The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-04-27
yVsaEkM De TEE WIN HNs

EsnnE Lives Lost, Numerous Per-
SONS Injured and Great Destrue-
GTcu OF Properly,
About four O'Clock on Tuesday after
noon of last week the town Of Browns
vile, Saline county, Mo, was visited
by one of the most fearful torpados
that ever visited this country, which
nearly destroyed that town, and scat
tered death and desOlation i'll it's track.
A moment before the storm struck, the
atmosphere grew suddenly close and
and heavy, and darkness almost like
night ensued. A few moments after,
a terrible roaring noise was heard, and
the next instant black and angry
funnel-shaped cloud was seen coming
from the southwest at almost light
ming speed. The larger part of the
funnel was downward, and it seemed
to be whirling in rotary motion, and
bounded along close TO the earth like
a rubber ball. When the funnel reach
ed the south western limits of the town
it seemed to roll along within few
feet of the ground and -lst'usos- woro
raised clean off their foundations and
smashed to atoms, the pieces being
hurled in every direction. Trees were
uprooted and twisted off close to the
ground, and animals and persons pick
ed up and carried for yards through
the air, then dropped bruised and
bleeding to the ground. The track of
the cyclone was $50 yards wide, and
ran from the southwest to the north
east quarter of the town, destroyed %
of the principal bvsiness houses and
residences, and killed eight persons.
About fifty others were seriously in
jured.
En Pennsylvania.
A destructive tornado also struck
Mt. Vernon, ,an ore mining town in the
mountains, five miles from Scotsdale.
Westmoreland county, Pa, uprooting
trees, demolishing fences and blowing
down houses and barns. Among the
houses demolished are the following:
William WiregrOve's, killing his wife
and injuring seven children Jacob
Joseph Glassburne's whole family
were injured, and the roof blown two
miles Jacob Miller's, no one injured.
At Pennsvilie the roof of Jacob Shoe
nicl1's barn was carried quarter of a
mile, and dwelling blown down.
Many telegraph poles and acres of
| timber are levelled. Pennsville is five
miles from Mt. Vernon, and damage
was done all the way.
PITTSBURGH, PA, April 21st.-A
| Chronicle Pennsville, Pa, special says:
| It is impossible to picture in words the
| indescribabie woe that is written on
! the face OF the cycione-wept district.
! It's q scene Of devastation and distress,
| of waste and ruin, nothing like unto
which has ever before been known.
| The storm that burst suddenly and
| unheraided on this community about
| four O'Clock Wednesday evening, was
| Of short duration and very limited i'll
| its track. 1t moved from southwest
! to northeast. going over the northern
portion Of Fayette county.
The little town of Peunsville is sit.
uated about four miles north of Con.
uelIaVille on the Southwest Railroad
! and is in sight Of the devastated track
! tlia storm having swept Just north o
! the village. The hurricane so Sudden.
| ly burst upon the people and wa8 sc
soon over, that very few, even eye
witnesses, can give any satisfactory
account of it's nature. From an eye
witness we CLEAN that the winG, rain
and hail poured out of dark blue
el-shaped cloud, which travelled
at an almost incredible speed. --.-
SO far as learned the first seriou:
outbreak here was in the western par
OF this township. where it struck tht
Mennonite Church. about one mile Wes1
of this town, and unrOOfed it. A short
distance from this church Abner Jar.
rett, q boy ten years old, was riding
along Oh horseback. Hearing noise
he turned TO see what it was, and find.
ing the hurricane rapidly approach
ing, he attempted to jump from his
horse. He is not certain whether he
Jumped Off or whether the wind liftel
him Oft, but he does know that he die
not light on the ground until he haC
! been carried some fifty yards. Turn
ing to look for his horse, he found thai
some flying timbers had struck anC
mangled it, killing the poor anima
almost instantly. Abner's escape was
marvellous, and his brother Neil, {
young man, was hurled along in {
somersault style, sometimes in the air
and sometim es on the ground, fol
many yards. In the progress of the
storm, pushing on its north easterly
course, the gale next struck the farm
of A. A. Sherlock on the crest of the
hill in sight of Pennsville. After de
molishing the orchard it reached tbs
barn and tossed the roof up as feath
er in the air, landing it far away
Some of the meu folks here had a mar
row escape. They had driven a Wagon
load of hay in the barn and just got
the horses unhitched and into the sta.
BILE beneath, when the barn was decap'
itated the floor serving to protect them
from the falling debris above. Thence
to the house of Mr.. Jarrett, where
chimneys, fences and trees were laid
in common ruins. The Hurst barn
an immense building, was moved ONE
foot from its base and unroOfed. The
gale thea crossed southwest of the
Pennsylvania road and destroyed the
timber and trees on the Wilson Boyle
and PIayford farms. 1t swept madly
on leaving Pennsville just on thesouth
edge of its track and striking the Dis
ciple Church, which was unreOfed and
otherwise seriously damaged. Contin-
uing Oh up Mt. Pleasant road, next to
fall in its sweep was the property OF
widow Miller. Her house was demol-
! ished and the stable carried so far that
at this writing it has not been found.
Mrs. MilIer's washing was hanging en-
Il line, and the clothes were blown
clear out of sight. w. c. Lyons prop
erty was also damaged to the extent,
we learn, of 81 GOO. john 5. Detwil-
ler's barn was unroofed and his house
suffered seriausly,as did also the house,
barn and orchard of George ID. Atkins,
half "a mile further on. Elias Hemin-
ger ana II. s. Fritz suffered similar
losses. The elements seemed to gather
STRENGTH as the storm travelled on.