The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-05-25
SWEPT by CYCLONES.
Terrible Destruction In Wisconsin md I1i-
nois--About One Hundred Lives Lost.

IeTEtUtt WI w tUUNt HVu hsh'-
nois--About One Hundred Lives Lost.
About ono hundred persons were killed,
several hundred others more or less seriously
injured, and an immense amount of prop
erty was destroyed by the terrific cyclones
which ravaged portions OF Wisconsin and
Illinois.
From Racine, Wis, which was a heavy
sufferer, the following account was received;
The frightful cyclone struck Racine, Wis,
Mt O'Clock in tho evening, passed
through its entire northwestern part, demol-
ishing 150 houses and barns, and killing
fully Twenty-Five persons. beside iniuring
100 others more or less seriously. The cy-
clone was announced by q breaking of the
clouds, and struck the earth with a noise
which might DO compared with the roar and
rumbling of a thousand railroadtralns thun-
dering over a bridge. The path of the storm
was a little over half n mile long and per-
haps a quarter of a mile wide. In this terri
tory only a building is left standing here
and there. Brick and frame houses alike
collapsed. Many occupants of houses es.
capped by fleeing to cellars, but the cyclone
came withsuch lightning quickness that many
were killed before reaching places of safety.
The cyclone, as it moved from the city and
upon the waters of Lake Michigan, presented
d grand spectacle. The whirling columns of
air flew over the waters, bearing with them
spiral columns of water. No vessel that en-
countered this monster of the air could have
escaped destruction. All the physicians of
The city responded nobly to the call for as
s~istance, and did what they could to allevi.
ate suffering. The wounded were conveyed
to st. Luke's and st. Mary's hospitals. The
dead were taken, some to tire houses of
friends and others to the courthouse, which
was converted into a morgue.
Details of the destruction wrought in
H.. .n 49,, In t4,,o 40 a rn o- fD1lnxu.
In Livingston county, ILL.,, the storm was
severe. The cyclone passed over Pontiac.
blowing dow houses, business places and
dwellings and killing two women.
At Chemung, Ill, twenty houses were
wrecked. William McQuirk and Patrick
children were fatally injured. At Alden, p.
Corrigan and William BARLEY were instantly
killed. The country aroun Springfield, for
miles, was swept over. Twenty doctors
were sent to the scene. On the outskirts OF
this own the dwellings of L. English, Ed.
Hes and N. f. McVey were scattered and
all the inmates, fifteen in number, were in
jured. At Nation, ILL.,, the bridge on In
dianapolis and st. Louis railroad, with train,
was blown down. At Mitchell, ILL.,, great
damage was done. At Round Prairie eight
residences within a few yards with others were
blown to fragments. Two persons were in
stantly killed and five more fatally injured.
Thirty others were seriously injured.
A dispatch from Liter, ILL.,, says that two
thirds of the buildings in that neighborhood
were scattered to the winds by the cyclone.
In the town proper dozens of houses, five
stores and two churches were demolished.
The following were killed Mr.. and Mrs.
John 1rotter, aged sixty-two and sixty-five
years; Miss Agnes Griffin, aged twenty-five;
Lilly Griffin, aged seven months Mrs.
James Stevenson, aged sixty-tive, and
Thomas G. Liter, aged eighteen. On the
prairie in the southern part of this county
twenty houses were wrecked. The following
were killed William and John Westrup,
aged sixteen and eighteen; JOIN Williams.
:iged twenty; William Brakeman. aged twelve.
-Four others were injured fatally. 1t is cal
culated that within the radius of five miles
of here on the prairie at least 100 farmhouses
we're wrecked.
two children were reported killed at Greasy
Prairie, with several injured.
Five people were reported dead and fifteen
injured (three fatally in the country around
Woodland, ILL.,.
At Buffalo, Ill, May 10, Mrs. Thomas
Chandler was killed by the falling OF her
house.
The hamlets of L%itzenberg, and Mt. Pleas
ant, ILL.,, were destroyed. Eight persons we're
killed and injured at the former place and
five were killed at the latter place.
At Grafton, ILL.,, Mrs. Garner was killed
UUu HtE ntlSOillO WIS plOMh lllto tHt IlNtI
and killed. Mrs. William Maxey, while flee
ing to her father's house, was blown against
a tree and killed.
At Rockford, ILL.,, a large farmhouse con-
tanning a husband, wife and three children
was lifted from the ground and hurled twenty
rods. The scattered remains of the inmates
were found the next morning. Three child
rem of James Oxley persisted, and he aud his
wife were seriously injured.
OF a construction crew of twenty-five men
sleeping in n large barn at Stanton, ILL.,, all
were injured. Contractors Cantwell and Alva
Berry were killed. A little child eight years
of age was fatally injured.
Near J~erseyville, Ill, several buildings
were leveled. Michael Larned and wife were
killed. Two children were fatally injured.
A large number of houses and barns were
leveled in the country near Rood House, III.
Eight or ten persons were killed or injured.
From Clinton, ILL.,, comes the news that a
terrible cyclone passed over that vicinity,
doing a large amount of damage and killing
several people. The wind took a south
easterly course and followed up South Creek
in this county, on the line of which many
houses were totally destro led. About SIX
miles south of Clinton the wind tore down q
house, killing Peter Clifton, his wife and
eight-year-old daughter, and fatally inJuring
another child. The members of a family
named Bcnnison were seriously injured. ana
many other families more or less injured,
whose names could not be secured. The
damage is very great.
At 10 o'clock at night a tornado passed
about three miles east of Staunton, ILL.,,
totally demolishing Livingston's fine farm
residence, and dangerously injuring Mr..
Livingston. Other buildings in the vicinity
were destroyed and orchards injured.
At Hillsboro a cyclone struck the iron
bridge of the Indianapolis and St. Louis
railroad and wrecked it. The engine and
mail aud baggage cars went down, but the
passenger coaches were saved. The engineer
was killed outright, and a train hand was
fatally injured.