The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-06-14

Cu11t1es men WITH axes anu OARS were cut
ting and hauling away the ruins of build
ings, recovering bodies, rescuing the in
jured. It was terrible night, and the
rain continued to fall. Torches and
bonfres were lighted, and in their
glare the search for the dead and the
buried living was continued through
the night. When exhaustion at late
hour bade cessation Of labor, the grim
ed and sooty men told each other in
lowered tones that the death-roll footed
up twelve, and that it would be increased
when the ruins of the wrecked town were
more fully explored. The gray and
gloomy morning broke upon scene of
desolation and destruction. A hundred
dwellings stood wrecked and battered,
eloquent evidences Of the force of the vis-
itation; twelve homes were in mourning,
and in fifty more, friends waited upon
the injured and wounded and prayed that
they might be spared. Mt. Carme! is one
of those bright, cheerful little towns Pc
culiar to Illinois, has a population of
about three thousand orderly, well-con-
Quoted people; is located on the west
bank Of the Wabash river, on high bluff,
is forty five miles from the mouth of the
Wabash, and is reached by the Cairo &
Vincennes Railroad and the St. Louis,
New Albany & Louisville Airline Rail-
road.
When the shock of the cylone struck,
George Watkins fled for the street. He
reached the sidewalk in time to be
crushed to death by the front wall of his
building. Thomas Watkins, his brother,
ran for the street. He saw the falling
wall and witnessed the fate of his brother.
He turned again, when the whole build
ing fell in. Down to the cellar he went,
amidst beams and stones. Some lucky
providence formed sort of rude arch Of
the debris above him, and saved him from
instant death. He was pressed by the
debris and was in darkness. He became
unconscious, and an hour later was
literally sawed out of the ruins, more dead
than alive, and tonight lies in a critical
condition. The body of poor George Wat
kins, crushed beyond recognition, was
taken out in the early evening. Mr. Wat
kins was a wealthy and leading citizen,
and an Alderman. The next building, a
large double two story brick, was on the
corner and occupied by Kencipp & Bid
dly. It was in the furry of the cyclone,
and although solid and seemingly storm
proof, it melted like sand before water.
When our reporter arrived 100 men were
at work on the ruins. Several farmers
had sought shelter in building and all
were not accounted for. Two bodies had
bcen taken out. They were mangled and
crushed.
One was William Ncwkirk, an old
farmer, married, living three miles north
in the country. He had been sitting in
the rear Of the store, and went down to
death where he sat- James Goodrich a
young farmer, living at Sumner, ILL.,, IN
Mt. Carmel on visit, started to run to
the street. The crash came, and he went
down beneath the mass to the cellar, and
never breathed again. A little G-year-old
school-boy, George Higbee, running
wild up Fourth street, was taken by the
cyclone and hurled against the north
wall of the building. It fell at the instant
and crushed out his young life. This
corner was particularly fatal, and shared
better than any other point. Mrs. George
Brakirk was sitting in, a spring wagon
when the cyclone struck. She was hurled
from the wagon to the middle of the
street, and, besides terrible bruises, sus-
tanned broken leg. Her condition is
critical. The horse was taken up ten feet,
dashed to the earth and killed. Stranger
than all, the seat of the wagon was taken
up by the cyclone and hurled backward
upou its track eighty feet, being found in
the rear of wrecked building. Another
case Of the cyclone taking up articles, and,
after whirling them through the air in
circles, casting them off by centrifugal
force at all points of the circle, is that of
the bell on the Court House, which,
weighing 500 pounds, was found on the
opposite side Of Main street, sixty feet, in
the teeth of the storm. Several school
children passing were injured by falling
1o1rsc