The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-06-30
THE sTORX KING.

about az lively shaking up US sHc ms Ia.
in ten wears, but beyond breaking down
number of shade trees and badly damaging
others did no serious damage here, was one
of the most widely extended and largely des
tructiye that ever visited the country. Like
most o! our great thunder storms, 1t was
matched in the Rocky Mountains and then
projected eastward with terrific force, com
mencing its destructive work at Cheyenne
where 1t demolished some houses, spreading
over about all Of Nebraska and Kansas, then
taking Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
and Pennsylvania in its track, il finally land
ed in the ocean on the other side of Jersey
Throughout all the vast district thus indicat
ed the destructive effects were about the same,
but from the dates Of the various dispatches,
there were evidently two storms, that which
passed over Ottawa about noon covering only
the northern half Of the belt, while another,
of which we had but the northern cage here
at night covered the southern half Of the belt.
Both appear to have been about equally des.
tructIve.
Or course it would take many columns to
enumera,c all the prominent mishaps and
ruin wrought by such tempest, and the most
we caa do is to give an idea in general way
and illustrate By few prominent incidents.
The wheat crop, ready for the reaper or in
actual process Of harvesting in the southern
half OF the belt described, was very seriously
damaged Such as was cut was picked up
and scattered; and the standing wheat was
knocked down and so badly tangled as to be
almost incapable of cutting Further north,
the wheat, oats, &c, are generally badly
lodged, but.much of 1t may come up again
and most Of it be in condition TO be safely
harvested. In the middle and southern part
of the belt great deal of corn, which was
two or three feet high, was broken off and
thus ruined. Further north ii gas blown
fat, but is not seriously hurt. More damage
has been done by drowning It 10 low places
than by knocking il down.
Trees suffered everywhere. Thousands
were blown down, and many more badly torn.
Many houses were unroofed, barns destroyed,
and among" out-AoUse the demolition was
fearful. There are also numerous cases of |
damage by lightning, although we can find
but one or two cases Of loss O.. life. !
To be more particular, perhaps the most
notable incident was that which occurred on
he III. Central r. II. three miles north of
Kankakee. A passenger tram with five coach.
IS was moving along slowly, when the wind
caught the locomotive under the COW catcher
and lifting it literally of the track, threw it
INTO the ditch. The coaches were turned over
IN their sides and also dltched. Luckily
here were but IS passengers on the train,
about all Of whom were more or less bruised,
Iut none fatally
AT Chicago notice had been gwen two hours
n advance from Kansas City of the approach
If the storm, and they were generally pre-
)artd for IT, One feature OF i'll was, that it
brought millions OF Kansas grasshoppers on
is wings There were few yachts and sail.
boats capslzed in the lake and many vessels
orn from thir moorings in the river and out.
r harb0r, but no serious damage doue to
hem. Thousands OF windows were smashed,
he heavy metal cornice Of the fremont and
Palmer House badly tattered and torn, and
art of The Exposition building unrooted.
here were also numerous runaways and an
Archer AvenEeshorse car was blown from the
rack.
A. Peoria tue court house was unrooled
I Decatur Mr.. Ewing's brick house was
lown down; an unfinished Methodist church
t Fairbury, OF brick, was demolished, at
Dss of $1,000; a church was blown down at
lledo at Fithian, Vermilion Co., Il house and
wo churches were blown down; at Dixon, all
he buildings and sheds at the fair grounds !
'ere demolished and Maj. Hope had 100 head
t live stock Killed, The cupola Of Dysart's
'arehousc was blown off, the Ill. Central r. :
I. depot unroofed. and the depot of the G. Il
I. W. r. Il. demolished Al Brookville, a
sw miles north Of Dixon, fourteen houses
'ere torn to pieces. AT Champaign the vest
'ing Of the Industrial University was unroof
d., the trees about the University grounds
adly damaged or broken down, and about
0 houses were more or less damaged. |,
And thus we could go on BY the column,
nj We have given enough, we imagine, TO
i've pretty clear idea Of "how the thing
worked" - ........ ~ II
---------= IL
1t appears that Cullom, Oglesby, and the
ing managers who went to Washington to
ulldoze Hayes about the Illinois appoint
nents and the consolidation of the four pen.
ION Offices oftie state into one at Springfield,
nd thought the, had succeeded, left Wash
ngton too soon. The day after they left, Miss
Ida Sweet go, Secretary Schurz anu Con-
FRESHMAN Aldrich to 20 with her TO The Pres
dent aud by their united eloqucnce the work
f Cullom & CO., in less than half an hour,
vas undope. They Satisfied the President