Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-08-07
EVENING STAR.
Terrible Havoc Caused by q Furious
Tornado.
A wHiLwIND IN INDIANA WHICH BOUNCED
LIKE AN INDIA RCBBER BALL


~
LIKE AN INDIA RCBBER BALL.
Pom TIE Afncd Lei0T.l
Mr. Loeb aud Ike Solomon were at the To-
Tel In Harveysburg when the storm came Up.
Hnlch was Just before supper. In the town
there was LITTLE more than a heavy rain. but
III was noticed that north Of the place there
was something Of a more serious nature. The
ar was thick with flying debris and the
heavens were dark rs night. betokening n
storm OF more than usual severity. Yesterday
morning on their way home. Loeb and Solo
mon came through that region, and describe
the scene as terrible beyond description.
Houses were swept from the found atoms and
literally torn into shreis. scattering the
pieces for miles alonGithe path Of the storm.
Huge trees were twisted of or torn up by the
roots and carried 10 great distances. Fences
ana crops were swept to utter oblivion.
heat shocks were blown into the air. and
the grain a. completely threshei out as il
ran through machine. The scene is one OF
utter GeSolation. and the loss will be very
great. But the most terrible feature of the
storm was the loss OF human life No less
Than four persons were KILLED. We have no
meanso OF estimating the amount OF damage
done. Our Informant Says the path Of the
storm was about leo yards wide and seemed
To extend for miles.
The Charlottesville Journal has the most
detailed statement yet presented. as follows
Il ne storm 90 Tuesday evening. Whlcn passed.
high above rs, visited SOM sections south
and west of Us with Crvt-s destruction. passing
over the northern part Of Nermilion county
abu ibc southern part of Fountain in the
shape OF a furious tornado. II seems t. have
come from the northwest. first striking near
FSrrysNilie, ami expanding its greatest force
ON the farm ola Mr. Marshall. about y miles
nolth OF Harvey Sburg. Fountain county 10
E&G travelled ii about an eaSterly direction,
ana see med Ia strike the ground with such
force ttat II TeDOGndcd like rubber ball.
skipping farm or two. and then striking
again it'll great violence. II cut an average
Swath ui about a quarter OF a mile a. width,
WAich, however, narrowed down at tie most
destructive point, on Nr. Marshall'S farm IL
about i" rods In it, destruction OF life and
properly probably no tornado has ever visited
Tie country with such calamitouS results. In
The uist part OF It's course 10 took down the
rooted barns.
"Of the families in the path OF the de-
slroyer, =. l.. Sewers, in Fountain county, Is
the most unfortunate. They had lust come
nom burial OF a Child that day, and, Of that
household o. five persons. but one survives
a little boy, with both his arms broken. Mrs
Sewers, a niece VINO was temporarily stop
ping with the family, and another person.
We're killed instantly. Mr.. Sewers, ST., died
~ cdneeday night. and his married son was
reported dead Thursday NOR ming. The house
is a mass Of ruins, which is the case OF about
everything on the place. As far as known,
the only other case attended with loss of life
was That of Mr.. Semple. AS before stated.
the tornados fury was at its maximum on
! The farm OF Mr.. Charles Marshall Mr.. Mar
Shail heard ii coming and Immediately pro-
ceeded to put his family in the cellar. All
were IN but himself and little boy. when IN @
WIND blew The door shut, and he was unable
| mouse, hoping 10 get in the cellar, but the
building was blown over on them and lodged
On meat barrel, which saved them from
belng crushed. They were all unhurt. Every
thlng In the shape OF grain. timber. &c. IS
| literally swept from this farm Mr.. Mar
| snail said that he had $500 bushels Of wheat.
| OF which he does not think there are now
twenty-five left. The wind carried the
| Sheaves up i'm the air until il was almost
| black with them, whirling them around in
! large circles "a II they were issuing from a
| large funnel. The woods are filled arI sown
| with the wheat. All his fine timber was de-
| stroyed.
y lar.e boulder. the lowest estimate of its
weight being 800 pounds, was moved Sc
Veral feet. One house was blown To pieces,
and the floor found over a mile away. \ very
| valuable orchard, one OF two in that section
or country, was completely twisted 20 pieces.
| A large amount OF clothing and bedding was
blown into the woods and torn into Shreds.
one man was lucky enough in his miSfOr-
tunes 10 find an old shoe out by his stable in
which he had deposited so. He also had
some silver pieces which were blown around,
but he succeeded in finding them, all but one
piece. The Charlottesville ReUieU gives al
ditlonal particulars: "In this vicinity we
hear that there were nineteen persons
wounded, and several houses were blown
Gown by the storm. One man had Just
finished setting up a threshing machine aud
before anything could be done IL was struck
by the hurricane and not a Vestige of the ma
chine was left to mark the place where il
had stood. II is rumOred that one man was
blown entirely away and has not since been
heard from. One man has Just unhitched his
horse from his buggy, and the buggy was
taken up. capsiZed, and carried away as IL il
had been mere straw in the wind"