Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-23
TELEGRAMS TO THE STAR
This Afternesn's Dispatches.
ASSOCIATED PRLSS REPORTS.
A fRIGHTFUL TORNADO.
Great Loss OF Life and Damage 20
Property.
Thrilling Scenes and lncidents OF the
Storm.

WASHINGTON. Iowa, May 2s-A terrific tor
nado or whirlwind, accompanied by hail and
RAIN, passed ever this county about six mile.
nnth OF W ashlngton, yesterday afternoon. It's
path was about half mile i'm width, and tore
INTO fragments everything in its course. Houses
ptins, fences, trees, cattle, and human
beings were eaught up and whirled through the
air like mere toys, and then dashed TO the
ground with such violence a. TO produce instant
destruction. Houses and barns were torn into
fragments and scattered in all directions, and
Tor miles around the fields are dotted with large
umbers, driven I'm the ground at an angle OF
ninety degrees. Cattle were actually driven
mead foremost into the ground. One can
scarcely conceive the devastation or realize the
force OF the tornado. Already We have heard
OF thirteen farm houses ami many barns that
were literally torn 20 pieces, and many Others
that we're badly damaged. School WAS in ses-
SION at a school-house six miles north of here
and the tornado tore the building TO pieces and
about quarter of a mile from school. When
found she was mashed to jelly. Miss Smith
the teacher, and six or eight scholars were i'm
lured, some Of them, severely. The wife OF
Henry walters was killed. a Miss Gardner.
and son OF Abe Gibson, are at the point of
death. Jacob Seek was seriously hurt In the
back. The family Of j. Campbell, near Kiota,
were injured. Miss Mccoy was seriously hurt.
gentleman who was near the tornado reports
thai II was balloon shaped, with the small end
to the ground, and moved at the rate of twenty
miles per hour. IT begun its fearful work near
kiota, where il demolished several houses We
next hear of il about six miles northwest where
IL destroyed two or three houses, and as 10 passed
on northeast, scattered TO the four winds the
hue residences and barns OF Alexander Gibson.
). A. Babcock and j. Z. Collingham. Ii also
leyeled TO the ground the dwellings of ID. Com
er, and II. Walters, VIM. COrringer and Mr..
herr. 1he lives OF many persons were saved
by their hastily getting into the cellars of their
houses. Sad havoc was made with all kinds OF
stock.
From the description Of an eye witness il
seems almost miracle that anything i'm it,
track escaped alive. He SAYS he comb see large
pieces of timber hurled from the cloud a.
though shot from a cannon. III all stones fell
that me assured lime inches in diameter. Some
were brought to this city, and four hours after
they were picked up they were still as large as
hen eggs. The roaring on the tornado Wa
nWas perfectly appalling, surprising i'm terror
anything ever heard except war and the din OF
a terrific battle.
"A telegram from Kiota last evening saws five
persons were killed about three miles IRON that
place; one cLiid was torn TO pieces. Reports
received thus lar are from only few points
along tie line OF the terrible DESTROYER, and the
amount OF damage cannot be estimated, but il
must amount to many thousands. Many more
lives were lost than those reported, and no esti-
mate can be made of the stock killed NOTHING
country, and IL is considered a miracle that so
lives were lost.
ANOTHER SEVERE STORM.
NEW YORK, May IA dispatch from Des
Moines, Iowa, says that the severest thunder
storm in that region for years occurred yester-
day. Nine houses were blown down or moved
from their bases by the wind; Methodist
church was blown down, and an unknown man
was killed by lightning.