Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-06-28

Tne Cyclone Describcd- In
cidents assd Hasr- Breadth Escapes.
Much has been written with regard to the ap-
pearance of the cyclone, but can not refrain,
in this connection, from reproducing, as nearly
as can, description given me with uncon-
scious eloquence by eyewitness to the desce nj
Of the boreal monster upon the fated town.
"The sun wont down he said, behind a
bank Of peculiar clouds. They were OF fantas-
tic shapes, and the last rAys Of the setting sun
impaired to them . crimson, angry hue. !
couldn't help, for the litS OF me, thinking of
tho feroctous red eyes OF an untamaole bull
dog, when looked At the lurid spectacle. Night
came on, and with it the storm. Iaces-
SAINT lightning. tlizsdhated the northern
and western heayt ma The clende grew
blacker and the atmosphere agitation in
creased. The balloon-shaped cloud abont VIII ch
you already know could be seen approaching a
quarter o; an hour before it reached the town,
and for at least Eve minutes before its arrival
the roaring sound, which has been aptly likened
t. the rumbling OF fifty freight trains across an
iron bridge, filed the air with its omlnous
echoes. 1t was preceded by q violent wind.
which blew down trees and drove people
into the house. was standing in an open
space on ole OF the western streets Of the
town, and. feeling that ! was safer there ths n
| could be in a house, i determined to
stay there, though admit / was frightened
half to death. The rumbng roar came near
er, and the lowering mass seemed to reach out
black arms TO the earth, when, with a horrible,
whistling shrek, the monster swept by within
hundred yards Of the spot where WAS rooted
with amazement and fear. The raging thing
swooped down upon the place, licking up every
thing in its path. Some Of the houses were
mashed down and swept along, while others
were picked up bodily torn to pieces, and
the furniture and occupants lifted into
tire air, either to be hurled to the earth again
or blown the Lord knows where. The aread:u.
giant pursued its way, crushing, crunching and
destroying with cruel wantonness In the I'M
earthly glare produced by the blazing lightning,
which flashed wickedly and necessarily, and by
the balls of fire with which the gyrsting mass
seemed to be alive. / could see the air filled
with flying objects Of every conceivable form,
from scraps of paper TO sections Of roofs and
floors, TO the height OF 40 or 500 feet, and
don't know how much higher. A house would
be crushed like an eggshell and in less time
than it takes to tell the materials that
composed IT would be climbing skyward with
incredible rapidity. The air was charged with
electricity and where stood the atmosphere
was Of ghostly pallor. The whirling monster
threw out flashes, and sparks, aud balls as it
passed along. Mingled with the frightful
blood-curdling shrieks of women as they we're
caught up and borne away 10 their death. The
demon concert Ia ringing in my ears yet. The
cyclone was probably a minute, or a minute
and q half, passing me. II seemed an age.
Nothing ever filled me with such unspeakable
awe as this relentless riot OF the elements
this merciless march Of DEATH"
After the storm came binding, drenching
rain. II was dark as the bottomless plt-so
dark that the blsckness could almost be felt
and through this inky air groped hundreds OF
men and women trying to find the mangled
The City Hall was converted into morgue and
the other public buildings into hospitals. Re-
LAYS Of doctors hastened TO the scene Of BUTCH
ery from all quarters. Mr.. Moffatt, who
had charge Of the dcad-house, tells OF the
spectacle that was presented there Sunday
morning:
ave worked half the night and all Sunday
forenoon getting the bodies into shape for
burial There were forty Of them ranged about
in the room, nearly all women and children. II
being Saturday night. the men were mostly
down In the business part OF town making pur-
chases fer Sunday. The bodies when first
brought in were unrecoguizsble. Dirt, sand,
plaster and cinders were ground into the flesh,
and in many instances it could not be washed
or scraped OF. II was rs though the victim
had been mashed into an ash-plt and rolled
about under tremendous pressure. can think
of no other simile that will convey my idea OF
how they l. oked.
"The clothing was torn from the bodies in Q
few cases, but only few. The shreds that
were left cinging to the forms had 10 be cut
away, however. That was the only way it
could be done. Every single person brought
to the morgue was mutilated in shocking
manner. Forms wero sometimes hammered
and beaten into shapeless masses. Spines
were driven into the skull protruding through
the top OF the head backs were broken, or
telescoped skulls crushed like egg. shells; eyes
hanging down the cheeks arms and legs
torn from the bodies and hanging, disjointed,
by shreds OF flesh eutralls protruding from
frightful gaps, and vitals scooped out and de-
tachec entirely from the bodies. The picture
was sickening. 1t took me two hours to lay out
the mutilated remains OF Whist had once been q
beautiful young girl. Her head had been
crushed down into her trunk and could only be
extricated by cutting away the flesh in q man.
ner that seemed almost barbarous. There was
only one way OF doing ii, however. pray God
may never be called upon to see another such
q sight"
Astonishing stories of the freaks of
the tempest are told. and 1 am in q
fit frame Of mind to believe almost anything
after having gone over the track Of the cyclone
for n dozen or more miles, and seen with my
own eyes the havoc wrought. Who has not
heard o: the wind blowing hard enough to take
the hair from a dogs back? That is one OF
swallow the statement that, out in Nebraska, the
inhabitants have to wall up their wells TO keep
the hurricanes from blowing out the holes The
story about chickens having been denuied OF
feathers ia scarcely less difficult 10 believe than
the dog story yet to-day there is an old hen
and brood OF chickens in Grinnell literally
stlPped by the wind Of every feather, and as
clean as the day they broke through tho shell
of the egg that gave them life, and l am told
that fiocks Of prairie chckens have been seen
plucked 10 similar way.
In Malcom Q stable belonging to Bradbrook,
q noted sportsman, was lifted from the ground,
transported over the tops Of grove OF trees,
and landed at the foot OF hill an eighth OF q
mile away, and none of the three horses in the
barn were killed, or even seriously injured.
One OF the animals was thrown through an
open door. alighting fright side up, with care
In the mud.
On three OF the four corners OF the two main
streets In Malcom are fimsy frame buildings,
and on the remaining corne. stood 4 strong
two-story brick block. The cyclone spared the
wooden buildings, and knocked the BRICK struct-
ure into flinders. Up the street, half a block,
was located three-s ory irou and brick build
ing owned by J. II. Duffus II was crushed like
q shell, and pieces OF the corrugated irsn
veneering blown to the outskirts OF the town.
A farmer living seven miles away brought in
piece OF DufYus' iron, Weighing several pounds,
II having been dropped IN . field near hB firm
house.
A one-armed student jumped from the third
story Of the brick dorpitory and was carried
consderable way before he struck the ground,
without scratch. The student immediately
ran down town and rang the alarm bell
Mud aud dirt were blown into the sides OF
buildings still standing with such force that
the dishgur.ng blotches cannot be removed.
Gravel was not splashed up against the build.
ings, but driven IL, as though discharged from
Q mortar.
saw delicate mantel ornament taken un-
injured from mass OF mortar aud other rub
bish In Grinnell, and within twenty feet OF the
place was q dark spot, showing where young
child had been driven into the earth and
crushed out Of shape.
large house. owned ty Iucius Eanders i'm