Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-12
WILD WINDS.
ThElR TERRIBLE vOUINTHE WEST.

ThElR TERRIBLE HAvOUINTHE WEST.
Petersviile. Ontario, Overwhelmed BY .
FIood-Fenriul Loss OF Lifo reared
Incidents OF tho Terrible
Calamity.
Soldier, Kansas, was demolished 6y a
tornado on Tuesday. During the day hot
wind had been blowing from the prairie,
but about six O'Clock clouds formed in the
southwest, aud later the heavens were
lit up by continuous lightning. Shortly
before ten o'clock p. M, the clouds grew
blacker, and in a few minutes a terrible
tornado broke upon the town from the
southwest. Two farm houses were first
torn down, and then a path was cut by
the'wind through the centre of the town.
Fifteen residences aud business houses on
the east side of Main street were literally
scattered broadcast. Thence the wind
seemed to jump over two blocks, and
then again wrecked four houses. one of
them containing W. Owens and family.
Mrs. Owens aud an infant child were in.
stantly killed, the last named being carried
some distance from the house. In the
main portion of the town. where the wreck
was worse, Mrs. A. Walters, Mrs. II.
Channel and Mr.. Harper were also
killed a many wounded. Mr.. Channel
and Mr.. Walters, whose wives we're both
killed, were both badly wounded about
the head, the last named fatally. George
Simpson and Frank Harper were also
badly injured.
Crowds of people from the country have
visited che scene, and the wounded have
been cared for. During the storm five
cars of the Kansas Central road were blown
from the track and demolished. The
total loss, aside from life, is placed at
100000
The storm in Canada.
The great storm which devastated aud
flooded the Thames river valley around
London, Canada, lasted form p. m, to
B a. m. 1t was attended by incessant
heavy rain, lightning of startling vivid
| uess and thunder which broke like 4
thousand parks of artillery. The night
was one of terror and dismay, on account
of the tempest raging. Nothing like it
had occurred within living memory but
toward morning the residents Of the flats
| west of the city traversed by the river
Thames were overtaken by a catastrophe
which is probably unprecedented in the
Province of Ontario.
Two hundred buildings were over
whelmed by torrent and fifty persons
are reported missing.
About two o'clock a. m. the school bell
in the village Of Petcrsville. a suburb of
| London, began to clang an alarm, which
in due time was taken up by the city fire
bells. The morning was calm and still
aroused by the bells heard tho air filled
| xusfI oIrsoLo nd orios rninO Iad with tho
sounds of vigorous chopping with axes.
| The thriving suburb named, comprising
about sixteen hundred souls, had been
suddenly overwhelmed with a torrent,
caused by tremendous cloud burst some
dozen miles up the country. The water
rolled down in one resistless wave, rising
the river to twelve feet above ordinary
flood mark and destroying about two hun
dred dwellings
| The village presents picture of sicken-
ing ruin. brick b uses being levelled and
frame ones either carried bodily down
stream or tumb!ed over and over and
left in iuexsricable confusion. The people
| took refuge on the roofs of buildings that
remained standing until relieved by men
with boats which work occupied six
hours. Many of these people bad to cut
their way out through the roofs with axes
so sudden was the catastrophe.
Men who left home to rouse the neigh
bors found themselves borne away on the
crest of the flood, while their houses and
little ones were carried off by the same
mad current. One house hoatcd down
with lights burning inside and inhabited
by lady-Miss Wright. 1t struck the
railway bridge and the lady was taken out
a raving maniac. A cradle passed down
amid confusion of furniture and con
tanning baby which was dead. A little
boy passed over the water works dam and
was engulfed.
The water works pumping house went
by the board. The pleasure steamer
Princess Louise, costing $4,000, went
over the dam, and took Byron Bridge
along with her. All the iron bridges have
gone except one, and tho city is insulated.
The fires of tho gas works were exiting
uished, and the mains broken by wash
out, and the city is also in darkness
Daniel Collins icehouse was swept away,
together with five thousand tons of ice
and eight horses.
| Collins hall in Petersville is now filled
with refugees. The churches and resi-
dences on high ground arc also filled. Mr..
Jeffrey, banker, threw open his house on
the neighboring heights and had tables
spread on the lawn to feed the hungry
refugees. The greatest sympathy is shown
Oh all sides. A mass meeting of citizens
was held to devise relief measures. The
damage done will not be less than $500,