Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1882-06-29
The Iowa ornado,

A. PrTEoUs AND EARNEST APPEAL
FOR AID FOR THE SUEFERERs-ANl
EYE-WlTNEss' TaLE OF HORROR.
DEs MONIES, June 2O.-An appeal
for aid signed by J. S.. Clarkson, ed
itor of the Des Moines Register, is
furnished on behalf of the stricken
com spunilies in Iowa, with the re-
quest that all papers publish it.
Clarkson says:
'sAfter two davs and nights spent
in traversing the track of the tornado
that swept over this State with such
fearful Lavoc last Saturday night,
and having reports from scores OF re-
por:ers of the Register and Assocla-
ted Press sent to all parts of it, find
the condition of the stricken people
so pfteous and so needful OF instant
and generous help that send this
| appeal to the people of the United
States in their behalf. The tornado
made destructive sweep through the.
tEickly-s ettled portion of Iowa, some
$50 miles in length and on an aver
age half mile wide. extending from
points south Of Ames, in the centre
Of the State, in the shape of a cres-
cent, to South English, in Keokuk
county. From the southeast part
of the State we have the names now
of sixty-nine dead and 500 wounded,
half of tie latter grievously hurt, and
p-of ably fifth of them fatally. Oyer
three hundred families have lad their
homes totally destroyed, and there
are now at least fifteen hundred per-
sons homeless and in want. The loss
in property will! exceed $2,000,0O0,
and may reach $3,O00,OO0. In the
town of Grinnell alone over $780,
900 in property was destroyed, on
none of which was there a. cent of
insurance, as In the case of fires.
It will take at least $500, 900 to put
the people there beyond need and
distress, It will take 100000 at
once to put the wounded people in
condition to be cared for. 1t will
take 81, 100000 at the lowest to
keep the sufferers from want and
to help them to put the humblest
of roofs over their heads. People
of Des Moines "a. are responding
generously. Citizens Of this city
lrve subscribed $4,000 this morn
ing, and will make it $4,000 be-
fore night in money, and are also
sending provisions and clothing.
It will take the help of every hui
name city and town in the West,
and of every liberal city and town
in the East, to put comfort and
safety between these stricken peo-
pie and further suffering and fatal
ity. All that the people of Iowa
can do will be done to al.eYiate the
condition and repair in part the
losses of the suffer ers, but it will
take S1,OOO,OO0 to do it even in a
half way, and the people in the
4 State who have always borne their
share and done their part in all 10
cal calamities may freely ask peo-
pie of other communities to help
them in this hour of great calami-
ty to many of the worthiest of it
people, and to this end l ask my
fellows of the press through the
United States to place the facts be-
fore their readers and give thei
timely help to its sufficient purpos'
of raising and providing aid at th'
earliest moment possible. Every
, condition of woe exists that mos
tepderly appeals to the pity Of th
human heart. Wounds inflicted b,
debris that filled the air like chao
by electric belts of fire, that seem
ed to traverse every inch of space
and that exploded with fearful
fatal efects.will many OF them def
all skill and nursing. even with til
tenderest care The fury of til
storm, WHICH was clearly of eleQtri
origin, and which indeed may b
described as having been electrici
= ty itself, may be understood fror
the staten ent that at various pla
l ces it took mp in its great spirals G
> tunnels houses thousand feet int
1.-THE air, and took ur and carrie
large droves of cattle through tt
air for thousands of feet, and dasl
u, tn ed them dead in heaps. Man
nd thousands of cattle, horses, hog
II II and other animals, now lie in Il
he track Of the tornado, and are a
ready rotting and adding TO Il
.bs horrorsthe foul odols of putrefae
ers ton. The horrors OF the storm q
Ss Ss unspeakable. The cruelt;es it il
sss sss flicted and the pitiless woe Of !
do- cnun1np in tho nj Ohf uhan tho do.
81 were not known and the woqnd'
could not be found, the sad state
sle- re- which 1t has left hundreds OF fam
sss sns lies before prosperous, may not
;sit ;;sst described in words but on
known to generous hearts, it mt
command the Instant sympathy