San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-13
WOEFUL WIND.
Tn, Town or GrInneII, Iowa Wrecked BY o'e'oho
Appalling Loss OF Life.

west on the 18th and 18th oil june
Grinnell, Iowa, sc ems to have been the
greatest sufferer, a considerable por'
ticn of the town going down before the
fierce wind. The loss of life is the sad
dest feature OF the disasterous visiIs'ioh'
II is believed that upward OF 100 peo'
nile were either killed outright or fatally
wounded. At Grinnell alone he deatn'
roll will reach nearly, if not quite loo'
Nearly twice that number were more OF
less seriously injured, while the prop
erty loss amounts to at least s'oo,ooo'
A correspondent furnishes the ioiio"
ing graphic account OF the ravages Oh
the hurricane at Grinnell and vicinity
During the day the weather had oeen
unusually hot, and toward evening ON
nous looking clouds hung in the north
west. About 8 o'clock, deep sulien
roar like the approach of several rapid
ly.moving freight trains was heard but
before the cause of the peculiar phe'
nomens was surmised, the storm hao
hurst in all its fury. Striking the town
upon the northwest quarter, 1t cut
sinuous path through the most beautiiui
residence part of the town. carrying
death and destruction in its path. hV-
erv animate and inanimate object was
picked up in its relentless grasp ana
hurled to death and destruc'ion.
Houses were annihilated, fences obllt-
Grated. trees broken off Like straws' OF
in some cases the trunks were lett
standing, stripped of every vestlge OF
foliage and peeled clean OF the BARK
leaving but a white monument OF the
fnrv of the storm. Sidewalks were
picked up and tossed about, eacn par
ticular plank being converted into an
engine of death in the circling grasp OF
the storm. In the light Of the terrible
damage done, it seems almost mlracu-
lous that there was no greater loss OF
life. There can be but one way to &C.
count for it. Many of the village peo-
ple we're down town doing the usual
Saturday evening marketing. The
business portion of the town escaped
and in this way greater loss OF lie was
prevented. The scene in the track OF
the storm beggarsa description. 1t was
about half past three o'clock this morn
ing when the special train from Des
Moines, in charge of Supt. Royce OF
the Rock Island road, and bearing
corps of physicians and relief force ar
rived. At that time twenty-elght OF
the dead had been recovered from the
debris in Grinnell alone. The hotels
school houses and town hall were con-
verified into hospitals. In the town
hall alone were twenty dead bodies,
ranging from the youth Of 10 or II to the
man whose hair had been frosted by
ace. All sround were grief stricken
friends and relatives, and the spectacle
was one calculated to appal the stoutest
heart. The wreck in the early gray
of the morning was one OF the mos5
lamentable sights presented to human
eyes. The path of destruction was
through the town of Grinnell about 1oo
feet in width. On the outer edges OF
the path the damage was the hghtest'
For the space of 200 feet in the centre
scarcely a tree or shrub escaped COM
plete destruction. Houses were picked
ND and thrown to the outer circle, some
To one side and some to the other, as
the freaks of the wind prevailed. In
some cases the houses were removed,
dashed to pieces, scattered in fragments
and foundation walls leveled to the
ground. Nothing was saved of the con-
tents. Stoves furniture, pianos and all
the various articles of household par
aphernalia we're tossed about as though
thew were but children's toys. Articles
of bedding and upholstered furniture
were found miles from their proper
abiding places. The handsome build
inps Of the Iowa College were COM
pletely destroyed, one of brick aud an
other of stone, entailing loss upon
tina, institution of fully 100000.
The damage to the town cannot fall
short of 500, 900 or 100000. Passing
out of town, the storm struck freight
train ON the Central iowa railroad,
lifted il clean from the tracks, and
-a rrnnniscnnslY around.