Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-06-29
The Iowa Catastrophe.


nc LutcSC HepOTtS V We LOSSES anu W6
Deaths.
From the results of the terrible
storms Of Saturday Al deaths occurred
at Grinnell and % at outside points,
II Of the latter at Malcolm and five
in the country northwest Of Grinnell.
The doctors say that six or seven more
Of the injured at Grinnell will die.
Some physicians put the final death
roll at Grinnell alone at more than
80, while others fear it will yet reach
as high as 75. OF the injured in that
city there are now over 12O known
cases, about 80 Of them being Of u
rather serious nature. In the country
there are also several serious cases of
injury. The best posted persons at
Grinnell estimated that the death roll
Of the calamity would very probably
reach 100. 1t is now 64, among them
that Of Conductor Diegnen, Of the
Rock Island road.
One hundred and forty-three is esti-
mated as the number Of dwelling
houses destroyed by the tornado i'll
Grinnell. 1t is estimated that this
entails loss of half million Of dol
lars now, which is nearly total loss,
as hardly any Of them are insured
against tornadoes or anything but fire.
Mr.. j. b. Grinnell states that fifty Of
the people in losing their homes lose
all they had in the world. Outside
of Grinnell, in Malcolm and in the
country, there is also immense loss.
Probably the aggregate Of all will not
foot up lesss than three-quarters Of u
million Of dollars. Some business men
of Grinnell think that the actual loss
will be larger.
AT II o'clock on Saturday night Il
terrific storm passed in southwostcrly
direction Of Des Moines and Henry
counties. In Burlington only rain
and hail fell, but mile south Of the
city the hurricane blew down barns,
houses and orchards and destroyed Il
vast amount Of property. Nobody is
reported killed. The electrical dis.
play was remarkable. The sky was
aglow constantly for two houls.
At Mount Pleasant, twenty-cight
miles west, the hurricaneSwas very de-
structive. Two storms met over the
town at 1880 and, accompanied by
rain and hail, broke in fearful fury,
demolishiug entirely the Baptist
church, which cost $4,000. The spire
Of the Presbyterian church was lifted
high in the air, invcrtiDg it; the point
struck the sidewalk in front Of the
church and was driven many feet in
ground. The towers of all the church
es are off and the churches are other
wise damaged. Nearly every business
house in the city is unrooied and
damaged.
The park and public square are
filed with tin roofs rolled into bunches
like wads of paper. The rain damag-
ed large quantity of merchandise.
The storm lasted about forty minutes.
Three hundred dwellings are unroofcd
and damaged, and not q single chin
nev is left standing. A thousand trees
are twisted of. Three large brick
school-houses are in ruins, but the
college building escaped. Only two
persons were reported killed--a Mrs.
Scott and her son, who lived near the
city. None are seriously injured in
the town,
The insane hospital, with 600 in
mates in the track Of the storm, is not
damaged The loss in Mount Pleas
ant is above SI50,000. Fifty freight
cars, standing on Il side track a mile
east of Mount Pleasant, where careen-
ed upon the main Iiue aud Chicago,
Burlington d Quincy train collided
with them, wrecking the upturned
cars completely. Engineer A. M.
Parmiter was slightly injured.
Mail reports from Story county
represent the damage as very serious.
Several buildings were swept away at
Kelly. All the buildings on the farms
of j. A, Mcfarland and William Tenn
pleton were obliterated. Further east
all the buildings on sixteen farms
were swept away. Two school houses
in Nevada were demolished. The
school house in Albany was carried
away. All growing crops in the track
of the wind were destroyed, and cat
tie, horses, hogs and poetry were car
ried long distances and deposited dead.
Mrs. J.. d. Thompson's little girl
was killed, and she herselfhad an arm
broken. G. w. Hempstock had a leg
broken, and his wife and child are in
jured internally. In Boone county a
number of farm houses and barns
were carried away, and Christian
Peterson's 8 year old son was killed.