The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-04-21
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO.
A Cyclone Sweeps Over the Town
of Brownsville. NO., Leveling
Buildings and killing and wound
ing Many Persons.

ing Many Persons,
INDEPENDENCE, Mo-, April 1e.
A terrible cyclone swept over the town Of
Brownsville Saline county, No., at 4:30 o'clock
yesterday afternoon. The entire business por-
persons killed and between twenty and thirty
Others badly injured. The storm came from
the southwest and was very similar to the one
which destroyed the town of Richmond four years
ago. The storm came up so suddenly that the
first intimation the people had was a sudden
roaring sound, which was Immediately fol-
lowed by the appearance of a large black
funnel-shaped cloud coming from the south
west at the rate of at least 100 miles per hour.
When the cloud was first noticed it was appar-
emily about two miles distant and hung per-
haps fifty yards above the earth. When it
reached the western part Of town it dropped
down almost to the ground, and seemed to
draw everything within radius OF several
hundred yards up into the mouth of the
funnel. 1t swept through the town, laying
everything waste in its path. Two-story brick
business houses were picked up like Straws
and whirled and twisted into shapeless ruins.
Frame dwellings, were carried some distance
and dropped, smashing houses into fine kind
ling wood. Heavy timbers were carried several
nuuuLeu yaIus through inc ar, anu IanluS
end downward, stuck several feet into the
ground. Occasionally the funnel seemed to
strike the earth, and would rebound
some distance into the air, only to
fall again and continue its work of
destruction. Tho storm lasted less than
two minutes, but during that short space of
time about twenty business houses and dwell
ings were leveled to the ground. The storm
came up so suddenly that the people had no
For 70 ar
one knew what was coming until the storm was
upon them. The people IN the streets were
picked up and carried various distances and
hurled to the ground dead or bruised almost
beyond recognition, while those in the build
lngs were buried by the falling walls and de-
brls.
For some time after the storm passed the
people who were uninjured were so terribly ex-
cited that nothing could be done. When they
at last recovered from their CONSERVATION
search for the dead and wounded was COM
menced. 1t was at first supposed that at least
fifty persons had been killed, but thorough
search revealed that only seven were killed out
right, fourteen MORALLY wounded, and sixteen
seriously injured. Those killed were
j. s. Scruggs. farmer.
ClaIde Meyers, dry-goods merchant.
T. X. Arthur, clerk.
w. NJ. Williams, clerk.
Con White, City Marshal
j. S. Payne, minister.
James Miller, clerk.
The storms path was about $50 yards wide,
and every house, tree or shrub III that path
was leveled to the ground. After leaving
Brownsville the funnel pursued a northeastern
direction, and was next heard of near Marshall,
where several farmhouses were destroyed. ALI
the telegraph lines leading out of Brownsville
were broken.
TERRIFIC EFFECTS or THE CYCLONE BEFORE IT
REACHED BROWNSVILLE.
The tornado struck Montrose at $3.50 p. N.
yesterday, destroying eighteen dwellings and
four churches. No lives lost. school four
miles east of Montrose was blown down, and
all the inmates were more or less injured, two
little sons of John Farr, it is supposed fatally.
One little child was blown across
tWenty-acre field and lodged in an
apple-tree uninjured. Two men in
an adjacent Geld were blown over a hedge
fence ten feet high, and both seriously
injured. The storm is said to have reached as
far as Appleton City, and blown down houses.
At Clinton heavy hai-storm prevailed. All
the windows facing the west were damaged.
Hail fell as large as goose-eggs. At Holden
number of houses were blown down, and 9TH
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