The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-06-24
The Iowa Tornado.

7 :4J in the evening. Inc cl0uus Wasscu ohu
moved northeast. They were high in the air,
MANY white in color. From this there eX'
tended downward long white column, reach
ing to the ground This was quite large when
frs, seen, and kept getting smaller and small
Ter until 1t vanished. Almost immediately
another funnel.shaped column appeared some
distance west of the first one, black IN color,
also moving east and extending down from
the clouds, which were dark in color The
clouds were boiling and surging. The first
clouds looked like heavy banks of snow. vivid
flashes of lightning kept flashing up and
down. Behind the moving mass was a
brilliant yellow sky, The course OF the cloud
mass continued northeast until 1t crossed the
Northwestern Railroad west of Marshall,
when it changed to the southeast. All this
time il was aerial, until, about O'Clock, when
it reached the earth few miles northwest OF
Grinnel. The first carnage was at the Rollins
farm, three miles from town, and then it struck
the northwest corner of Grinnell. This part
OF the town Is on a slight elevation, and was
the favorite quarter for fine residences, OF
which fifty.hve of the best were destroyed and
some twenty others, together with the stately
buildings of the Iowa college. There were
two OF these-both large and solid buildings
one of brick and one of stone. The brick
building IS literally ground to mass of
powdered brick and spllnters. The stone
building was only unroofed, but it took fire
from chemicals in the laboratory and was de-
stroyed In the college were some twenty
students at the time, and II Is almost a MIRA
Gle that but three of them were killed. One
student who jumped from third story win
dow, alighted on the college bell which had
just reached the ground and escaped with
slight bruises. Others who leaped from upper
windows were borne some distance by the
wind as if on wings, alighting without injury.
In all the houses destroyed were more or less
occupants, of whom about fifty were killed
and hundred so badly injured that probably
IS more will die. The rainfall in the town
was so heavy that the streets ran knee deep
with water.
One strong illustration of the fury of the
storm is found 10 the fact that Immediately
east of the town an approaching freight train
on the Iowa Central railroad was thrown from
the track, including the locomotive, and Kill
ling the head breakman; and two miles east
another freight train of fourteen cars upon
the Rock Island road was derailed and the
cars, some of which were filled with hogs,
turned over, killing the hogs.
The width of the cyclone varied from fifty
to two hundred yards Its course is marked
by debris along its path This consists Of
carcasses of dead horses, cows, pigs, dogs,
chickens, &c. In one case flock of geese
were completely stripped OF their feathers
while the geese were notkilled. A heavy oak
plank was driven through twoinch board
across the grain, making as clean hole AZ il
cut with chise, and driven several feet into
the ground. The upper story OF a house was
completely demolished except one wall in
which was to be seen a closet with books on
the shelves, which had not beer disturbed in
the least; also stove standing near, which
had not been moved The stOve.pipe is still
up. strips of roofing tin were carried several
hundred yards and wrapped around trees In
All exceedingly complex manner.
East of Grinnell the course of the storm Is
traced as follows by Times reporter, who
passed over the ground:
The first place west Of town where II struck
was the farm of w. w. Hildebrand, one mile
distant. About 9o'clock he saw the storm
coming from the southwest 1t struck his
house and knocked it over Following the
main road for two miles we reached the place
where the storm had bounded The fences
and trees were badly scattered and the fields
covered with debris. Fragments of houses
and fences lay about like stakes IN hop field.
Dead animals were thrown around all over the
fields, fragments of wagons and furniture al
most blocking the path. Wesoon came to the
site of II house on DOnahue's farm, which had
been occupied by n family named James,
The neighbors had found the bodies of James,
his wife and two children IN slough quart
er of mile of. One boy, aged IA, was not
yet dead, but can not live. One girl, aged II,
was beaten into the ground fully SIX inches.
The entire property Is botted out of existence
A daughter was to have been home last Thurs.
day, but no trace has been discovered of her.
Donahues place, fourth of Il mile beyond,
was totally destroyed, and himse, wife, child.
ren and hired man all badly hurt. Two will
probably die. Further on we came in sight of
the residence OF Eli Phipps, an old man aged
70. He was killed. and also grandchid
aged 7. Not vestige of the house If left on
the ground. Mrs. Phipps owned thirty seven
geese and not one of them has feather left on
their backs-a singular freak. The storm tore
up green oak stump not over two and one
half feet high and two feet across, and carried
1t bodily over a half mile. The Phipps fami,
ly of six persons were all badly hurt, excepting
an infant which was not scratched. Jim
Phipps, son of Eli, lived just beyond, A
child lying asleep on the floor was blown
thirty rods against tree and instantly killed.
The rest of the family were caught up and
thrown IN a potato patch on the side of the
house toward the tornado. All were badly
hurt. The next house was that of Samuel
Chairman The family of four uprp all cor