar as Of hundred
trains Of cars. Branches of trees could be
seen in the air, whlei.s changing form, and
| the flakes Of clouds thrown from its sides,
showed its whirling motion.
| When within two miles Of us, while peo-
pie were seeking safety in cellars, or, rs in
some cases, running wildly about the streets,
| it veered on its course, md swept by in full
! sight-sublime but Fearful. s ~
| Hardly had it passed ere half-drsssed
man, bleeding from wounds upon his head,
and reeling upon his horse, rode furiously
into town, calling for help. Talking inco.
| herently, he reported persons killed and
others wounded at little village or bamle,
II miles west, known rs st. Mary'.. In a
| few minutes hundreds were on their way
there, including Drs. Carhart, Belden, Cor
| don and Carson. The wild scene OF desc
lation they found beggars description. We
had imagined the horrors Of battle field,
but never had pictured anything SO awful
as the sight Of those poor victims. disabled,
! dying and dead. These having been quick
| ly carried to the house and store of Mr..
! Harvey Gillet, near at hand, were soon in
the care of the physicians and other Samari-
tan men,nnd women.
At that point tho house md chop Of n
Mr.. Cunningham were entirely destroyed :
himself and family much injured. A few
steps further on scarcely vestige remained
of the house and two large barns Of Mr..
James Burge. Two Of his children, q grown
| up son and small daughter, were fatally
hurt, and have since died. Mr.. William
Vain, brother of j. d. VAIN of this place,
and young man BY the name Of Columbus
Sparks, happening to be in or near the
house at the time, were afterwards found
dead. As the blast approached, Stephen
Smith, son Of Joseph Smith, VIC, scen to
ride up and spring from his horse, and was
afterwards picked up r.ortally injured
Several persons we're saved by creeping
into root-house, partly under ground,
and others by lying down lat upon the
4 earth.
A mile eastward, the house and barn OF
Mr.. Clark Thompson, were uttery demol-
ished. His family, by running down cellar
escaped; for some reason, he did not 60
with them, and so lost bis life. Close by,
Mr.. Josepbus Smith nnd family were much
hurt, bat not dangerously. His house was
torn down, his large barn turned partly
round and carried ffty feet.
The power and force Of this "demon oi
the elements, must have been immense
We reached the path Of It's fury less than
an hour after it went bowling on. We
found a hundred men standing roundj mute
| and aghast. The sufferers had been taken
away but there were other evidences OF it:
fearful mission. Houses gone, utterly gone
and nothing but blackencd aud ,.meared
| foundations told where they had been
trees, one and two feet in diameter, and
| even larger, uprooted and hurled many
rods, robbed Of branches and foliage; car
easses of horses, cattle and swine ssrewet
the former barnyards.
And yet the track of tie vhirling dernor
was not more than forty rods in width-w,
speak Of tie central force which worked th
! destruction outsidc OF that there was
mighty wind, but no such traces Of pove
were left.
i On eastward Il cor.innedi: Wild work
As it passed south Of Us, another one Of les
power seemed to form Just north Of town
and bear of to~aYd Lisbon. Between her
and there il was met by fragment whicl
bad broken away from the main storm
when 1;ih increased fury it swept north o
.ha. tilIage, ovcrthrowing two horses, for
.unately vacant, the ierot hcilaing and eat
;ng-house, and then passed en- TO Join sh
main current farther east.
4 We we're told by Er. Hammer, TIL
morning, that when he noticed ii, il woul
sometimes srring up and for space, do n