Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-06-10

II Ciohd tHut 0TouHu tIiohSeS 1Mo MdtcHi
IEood. gzorsss Carried 0eer Fences and
Great frees fDprooted 5IT,ccnty Lises.
Lost. a '.Bd1ys Head Cut of ana its
.diotaer 7orn,sato four tl'sieces-A School,
girl Bloom a Quarter Of Nile and
Mashed to a .1ez.y.
a correspondent ofthe New York Herald.
writing from Burlington, Iowa, under dateof
May 9th, gives the following graphic ac>
count of recent terrible tornado in that
State:
Not farifrom Washington town is the most
accessible scene of disaster. Here the storm
swooped down upon some dozen houses, the
residences of wealthy farmers, and swept
then, from the face of the earth as if with the
bosom of destruction. Mr.. Cunningham's
house and barn were blown into splinters aud
blown away, but the storm compensated for
the thief. by shower IF sltivered wood.
boards and rafters, which fell in the fields,
and, sticking there, made the farm look like a
fretful porcupine. There was but little i'm
agination required to make one believe that
he stood at Agincourt, Crccy or Flodden, on
a battle ground where the terrible cothyard
shafts Of the archers had fallen thick ne hail
two feet of clay, and deied the strength of
man to remove them. Old farmers say that
in some localities it will be impossible to
proceed with cultivation until these cumberers
of'the ground shall have rot.ed. Many of
these rude darts bore their billet, for hogs
were found pierced in vital parts, and several
fowls were pinned ITO the ground by these
shafts shot by the archers Of the air Some
of the fowls were found dead with but few
feathers upon them, the feathers having been
chafed off while the birds were whirled about
in the Storm amid the the myriads of abra>
ding substances. There we're four persons in
the house, women and children, who were
only slightly injured, though the wind took
the house away, and sucked them out of the
cellar in which they had taken refuge To
crown all, the large granary near the house
was "uuroofed, and several hundred bushels of
grain poured from it into the cellar OF the
house, as neatly as if it had been doue BY an
elevator.
The next farm was that of Mr. Davidson
He, his wife and child, and his brother>in- law
Mr.. Hounsel, were in the house when the
storm struck it. The house and barn were
wiped out as if they had been chalk figures
on a blackboard. Mr. Davidson was instantly
killed, and Hounsel crushed so that he died
in a few hours. The wind tore some of the
clothing from his body, leaving only selvaees
at his wrists and his les and round his
waist.
Mr.. David Kanter's farm was swept as clean
as the others. House. harm granary the very
wire fences we're blown away Fully forty
acres of land we're stuck full of splnters A
hayitack was blown into and distributed along
a hedge, as if some human art had contem-
plated inventing a combined fence and feed
ing place The family took refuge in the
cellars and escaped serious injury. though the
wind whisked off the snperincnmbent house
ne a parent might remove the bed clothing
from a lazy child.
Mr.. Alexander Gibson had the finest house
and outbuidings in the country. The wind
blew the barns to bits. The house was in
two parts. One of these was turned quite
round. the other scared away like bird drnp.
ping the FIVE inhabitants into the cellar Of
these Miss Gardner. Of the handsomest
young ladies in the State was so badlycrus1ed
that, it she RECEIVERS, she will be crirnlcd for
life. hired man, named Baker, and young
Gibson were dashed against trees in the or
chard the former had an arm and leg hro-
ken, the lstter was fatally injured about the
head. The invalid children, who had been
pnt into feather bed for security were saved,
though the wind carried them fftv or sixty
yards away and covered them up with spn-
tcrs and straw. There was not a tree lett in
the orchard. The wind shcied the ear corn
in the cribs and scattered it everywhere.-
Half dozen fatted cattle, which was await
ing the butcher, were blown into swamp,
and one had the whole of it's head and neck
driven into tho earth.
A cornsheller, Weighing some six hun>
dred pounds. was blown some hundred and
twenty rods.
Mr.. Babcuck's house and barns vera car
ried away. With the furniture went $500 in
bills and $500 in notes. The apple trees
were torn out by hundreds, and lot of locust
trees, some four feet in circumference. broken
off as neatly as if saw had been used to cut
them through just above the ground
Mr.. Henry Walters farm was swept clean.
A cook stove was blown half mile away
Mrs. Walters had five children, Including in
FAINT twins. The house in its fall broke Mrs.
Walters neck, and one of her babies was
crushed to death in her arms. The other
twin escaped.
The other three children attended the Hud
desford school, just across the road. Here
there were seventeen children, with their
teacher, Miss Polly Smith. The approach of
the storm observed by Minnie Rothmer,
a girl of twelve, who was standing at the door.
She started to run home but the other chill
dren, paralyzed by terror. gathered in help
less cluster about their theacher. In mo-
meut the whirlwind shivered the school house
to atoms and threw the inmates ito the road
The teacher seriously injured. Julia
Conner, girl of sixteen. had her shoulder
broken. Two of the Walters children were
SO badly hurt that their recovery is not ex~
pec'ed. Rallie Gibson had round hole
ms fhrOr,yh oh Il L.
open by board. The little girl, Rothmer,
who started to run home was carried through
the air for about quarter of mile and then
flung to the earth and killed She was rather
a human jelly than a child for literally, there
was not an unbroken bone in her body.
Among the other serious or curious incl