Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-05-24
MORE FATAL CYCLONES.

sections. Besides those mentioned in an
other place in this paper, there have been
serious storms in the North-west-one in
Wisconsin, and one in Illinois. Describing
the former, Il dispatch f:om Racine says:
| The first cyclone in tie history of this city
struck Racine at O'Clock last Friday night,
passing through the extreme northeastern
portion of the city, defnolishing $50 houses
and barns and killing 90 persons, besides in
iuring 100 others more or less seriously.
The day was ushered in bright and cool with
fresh wind blowing from the southeast.
Towards noon the sky became overcast and
about o'clock a sharp electric storm pre-
vailed, although but little rain fell. The
sun again came cut for about an hour during
the afternoon, the temperature being about
7O0. Towards { o'clock heavy masses of
clouds again gathered in the west, pOrtend-
ing storm, and the air was oppressively
warm. The cycone was announced by the
breaking of the clouds, and it struck the
earth with q noise which might be COM
pared with the roar and rumbling of a thou
sand railroad rains laundering over a
bridge. The path of the storm is little over
a half mile longand perhaps a quarter of a
mile wide. In his territory building is
left standing here and there. Brick and
frame houses alike collapsed, and their sites
are marked only by heaps of debris. Many
occupants Of houses escaped by fleeing to
the cellars and other places of comparative
safety, but the cyclone came with such light
ming rapidity that many were killed before
reaching the cellars. In only few cases
were houses moved from their foundations.
Thost in the middle of the storm centre sim
ply fell in ruins where they had stood.
Some nearer the circumference were turned
around, and it is reported that some light
articles, such as wagons, were swept into
the lake. The cyclone, as it moved from
the city upon the waters of Lake Michigan,
presented a grand spectacle. Whirling col
umns of air were seen as they flew over the
Watery eXpanse bearing with them spiral
columns of water, and no ship that encoun-
tered this monster of the air could by any
possibility escape destruction. All the ply
sicians of the city responded nobly to the
call for assistance, and did what they could
to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded,
who were at once conveyed to st. Luke's
and St. Mary's Hospitals. The dead were
taken home to the houses Of friends, and
others to the courthouse.
The coroner's investigation, held on Sat-
urday only served to swell the list of casual
ties and make more sweeping the destruc-
ton occasioned by the fearful storm. 1t is
ascertained that fully25 were killed and 100
injured. One hundred and fifty houses were
demolished, and had the cyclone struck the
business centre the damage would not easily
have been calculable. At Western Union
Junction, seven miles west of Racine, many
houses were wrecked and one young man
named Webber was killed.
| A later dispatch on Sunday says: UP to
noon the list of the dead had not been fully
obtained. Men are at work clearing away
the debris. Steps are already being taken
| to relieve those in immediate want, and the
Mayor has issued manifesto calling upon
citizens for contributions to be left at the Of
| flee Of the city treasurer. A special meeting
of Council was called at 10 "A. NJ, and ac-
ton was taken toward caring for the dead
and MANNED and penniless. The suffering
is confined to the very northern outskirts of
the city, among the laborers and mechanics,
who owned their little property, which was
completely swept away. A large brick
reduced to ruin. Not one of the inmates
was more than slightly injured. The finan-
cial loss by the storm will not exceed $3.50,
900. The buildings demolished are princi-
pally frame structures, and the individual
losses range from $500 to 81, 900.
The cyclone in Illinois was even more de-
structive of human life than that occurring
on the same day in Wisconsin. The towns
near the Galena division of the North-Wes-
tern Railroad suffered severely, they being
in the track of the storm. A Springfield
dispatch dated Saturday says:
The damage caused by the cyclone storm
which visited this section of the State last
night was more appalling than was at first
supposed. 1t struck the ground on Eliza
Hes farm, south of the junction, and laid
waste three dwellings and as many barns
and outhouses. Mr.. lies house a large two
story brick building, was entirely demolish-
ed. 1t was occupied by Mr.. Booker, who
was considerably injured. A male infant
was nearly killed. Across the road from
Booker's place Zebulon Willford's house was
swept away by the tornado, but no damage
to life resulted. A quarter OF a mile further
to the northeast the home of Mrs. English
was torn to pieces and everything about the
and mangled by falling timbers, but there
are hopes of her recovery. Her two sons,
Joseph and Thomas, were only slightly in
iured. The hurricane struck the earth again
four miles east of the city, where the little
settlement of Round Praria is situated, and
played havoc with the lives and property of
| the farmers in the vicinity. Several persons
| who took refuge in the cellars escaped unin-
iured, although the houses were swept from
over their heads. Henry Farbe was killed
and twelve or fifteen persons more or less in
|
| on to Dawson, nine miles northeast, but do
| ING no serious damage till that point was
reached. Here a number of houses were
| torn down and Mrs. Ferris was killed. At
Buffalo, another little hamlet, Mrs. Thos.
Chandler was killed by the falling timbers
of her home. Another storm is reported to
have struck Just east of Jacksonville, and to
have pursued northeast direction twenty
two miles west Springfield. 1t is said the
| little hamlet of Leitenburg was destroyed,
and that eight persons were killed and in
jured.
Latest advices received at Chicago from
points in Illinois visited by the cyclone say
| that 81 deathsh have already been reported in
the State, and the number injured is esti-
mated at very nearly 200: Owing to the
condition of the wires north of Milwaukee,
no accurate computation OF the loss OF life in
Wisconsin can be made.
A St. Louis dispatch says: The storm that
passed over Grafton, Shipman and other
places in Illinois on Friday night, seems to
| have come direct from the West. The first
heard of it was at JOnesburg, Missouri,
where it crossed the Wabash Railroad, lev
elling with the ground several houses in the
town and killing one lady in the country.
The telegraph wires were brok ken and no de-
tails have as yet been received.
- On Wednesday night of lastWeek, Frank
Whiting, formerly ofSouth Carolina, under
sentence of the Federal Court for passing
counterfeit money, and j. II. RabX, under
sentence of the same court Tor the violation
of the revenue law, sentenced to eleven
months imprisonment, six of which have
been served out, made their escape from the
Buncombe jail and are still at large.