The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-22
THE WINDS HAVOC
FATAL CYCLONE IN Pennsylvania.

fsA'4' "s''faet'oa or h''s sad Properly 10 Fsyt
sste cOunty-Churehss, Dwellings and Barn. II i
I Deuo'lssed-A Nauber Of Persoss Killed VI
aad Many WOuadsd-ilarroulns Scenes n
PlrTsuunen, April .l.-A special dis.
patch to the Chronicle from Pennville,
Pennsylvania. gives tho following graphlc
description OF tho terrible. destruction Of ]
lilo md property wrought by the winds In I
Fhyeltc county l.ff& H5 W
1t isimpossible to picture In words tho
indescribablc woe TINT Is written on Tho
lace Of this cyclone-swept district. It Is d
scene Of devastation and distress, Of waste
and ruin, nothing like unto whicl, has ever. ever
before been known. The storm that burst
suddenly and unheraldcd on this CON. /
munity about 4 o'clock Wednesday even. I
ing, was Of short duration and limited IN
Its truck. 1t moved from southwest 10 +
northeast, going over the northern portion
OF Fayette county. The little town az
fennsviie Is situated abont four miles
north Of Connellsyille, on tho Southwest 4
railroad, md is in sight Of tho lryus,ei
truck, the storm having swept Just north of 4
the village. The hurricane so suddenly
burst upon the people and was so sooi,
over, that very few, even OF the eye Wit /.
nesses, can give any satisfactory account Of =
its nature. The wind, ruin and hail poured 7
out OF dirk blue funnel.shnped cloud \
which Travelled at almost incredible spccd. i
So far as learned, the first serious out. y
break here was In the western part OF this
township, where it struck the Mennonite S
church, about one mile west OF this town,
and nnrooied il. 5 jlll,
short distance from this church Abner +
Jarrett, boy ten years old, was riding II
along on horseback. Hearing tho noise he Z
turned to sec what il, was, and finding the y
hurricane rapidly approaching he attempted X
to jump from his horse, lie IS not certain 1
whether he jumped or whether the wind 4
lifted him oil, but he does know that ho !.
did not aliyht OH the ground until he Ind II
been carried some fifty yards. Turning 10 (
look for his horse, he found that somo Z
tivns timbers Ind struck and mnngled il ..5
killing the poor animal Instantly. Abners 3
escape was marvellous. I'll q 4 q
Pushing on in its northcasterly course,
the gale next struck the farm Of a. n. S!ltr-a
rick, on the crest Of tho hill. After lemu- Y
ishing the orchard il reached the barn and
tossed tho root up us a feather in the mir,
landing it far away. Some Of the mGnS
| folks had narrow escape. They iad
driven a wagon load OF hay in on the barn 4
floor and just got the horses unhiiched md Z
into the stable beneath when the burn was i
decapitated, the floor serving 10 protect
them from the falling debris above. Thence i
to the house OF jarrett, where tho chin. 4
neys, fences and trees were Ibid in common I
ruins. The Hurst burn, an immense build-S
ing,was moved one foot from its base and un-
rooied. Thega!e then crossed the Southwest
Pennsylvania road and DESTROYED the timber
trees on the Wilson, Boyle & Pluyford Y
farm. 1t swept madly on, leaving Penns. )
vile Just Mt the south edge OF its track, and y
striking the Disciples church, which was
unroofed and otherwise seriously damaged.
Continuing on up the Mt. Pleasant road, 4
the next to full in its sweep wus the prop 1
erty OF the Widow Miller. Her house was
demolished and the stable carried so far
that at this writing it has not vet been /
found. q. c. Lyons property was also <
damaged TO the extent OF 81 900. u John IS.
Detwilers barn was unroofed und & his
house suffered seriously, us did also the !;
house, barn and orchard of George ID. 4
Atkinson. Half mile further on 'Elias
Hemipgcr and II. S Fretz suffered similar
losses. u w
The elements seemed to gather strength
as the storm travelled on. Before it reached
Mountz creek it took an castcrly course, i
and here the deadliest work began. John
Bundorfis house was now the first to src.#
| pnnh Ntrn ~ ralutn a
OF tue house WIS swept instantly away, and I
the upper portion then came tumbling /!
down. Mr. Bundorf was outside and
when ne saw the storm approaching he5;
sought shelter inside. He was overtaken.f
however and whirled abo ut in The air in /
the mercy OF the gale, while he bchcld his
dwelling fall shapeless mass Of ruiua, !
lie relates that rails, rubbish and TIMBER
could be seen fitting through the air as i
il they came from the clouds lles
was struck by one Of these missiles Just be-
low the small OF the back. 1t penetrated
m artery, and it is feared the wound is
fatal. Is q .,5l5t 4 ~. q n.
Mr.. Joseph Gassburn's house was ut
te,'y destroyed, us was also his barn, The
last he saw OF the roof OF the latter it was /
gong up the mountain side at lightning
| e.I'S~Ns ~ 1SttSS WOO lSAL Uu lib n
iarm. The ruins are scattered in every al. 4
rection, aud it is impossible to tell whose
they are, or whence and how far they
came. Mr. Glassburn's wife and five OF
the children are badly hurt. She is tiity I
years Of age, and the children range from
twenty-five to ten years, two OF them being Y
young ladies' Z. J! 4;
The hurricane vas now passing upJ tho s
mountain side, and apparently reinforcing
itself for the ascent and for the last lrrnd. 4
ful work. Passing half mile from Glass: :
burns, It reached the property OF john
Wingrove. He was about five hundred y!
yards distant from his house, driving 10. K
ward home. with wagon loud OF onts. 1
When the Storm struck him he leaned
from the wagon md started for the house 4
and his (amiy. He will never forget tho
sight that then and there burst s,pon 4
his view. It was that OF his wife living I
dead fifty yards from the house with her \
babe, eleven months old, clasped 10 her 4
bosom. She had claspcd her youngest born
rs It in DEATHS lust embrace, and though h
she had been hurled SO many feet, tic .
violence that took away her own life had 9
spent it's angry force on her and left stha 3
babe unharmed. But Mr.. Wineroyc's m
gu'sh was not yet complete. Turning !
about ho beheld his five other children. 4
ranging up to fourteen years OF ape. scatter.
cd around and trying frantically to sx.ss
tinguisli the flames Of fire that wero
consuming their clothes and peysons. Tho
burnt and frightened children contcndedE
the fire burst down upon them from the
cloud overhead. Alex. and Harry. two AZ :.
the boys, ugcd eleven and thirteen will die
nj their inlNrira SIvCrN1 ~