The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-08-12
AN INDIANA CYCLONE.
remarkable Incidents of the Tornado
Miraculous Escapes.

Remarkable Incidents of the Tornado
Miraculous Escapes.
The Charlottesville Journal gives the
following particulars of the tornado
that recently passed over Fountain
county, Ind:
"The storm of Tuesday evening,
which passed high above us. visited
some sections south and west of us with
great destruction, passing over the
northern part of Vermilion county and
the southern part of Fountain, in the
shape of furious tornado. It seems to
have come from the Northwest, first
striking near Perrysville and expen6ing
its greatest force on the farm of a Mr..
Marshall, about mile and a half north
of Harveysburg, Fountain county. It
had travelled in about an easterlv direc-
ton and seemed to strike the ground
with such force that it rebounded like a
rubber ball, skipping farm or two, and
then striking again with great violence.
1t cut an average swath of about quar-
ter of mile in width, which, however,
narrowed down at the most destructive
point, on Mr.. Marshall's farm, to about
forty rods. In its destruction of life and
property, probably no tornado has ever
visited the country with such calamitous
results. In the first part of it's course it
took down the residence of man named
Mack, and unroofed barns belonging to
Solomon Jones, William Chenoweth and
Jacob Bitter. The last named also suf-
fered the loss of the roof of his dwell
ing, as did also Abe Bensinger. Of
the families in the path of the destroyer,
S. e. Sewers, in Fountain county, is the
most unfortunate. They had just come
from the burial of child that day, and
of that household of five persons, but one
survives, little boy with both his arms
broken. Mrs. Sewers, niece who was
temporarily stopping with the family,
and another person were killed instant
| ly. Mr.. Sewers, ST., died Wednesday
night, and his married son was reported
dead Thursday morning. The house is
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 tornado's fury was
at it's maximum on the farm OF Mr..
Charles Marshall. Mr.. Marshall heard
it coming, and Immediately proceeded
to put his family in the cellar. All were
in but himself and little boy, when the
wind blew the door shut, and he was
unable to open it. They then started
for the smoke-house, hoping to get in
the cellar, but the building was blown
over on them and lodged on meat
barrel, which saved them from being
crushed. They were all unhurt. Every
thing in the shape of grain, timber, etc.
is literally swept from this farm. Mr..
Marshall said that he had $500 bushels
of wheat, of which he does not think
there are now 25 left. The wind carried
the sheaves up in the air until it was
almost black with them, whirling then
around in large circles as If they were
issuing from large funnel. The woods
are filed and sown with the wheat. Al
his fine timber was destroyed. This il
itself is a great loss, as it was said tx
have been of very superior and hand
some growth. In one place grea
amount of earth was dug up and some
bsetst 1gaid s cit on ~ the ground largf
weight being 1,500 pounds, was moved
several feet. One house was blown tc
pieces, and the floor found over mile
away. A very valuable orchard, one Of
two in that section of country, was com
pletely twisted to pieces. A large
amount of clothing and bedding was
blown into the woods and torn into
shreds. One man was lucky enough in
his misfortune to find an old shoe out in
his stable in which he had deposited 500.
He also had some silver pieces which
were blown around, but he succeeded in
finding them, all but one piece. Sew
eral horses were badly injured. Mr..
Marshall lost one of considerable value.
| One man had just finished setting up a
threshing- machine, and before anything
could be done it was struck by the hurri-
cane and not vestige Of the machine was
left to mark the place where it had stood.
AS the storm came up, David Pearson s
wife with the children sought safety I'M
der the bed. just as they all had got
under the bed the chimney was blown
into the room, and would inevitably
have killed them all had it not been for
their timely escape. One man had Just
unhitched his horse from his buggy and
the buggy was taken up, capsized and
carried away as if it had been mere
straw in the wind.