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


inflicted, the pitiless woe OF lis coming in the
! night, when the dead were not known and the
wounded could not be found, and the piteaus
state in which it has eft hundreds OF families,
before prosperous, may not be described in
| WORDS but once known to generous hearts
must command the instant sympathy Of
the liberal, and immediate help.
/ RemIttances may be made to Hon. j. r.
Grinneii At GrInneii, or the Mayor OF Grin.
| hell.
1 write from the knowledge Of two whole
days and nights spent on the scene of desola-
ton and among the dead and wounded, and
tell the facts OF the multitude Of horrors simply
as they are, feeling that they will Themselves
best appeal to the country and most cffectually
aid the sufferers. J. g. CLARKs1 IN,
Editor Des Moines Register.
Terrible Power and Extraordinary
Freaks Of the Cyclone.
No person would believe we're they told OF the
marvellous caprces Of q cyclone, writes . cor.
respondent Of the Des Moines Register. II can
only be realized by observation even then this
senses are staggered. Prof. Myer, the old Sig.
nal Service observer. has given o theory OF
their movements which is confirmed by facts.
1t moves in funnelshape, with gyrsting motion,
making large or small circle, and then per-
forming loop or quarter circle each 800 feet,
and in this quarter. or small circle ~ the ter
rible power defying everything ON the face of
the earth to Withstand. The cyclone which
struck Grinnen started apparently seven
miles northwest, and with . rocking motion
came bounding in large swirl until it struck
the northwest part Of the city, when lsop WAS
| formed, which sucked everything into its vor-
tex for space OF fifty rods wide and one
fourth mile long. Whateyer lay in this track
was demolished. Houses, large and small, with
| everything IN them were torn up and crushed
to splinters and fragments, and strewn over
the earth along the track. There was
| no wind to carry them away. Buildings
standing just at the edge Of the loop
were lifted from the foundation, twisted out OF
shape or turned over. The contents we're
sucked out and the rooms left bare, even the
carpets being torn from the floors. People
were forced out Of their houses With terrific
force. One man was carried across two streetS,
| over houses, through window, aud landed
on bed. Another was sucked out OF his
house, carried several rods, aud lodged in .
tree. man named Rice, outside Of Grnnell,
and his little boy were blown out OF
the house and into q deep we'll He
climbed out. pushing his little boy before him.
| One house was whirlcd around, ami heavy
timber forced completely through it, the furni-
ture aud contents torn out, except glass lamp
aud globe, which hung unharmed i'm the parlor:
uoN a NtSNiEc VI else DtlttR ltII III tn6
| room. At another honse wrecked and devas-
tated, the clock alono stood on the mantel, the
hands pointing at SAS, the PROBABLE moment
the blast struck il, and this tmo is con-
6Smsa .-l~ 'h~---s -"'~A :, 90 sn. s..ssat
who leapel from college WINDOW, and
which stopped at Sa5. At another
place where there was nothing left TO denote
residence but the cellar, a mirror unharmed
was standing against the cellar wall, the only
nneroken article that could be found. At L.
q. Phelps house, himself ami family OF five
persons attempted to 60 down cellar. but the
suction closed the doors so they could not open
them, and although the house WAS dt molisbed
except thi, room they escaped. MIS- Z. TAYLOR
was carried from her own house and landed in
the debris OF the house Of Mr.. Gra-
ham. Her house vas little damaged, but
she was fatally hart. Mrs. Griswod and her
son were blown from their house, but In oppc-
site directions. Mr. Foster, n farmer norlh-
west Of Gnnnell, had tweutv five cattle lifted
from herd. carried sixty rods aud dropped
dead. One family IN Grinaell were sitting to-
eotiier iH low room when the house was taken
from over their heads carried OF and crushed
in one direction, and in a mopent after
they were whlried away in another direction.
Prof. Magouu, nephew OF the Pre- sident Of
the University, was IN front OF Prof. Chamber
lain's house with a span o. horses and carriage
He grasped a tree and held on. The carriage
was whirled away and torn in splinters, the
lifted into the air, AMI one droppcl dead sew
eral rods away. The other has not been found.
Large trees we're broken near tho ground, and
the upper twisted one way around the trunk
while few feet distant the process was ex-
ac.ly reversed.
Prof. Buck was in the southeast chamber
He started with his son TO go down cellar when
the whole OF that side OF the house was carried
Oh, leaving tho remainder but little damaged.
He and his son leaped to the ground. In the
tops OF some trees WAS forced new phaeton
SO tightly that 1t can only be cut out. 1t was
doubled into . roi, and mus: have dropped
there when the trees were bent downward.
Horses and cows had timbers and
spluters driven into their bodies. Fell
loes and tires OF wagon wheels vere
TO be seen with the hub and spokes gone. At
one place where only could be seen the mud
colored debris OF dwelling which had evil
IDENTITY been one of Refinement anu culture, the
only thing left to evidence the fact was a beau
tiful untarnIshed rose in full bloom, a marvel
in such surroundings. One man who was hur-
rying TO protect his home, but too late, threw
his arms around trec, and while there horse
and carriage were thrown over him and dashed
to the earth beyond.
Twenty-seven loaded cars on the Central road
which had just como into tho station from the
north wero struck IN q loop OF the whirl and
turned over into the ditch toward the west, or
face Of the storm. The locomotive was lifted
from the track and set on the ties right side up,
while one mile east west-bound freight-train
in motion was keeled over to the east, and the
conductor and brakeman were killed. In some
houses every inmate was killed or hurt, vet the
house left, while the next house ana its con-
tents were utterly destroyed and broken into
fragments, yet the inmates not seriously hurt.
Between Mr.. Roberts house and barn, which
were totally demolished, was large pile Of
stovewood, not q stick Of which was moved.
Mr.. Roberts had about t75 In his house. in
cluding ESQ bill After the storm he saw
piece OF paper futtering on the ground, and
found il was the ESQ bill held by little silver
of wood. The rest was not found. One Of his
buggies was taken, and another by the side OF
IL left
Thousands of instances Of the marvellous
caprices OF this gyrating storm could be re-
lated. The victims know nothing OF anything
except their ewn experience. II was all over IN
three minutes. or before one could stop to
think or act. 1t Is discovered that over space
OF four blocks, where every vestige OF habita-
lives by fleeing to the cellar before the cloud
The most Of the dead were found where
there were no cellars or they did not go to the
cellar IL In therefore safe TO assume that the
cellar will be the qlick resort hereafter ON tho
approach OF one OF these besoms OF destruction,
beyond the power OF the most fertile brain to
describe. There ia no safety in any building
erected by man. Nothing on the face Of tho
earth can withstand the force Of one OF these
monsters.
A gentleman who witnessed the movement OF
the cloud which could be done few rods
away, says IL was q black mass, funnel share,
whirng along with terrible rumble but no
continrous lurid hams Of lightning, and con-
slant explosions. like hand grenades. Behind
this was a mass OF water and mud. Every per-