Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-06-10
TIE ILLINOIS TORNADO.

The detailed reports of the local papers con
firm in all respects the earlier accounts of thu
remarkable western storms of May %, whose
intensity and destructiveness the most imagi
native writer would seem unable to do Justice
rto-much less to eXaggerate. The Record of
Bushnell, McDonough county, in its issue of
May 81 says:
"The tornado passed about six or eight
miles north OF Bushnell. About ) O'Clock a
small cloud was seen rising in the southwest
There was little Lightning now and then Wis.
ible, but no one would have dreamed that the
small cloud could have spread snch destruc-
ton broadcast over the face of the country,
and in so very short time. The cloud seemed
to travel nearly due NORTH and presently a
pretty strong breeze sprung up from the east
and similar cloud was seen max ing its way
towards ioungs town (Northwest) whittier the
first mentioned seemed also drifting. The
two were evidently making for the same point
and in course of half an hour the conjunction
was complete, when, instead of two small
clouds, one very large, dark, terrible one was
seen brooding over the country in the vicinity
of Youngstown. The cloud now assumed a
funnel shape, with the small end down, and it
was also observed that the same was lowering
q
BILE rumbling noise was heard, and the coun.
try seemed enveloped in one continuous sheet
of lightning. Now the work of destruction
had commenced in earnest.
buildings were torn to pieces, trees taken
up by the roots, horses and cattle raised and
carried short distance. and then dashed to
the earth with force that crushed them, and
fences blown to pieces. The house of Thorn
as Warmoth, situated a short distance north
east OF oungstown, was the first to be de-
molished, and was entirely blown to pieces.
The next sufferer, was Mr.. A. Vandiyer.
whose house and barn were entirely swept
away. There were eight persons in the build
ing, who had barely reached the cellar when
the house was swept from its foundations,
leaving them unprotected against flying tim
pers ana other missiles. son of Mr. Vandi-
yer, about seventeen years old, was killed by
hying field roller. The next house blown
Gown was that OF Mr.. A. J. Cation, who suf-
Tered some personal injuries, and whose wife
hau an arm and three ribs broken and her fac,
oadiy aishgured. There were six persons in
the building all of whom were more or less
injured A fourmonths' old babe was blown
from lis mothers arms, carried fifty wards and
almost buried in mud and water, with every
parncie OF ITS clothing stripped from its body
out ie" scratches about the head and face
wv ga WV ihJuiics IL sustained. The hon
of Charles Perry, which came next. was
blown down and all of its six occupants wcrr
injured, two of them, a mother and babe, be-
ing blown into tree top fifty feet from the
ground and then being blown down with the
tree without suffering serious injury
The Monmouth Atlas of May 80 says:
| THE loss in Warren county, occasioned by
the visitation Of this terrible tornado, canno,
be fully estimated, and complete description
of the ruin il has wrought is almost mpossi-
bic for our language to express. "A few min
utes after L. NJ, heavy cloud passed jus,
north of this city, where it seemed to rise and
dfiuse itself in the air above. This cloud
was whirlwind which first came down about
four miles northwest, where it unroofed a
barn of Samuel Woods and part of the house
OF Henry Savage. tearing down fences for
him and George r. Sloan, and almost utterly
annibilating the fine orchard of Samuel Patti
son, destroying his fences in an instant. Pass
ing through and over the timber, it twisted off
and uprsoted large and handsome trees, un-
til 1t reached the clearing on which ID. Mccoy
resides. Here the whirl APPARENTLY lifted a
little, though it tore away the crib from the
| corn picked up milk pans, turning them in
SIDE out and twisting them in way peculiar
10 itself; took up chicken coops with the
cmckens, carried them about twenty rods,