The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-06-18
STORM DEVASTATlONS.
Cold Rains at the East-.Floods in the Middle
States--Cyclones at the West Lightning
Eccentricities

States--Cyclones at tie west lightning
Eccentricities.
The past week has been notable not only fol
an extraordinary rainfall all over the country
but for destructive floods, cyclones and light
ming devastatons.
Beginning at the east, from about the 9TH tC
the 18th, most of New England and New York
were flooded by cold ram from the northeast
a velocity of GO miles an hour. At Boston the
rainfall on the 10th alone was over AZ inches
Railroad washOuts, destruction of bridges and
other property, and detention of trains all over
New England are reported, with loss of ship
ping along the coast as tar as Long Branch.
About the same time and continuing up to
the 18th, violent storms and floods were ex-
per!enccd in the mountain districts Of Pennsyl-
vania, Virginia and Ohio, extending thence
through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and all
over the west At Pitsburg on the 10th the
rivers had risen 20 feet flooding large por.
tons of Allegheny city, causing great destruc-
of property, and an almost universal suspen-
sion of railroad travel leading from the city.
At the same time there were disastrous floods
in the Mahoning and Chenango valleys, and
all through northern Pennsylvania, raising the
Susquehanna, Schuylkill and Delaware to
flood tide.
Along the Ohio river, down to Wheeling,
the June freshet," which is quite unusual,
was the severest on record since 1910, and car
rled with it destruction on every hand. The
loss of property and destruction of crops at
and around Steubenville alone is estimated at
81 ,OOO, 900. One farmer had 200 head of sheep
drowned
At Cincinnati on the 18th, additional impe.
tus was given to the flood by a terrific fall of
rain and hail, dong vast damage by washouts
on the hillside streets, and crushing skylights
and window panes by the thousand by hail.
stones Us large as goose eggs. The same
storm extended over large part Of Kentucky,
and near Shelbyville q regular waterspout
burst upon the county, beating barley, rye,
hemp and blue grass flat to the ground and
turning every rivulet into raging torrent the
wind at the same time unroofng houses, blow
ing down barns, trees, &c. Most of southern
OHIO, Indiana and Illinois were ravaged by
the same storm.
But the heaviest sufferers by the war of the
elements were the localities throughout the
west where flooding rams were accompanied
by the evsrdreaded cyclone, One of these,
on the 18th, passed over the southeast corner
of Polk, reaching into Jasper county, Iowa.
1t travelled in a nOrtheasterly direction, de-
stroylng houses, barns, fences, fruit trees, for.
est trees and everything in its track, being
from 200 to 300 yards wide. Along with hun.
dreds of other sufferers, "John Green's house
and barn were blown down, killing Swede
named Erickson, ana also badly injuring Mrs.
Green. A little child OF Mr.. and Mrs Green
was lifted and carried quarter of mile, and
was found lying in field badly injured. The
residence of John Walter, near Rising Sun,
was torn to pieces, and his little child killed
by the falling timbers." The hailstones accom-
panying 1t broke much window-glass and in
some instances crashed through weather.
boards and plasterlng The stones, which
were the size of goose eggs, also killed anum-
Der Of live stock and poultry, as well as rab-
bits and birds. In Des Moines, the Baptist
church was struck and large hole burnt
through the roof, and many trees were denud'
ed of branches or torn up. Passing North
river the storm cloud sucked up the water and
took all the planks off the bridge.
Another cyclone occurred on the 10Th near
the Arkansas line, IN Berry county, Mo-,
where the village of Seven Star Springs, a
small watering place lately sprung into exis-
tence about some healing springs, was nearly
annihilated. 1t was accompanied with cloud
bust which in few minutes time converted
the pretty valley into raging torrent, sweep
ing away houses with their inmates and con.
tents almost before an alarm could be given
or the frightened people escape No lives
were lost so far as known, but many persons
narrowly escaped. An eye witness says: ain
the afternoon three large dark and threatening
clouds from different directions appeared and
rushed together as in cyclone. Over the
valley where they met the ram poured down