The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-04-23
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
The Town al Marshfield, Mo-, Extim.
gufslhed by n Tornado, and Nearly
100 People Killed.

kuhsmeo ny u IOrmseoos una NcoIhy
100 People Killed.
One of the most destructive cyclones on rec
ord visited the little town Of Marshfcld, the
county seat of Webster county, No., ut about
o'clock in the evening Of Sunday, April IS.
Marshfcld is situated on the line of the St.
Louis and San Francisco railroad, about 2l5
miles from st. Louis. II il located ON plateau
of the Ozark mountains. It's population is es-
timated at about 1000. 1t was thriving little
place, containing bank, two grain elevators,
two newspapers, two hotels, etc.
From the accounts of this dire calamity tele-
graphed to the daily press we CLEAN the follow
ing particulars
A cyclone, coming from the vicinity of Spring
field, passed through Green and Webster coun-
ties between and o'clock last evening, leav-
ing trail Of dcsolation and death in its wake.
It's course continues northeasterly all the way
to the Gasconade river, distance of 40 miles.
Thus far, reports from it show that on no
former occasion in this Western country have
the furious elements accomplished such sum
total of misery and DISTRESS There
are wrecked homes all the way from
the starting-point, six miles south of
Springfield, to the Gasconade. Marshield
lay i'll the path of the terrible whirlwind, and
sadder scene than Is presented here could not
be imagined. 1t was not until O'Clock tonight
that Geographic communication was restored.
All il confusion yet, and the people are in such
all excited state that it liz almost impossible to
get any ineligible report. Many families are
homeless, and have taken refuge III the cars
standing at the station. The front rooms of
the Court House are still standing, and have
been converted into q morguc The
school building is used for hospital. Up
to 7 p. M we have death list of seventy-eght,
and prospects of increasing it before morning.
Many are yet missing, and a number of people
have been hurredly buried and no record kept.
But fourteen buildings are left standing and
not house in town but is more or less damaged.
One case OF house being visited in search of
victims resulted in the finding of two children
killed outright, and one other lying with its leg
under the fallen timbers and shattered so rs to
require amputation. The elder members Of the
family were nowhere to be found. In another
case woman was lost, and no trace could be
found of her at all. These are only two of
great many instances similar in character, and
to write description of the horrible
suffering Of all would be an utter I'M
possibility. The violence of the storm
was such that trees three feet through were for
q space of several hundred yards wide lifted en-
tlrely ont of the ground, limbs twisted off and
peeled off ~ if struck by lightning. Telegraph
poles were twisted off at the ground sif they had
beennothing Wires were carried hundreds of
rodsinto the timber, and knotted along the limbs,
AZ if they We're made of cottonyarn. Noideacan
be formed of the looks of the country except by
actual observation. Everything is being done
by the people Of neighboring towns to relieve
the distressed people. 1t il truly terrible and
most heart-rending calamity, one which will not
soon be forgotten, and which will leave its mark
on these two counties for years.
Dan Good and James KINNEY were conductor
and baggage-master, respectively, ON the train
that passed through the Inflated town shortly
after the calamity. "What we saw of Marsh
field" said Mr.. Good to q reporter, "can give
you no definite idea of the damage done, but it
was the most terrible scene my eyes ever rested
upon. Our depot is about 800 yards from the
square, and, when we came in, the few persons
around it were mad with excitement. The
passengers caught the fever, the ladies be-
ginning to scream and the gentlemen TO rush
around az If they were demented. The storm
was still raging, and myself did not feel justi-
fled in keeping my train longer than was neces-
ssry. Az l looked ont through the darkness,
only reached by the light of buildings burning
everywhere, | could distinguish or make out
little except that where short hour before
there had been flourishing town of 1,500 i'll
habitants, there was nothing but chaos Of
wrecked houses. The lightning was blaz-
GUS flashes, and / could hear the noise
and confusion made by shouts, screams,
and grOans. / never saw or heard the like be-
fore, and please God, l never want TO again.
AS for particulars, l could only learn that the
storm struck the town at the southwest corner
and went through, taking everything before it
churches, Court House, business houses and
private residences-until the extreme northwest
corner was reached.
The loss % life must have been terrible, and
there is many and many q person who will
never he heard from again. 1t being Sunday
afternoon, the people were at their houses, and
the fires were all right for supper The tornado
came and overturned the houses on the heads of
the occupants. Many of the buildings caught
fire, and III the confusion which followed
no one knew what TO do or how to act to save
himself or any one else. Numbers Of the
wooden buildings began to blaze almost inn
mediately, and the wrecks OF bricks probably
caught before morning OF many of the
people who were in their houses there
will be nothing left but charred bones.
The storm crossed our track four times the first
time six miles west of Marshfield; then again Mt
Marshfeld the third time at Conway, fifteen
miles this side, where il blew down house and
killed two children. This side of Dickson 1872
miles from st. Louis, it crossed the track for
the fourth time. There was q section-house
standing there on the edge OF the bluff, which,
when the wind struck it, contained doz-
EN- persons. Inere Is not thing
to show that it ever stood there, except a plat
form. The house was carried 800 feet bodily
and set down in the hollow. The force of the
shock tore it all to pieces, and strangest of all,
no one in it was hurt seriously. A little child
had its leg broken, and that was all. Thirty
miles from here, at Cuba, new Catholic
church, which had just been erected, was blown
down, but it was empty at the time, and no
lives were lost
The storm which wrought such frightful
havoc at Marsh6eld was Of almost unexampled
scope and severity. 1t extended with more or
less violence from Kansas and Nebraska across
Missouri and Illinois, and north into Wisconsin
In the James river valley, in the vicinity of
Marshfield, some fifteen persons were killed,
and houses and fences we're swept away az if
they had been chaff. The town of CRANKY
Mo-. was very seriously damaged.
The town of Barrettsville, Moniteau county,
was badly shaken up by the cyclone-nearly
every house in the place being wholly or par
tally demolished, and several persons killed.
North Moreau, small hamlet in the same
county, was nearly extinguished, and ten or
eleven people killed.
Rock county, Wis, suffered severely from
the storm. Dwellings,, barns, fences and or
chards were moved down relentlessly by
the cruel storm-ldng and while the loss of life
Naa LIGHT tha obstruction NJ proparfv o. erroo