Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-03-23
Written Tor Tnt Z RBNNA I
TORNADO 40 YEARS AGO.

/ MONDAY March 22nd 1880, was men,
orable day for Urbana It was mild aud
/ pleasant in the early morning, but at
about 10 or II o'cpk it began to haze with
fitful South Western breezes, with alter
nate sunshine and fitting clouds, until
about o'clock P NJ when small, black,
dense cloud, could be seen low down in
( the South Western horizon, which grad
UaIly ascended and rapidly approached
at u seeming angle of about 30 degrees.
! Spectators were attracted by its marked
singularity in many respects. It moved,
enlarged, and expanded in quick dart
ing swOops, and zig-zag tumbling gyra-
tiOns, up, down, and horizontally, with
quick whirIing evoIutions, and seemed
to emit dazzling bright electrical scintiI-
lations, producing the most gaudy fringe
work of which humanity can conceive.
As it neared, for few moments, all ma
ture seemed to he hushed not a ripple
Of air could be felt. The heavens seem
ed to hang out a dark pail, and all seem
ed to be immersed in one general gloom.
When suddenly, the scene changed from
a death like silence, and a bTeatlless
calm, to most terrific and appalling
spectacle. The whole Heavens were in
tumultuous eommotion The Storm
King inawful grandeur rode maiestical-
ly, wrapt in his cloud panopIy to the
music of the screeching, bowling, and
horrifiv roar of the elements, bearing up.
in his track in mid air, trees, lumber,
fence-rails, timber, shingles, gates, hay
stacks and all manner of debris, as tro-
phies Of his vast and mighty power in
the demolition Of natures garnitTe,
and the results of mans labor.
The awful sublimity of the Scene can
not be impressed upon the mind Of any
one, who did not witness it. And in
much less time than the above can be
read, the whole force Of the tornado
seemed to dart down like forked light
ming upon the Town, picking up and de-
molishing i small brick building on \.
E corner Of JnO. A. AIosgrove's home
stead lot, occupied by Richard Baker;
unrOofing the Luce house on the corner
Of West Main and Russell streets, then
with one concentrated swoop dipt into
the ToW1ibTanch, in the present foundry
yard, cleaning out all the waterand sedi-
mentin its wake; then ascending whirled
and scattered J. B. Eaker's frame house,
standing near the front yard OIL. NJ,
Gardener, unrooing a log house of old
James Hulse which stood in the rear of
the present Lutheran Church, destroy
ing all the stables in this vicinity Then
as if imbued with mercy, the cloud leap
cd over without injury two or three small.
frames, near where Col. Johnson now
lives, occupied by J. i. Chaplin and 9TH
ers, demoIishing in front, a pillared Street
Market house: and then taking up a hip
rooted steepled brick Presbyterian Church
on the present site Of the Court House,
crumbling it to its foundation, carrying
the Steeple and other timbers long dis
tances, some of which struck what is
known as the Hamilton House, leaving
the marks to this day: then with a bound
this last named house was partly unroof-
ed, and a part Of its walls Frustrated, un-
roofing ut the same time the house of Jo-
seph Reppart now occupicd by aIIs. Jas.
Brown.
Here in its wild freak, the Tornado
seemed to sever itself, and part of it
struck and unroofcd a log house then
owned and occupied by VIM. Downs
.Nasonl, drawing OF rather sucking out !
the north wall from its solid corners Of
the old bricl, NJ. e. Church, evidently
caused by a vacuum produced by the
action of the Storm, and laid it out in a I
straight line without even separating thc
masonry to any considerable extent.
The other segment Of the TORNADO
struck the house Of Rolin j. Harvey
near present residence of Mrs. EIeyIin
ana prostrated tito the glound. Then
ii whjrIcd into Fragments new frame
house occupied 10y George Bell School
teacher "a little Eust or the present resi-
dcncc of Dr.. Houston.
Would to God, il were only necessary
to record the demolition of property; hut
oh no; the -pirit Of the Storm here trans
formed itself into an angel Of death, and
seized four innocent, beautiful, and in
tcrcSting children, ono Ittlc infant, as
victims to tho dark domain; aud -c-
cured them as additional trophies, i'm
thc rctinue Of the Storm King, carrying
their lifcle-5 bodies immense di~tancesin
mid air; and not content with thi, sacri-
Gcr, hurled Mrs. Bell several rods mainl-i
ing her for life, and al the Same time
greatly injured, "a little girl who happen
ed at the house, who l~noW a respectable
lady Of this city, and who carries the
evidences Of II 10 This day. }
Hero The two scgmeRto OF The storm
again coalcsccd leaving the rcsidcnce +
Of Jcrry Mathis untouched, which stood