Smyrna times., 1873-06-04
MISceIIUW n e as.
Incidents of The Iowa Tornado

A New York Herald correspondent thus de- |
scrlbes the terrible whirlwind in Iowa, which |
occurred on the 23d ult.
Not far from the little town of Washington |
is the most accessible scene of disaster Here |
the storm swooped down upon some dozen |
houses, the residences of wealthy farmers, and |
swept them from the face of the earth as if
with the bosom of destruction. Mr. Cunning
ham S house and barn were blown into splin-
ters and carried away, but the storm compen-
sated for the theft by
AsHowER OF sHIvERED WOOD,
boards and rafters, which fell in the fields,
and, sticking there, made the farm look like
fretful porcupine. There was but little imagi-
nation required to make one believe that he
stood at Agincourt, Crecy, or Flodden, on
battle ground where the terrible clothyard
shafts of the archers had fallen thick as hail
Some of these fragments were embedded in
two feet of clay, and defed 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 rotted. Many of these rude
darts bore their billet; for hogs were found
pierced in vital parts, and several fowls we're
pinned to 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
mid the myriads of abrading substances. There
were 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 unroofed, and several hundred
bushels of grain poured from it into the cellar
of the house. as neatly as if it had been done
| by an elevator.
The next farm was that of Mr. Davinson.
He, his wife and child, and his brother-in-law,
Mr.. Hounsel, we're in the house when the
storm struck it The house and barn were
wiped ou: as il they had been chalk figures on
blackboard. Mr.. Davinson was instantly kill
| ed, and Mr. Hounsel crushed so that he died
in few hours. The wind tore some of the
clothing from his body, leaving only selvages
at his wrists and his ankles and round his
waist.
! Mr.. David Kanter's farm was swept as clean
as the others. House, barn, granary, the very
wire fences were blown away Fully forty
acres of land were stuck full of splinters A
haystack was blown into and distributed a.
long hedge, as if some human art had con-
templated inventing a combined fence and
feeding place. The family took refuge in the
cellars and escaped serious injury, though the
wind whisked off the superintendent house as
parent might remove the bed clothing from
a lazy child. -.. ...t II.
MIR. Alexander Gibson had the finest house
and outbuildings in the county. 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,
dropping the Eve inhabitants into the cellar.
Of these, Miss Gardner, one OF the handsomest
young ladies in the Site, was so badly crush
ed that, if she RECEIVERS, she will be crippled
for life. A hired man, named Baker, and
young Gibson we're dashed against trees 10 the
orchard: the former had an arm aud leg brok-
en-, the latter was fatally injured about the
head. Two invalid children, who had been
put into feather bed for security, were saved,
! though the wind carried them fifty or sixty
yards away and covered them up with spIinters
and straw. There was not a tree left 10 the
orchard. The wind shelled the ear corn Ia the
cribs and scattered it everywhere. Half a
dozen fatted cattle, which were awaiting the
butcher, were blown into swamp, and one
. had the whole OF its
HEAD AND NECK DRIVEN INTO THE EARTH.
A cornsheller, weighing some six hundred
! pounds, was blown some hundred and twenty
rods.
Mr., Babcocls's house and barns were car
ried away With the furniture went $500 in
bills and 81 800 in dnotes. The apple trees
were torn out by hundreds, and a lot OF locust
trees, some four feet in circumference, broken
. off as neatly as If q saw had been used to cut
! them through just above the ground. 'ie' .s
! Dir. Henry Walters farm was swept clean,