Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-03-15

HAZEL GREEN DISASTER The fol-
lowing account of the tornado which
swept through Hazel Green last FRI
day is taken from the Dubuque Her
aid of Sunday morning. kindly fur
pished rs by Mr.. Hugh Phillips of
the y. S. Hotel:
The first premonition received by
the citizens of the approach OF the
whirlwind WAS she first appearance
of two dark clouds on the horizon,
one to the north and the other to the
west, approaching each other at al
most acute right angles, and proba-
bly, at about two hundred feet from
the surface Of the earth. When
about quarter Of mile southeast
OF the town, they seemed to come
together, or to telescope each other,
rs it were, and then, with terrible
reverberation, as of the discharge Of
a thousand cannon, sink to the earth
in mortal combat. The point at
which the whirlwind struck the earth
was, as Already stated, about quar-
ter Of a mile to- the southeast of tho
town, in gentle undulating valley
filled with large number of trees,
many OF which might very properly
be called monarch Of the forest, tho
branches Of which, bearing little but
the sombre hue of winter, it tore and
twisted (such was its iorce), into al
most ineonceivable shapes, carrying
large boughs, aud in number of
cases whole trees, bodily, a distance
OF from twenty to thirty rods, leav-
plowed burrows in their wake Of from
ten to eighteen inches in depth
Seeming to gather strength from this.
its first su cess, and bowling with
demoniacal fury, it took up its limo
OF march toward the village, into
which it first hurled stones, timber,
and in fact everything within its
track, as videttes, warning the citi-
zens of its approach, and then set
ting down to business, commenced
its fearful work Of murder and desc
lation, clearing a path through tho
southeastern, middle and northwest
ern portions Of the town of from
twenty to thirty rods in width, leav-
ing everything behind it in total
wreck; razing houses and scatter
ing their contents to the four winds
of heaven. Granaries, hay-stacks,
buildings, fences, sidewalks, the mon
nments and stones Of the cemetry,
in tact everything succunbed before
its mighty, irresistible power The
first house struck was % small one
story frame building, owned and oc-
cupied as dwelling by John Funk,
rending the building from base to
turret, and carrying the roof dis
tance of some twenty rods, fortu-
uately, however, without any injury
to tho family within its walls a: the
time. 1t next took in its mighty
grasp small cottage house, which
it raised'bcdily in the air, and which,
after dallying with it q moment in
mid-air, it seemed to throw from IL
in disdain, in view Of the weightier'
conqnests still before it, scattered its
conteuts in all directions. The in
mates, Mrs. Farley and two dangh-
ters, escaped injury by taking timely
refuge in the cellar.
1t next grappled with the large
stone building owned by the Rich
ards estate and occupied by the Ma
sonic and Odd Fellows lodges, and
by far one Of the finest buildings III
the village, which il asme-s instan~
taneously rendeird u ehapeless mass
OF debris. fss next aet,. aud proba-
bly, The saddeat Of the sad catalogue,
was the delnSlition Of the stone
! dwelling owned and occupied hy
Mrs FJUat-ath Richards, tunhling
its reof aud walls upon the inmates,
and probably instantly killing Mrs
H. Edwards and daughter, Lizzi..
and Mrs. r. IL. Edwards and infanr
child, while Johnson Edwards, SOL
Of Mrs. f., who was just emergult,
from the barn where he was cnSs;xse,l
in feeding favorite pony, was salSen
Iup and carried distance Of some
two hundred yards and then thrown
to the earth with such force as to
cause his death in few minutes
| The barn on the premises was com
pletely demolished and a fine trottiug
horse, recently purchased by fhos,
Mayer at q cost Of 1900, instantly
killed and thrown some distance.
Nearly opposite the Richard. prop
ertv II frame dw ling, owned hy