The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-05-31
1 TORNhDO'S PATH.
ft Leads from Missouri to Wisconsin,
md II Strewn with Death
and Destruction.

md Is Strewn with Death
and Destruction.
Tracing the Windy Monster from It's
Birth to It's Disappearance.
The cyclone which recently swept over
portions Of Illinois and Wisconsin was one
Of the most extensive and damaging VS.
itations OF the kind ever experienced In the
Northwest. Its trail of desolation and death
Ii visible from Montgomery county. IN Mis-
eouri, TO Racine, in Wisconsin, q distance Of
over 800 miles The storm seems to have
consisted of Q series Of funnel shaped clouds,
that burst out here and there, dart
Ing to the earth, pulverixing farm
houses. sweeping away trees, fences ana
every object that interposed, and then, sail
ing up into the heavens, only to puuiice
down again at some other point and resume
their horrible work of destruction Thus
this frightful phalanx of tunnels pursued
their course, bobbing. up and then down
again, for a course. Of 800 miles. until the
waters of Lake Michigan arrested them Iii
their wild career. The loss Of life inflicted
by the awful visitation numbers at least
seventy, while hundreds OF unfortunates
have been more or less severely injured,
many Of them, 1t is feared, beyond the hope
Of recovery
The vagaries and eccentricities Il the
cyclone defy enumeration. Preserving ora
genera comse from northwest to southeast,
It wobbled and twisted In every conceivable
way. lt was no respeeter OF Iersons or
property. Everything in its path was hurled
violently to the earth or carried away.
Massive oak and stalwart hickory
trees were as pipe-stems before tho
and ferce-rails, the windy monster played
with them as il they had been lucifef
matches. Not salts fed with running homes,
u scattered their contents upon every hand
In one instance tea-pnt wns landed III fha
boughs Of tree, where it was caught and
held At another place, pieces OF Q lady's
necklace were found In hedge fence, un-
der careened stoves and in various out-of-
the way places All Of the wearing apparel
Of one family was torn to shreds, SO that 1t
could not be worn One mans vest was
blown several miles away. and
=, roll IL. Of money was ,o.. blown out out
torn inso small BIT. one case farm w ns
swept clean Of cornstalks, which were i'm
beded In a hedge on thu opposite side Of the
field The cyclone took OF the porch aud
chimney of mans house. nothing else be-
ing injured. A piano was lifted up, carried
half mile, and dumped into the cellar OF .
house that had been blown away Many
miraculous escapes are reported In San
CANON county, Ill, Q farm laborer
was Frustrated on the ground BY
the wind Just as q house passed over
him, sailing In the air ike balloon Had
he been standing up he would heYe been
killed In the same vicinity whole family
was buried beneath the ruins of their
dwelling, and all escaped injury. man
was blown out of his house and landed in
his orchard, several reds away. The house
was wrecked One mans house
sailed away In the air. and
at last accounts he had not
heard Of 1t, although he had searched for
of Brown county, H.. opened his door to sec
the makeup Of the storm, when the house
was taken and shaken to Atoms He found
himself in the top Of cottonwood tree, and
his wife and babies were oil scattered about
and insensible. Luckily they all came to,
scratched and bruised, but with no bones
broken
Those who describe this terrible storm
king, tell of sudden hush, of the descent
of black cloud with heat fiery and white;
Of q glare Of lightning and roar of un-
chained elements The rumble of the APP
storm was like the thunder Of In
wheels The next instant IL
steads and green fields, blasted 0s il by fire
One man describes 1t as consisting of three
clouds Of smoke and fire. rushing along
through the air with the smaller
end Of the funnel near the earth.
The storm seems to have had its birth
west Of the Mississippi and just north Of the
Missouri river 1t first made itself felt in
county, Mo-, where it blew
down good many houses, killed four or
i've people, and manned dozen or so more.
Il thence crossed the Mississippi river into
Madison county. ILL., passing four miles south
Of Alton Houses trees. fences and every
hing in It's path We're RACED to the ground
{xa1y y1fr H. s~ -
killed and upward OF twenty wounded in
Madison county. In Jersey county num-
yer of dwellings, were demolished, three
people killed and several severely injured.
n Montgomery county great many build
ngs were borne down by the fierce blast,
md several fatalities occurred At Wood
,oro o church and o school-house were
,lown down At farm house near there,
aw-logs two feet in diameter were picked
lp and carried away like feathers In
aacoupin county the cyclone tore sew
raj farm houses to pieces George
3akers house, near Brushy Mound. was
down to atoms, and his wife AMI three chill
md found dead Two other children were
'adly injured. Eleven persons were in one
rouse that was demolished, and, strange to
ay, only one was killed Green county suf-
cred severely. farm houses barns, fences
nd fruit trees We're leveled to the ground
rhree people were killed and about a dozen
'adly hurt A number of farm houses
we're wholly or partially wrecked in
christian county. and several persons IN
urcd, though no fatalities are reported Ii
vas In Morgan coun y. however that the
hurricane was more sew lely felt, both in
egaId to loss of life and damage to proper.
y, than at any other point in Illinois Two
cyclones passed almost SIM
within few miles of Jackson
lille, one north and one south of the town,
nd both Travelled from southwesterly to
direction. One of the tunnels
truck the village OF LiIerbuig, con aiming
bout :0J inhabitants, and wrecked
early every building in the town
even people We're killed and about thirty
INJURED, some OF them SO badly that they
ill hardly recover A good many farm
ouses In the vicinity were wrecked and
everal persons wounded. The other funnel
wept over 0 section known as Greasy
rairie, and did nearly as much damage as
he first. Fourteen farm-houses We're de-
aolished, six peonie killed and large num-
er injured In Mason county several farm
ouses were blown down, two persons
1lled and others injured Hail fell in
reat chunks that killed live stock. The
hurricane was very damaging in Brown
ounty. Dwellings and barns without num-
er went down, and many people We're in
ared, few OF whom will probably not re-
OScI. Ac viii county alSO sui GIeu severe
=. About fifty farm houses were wrecked
q the county, fiva people were killed and
bout twenty injured some of them very Sc
erely. Macon county was likewise severe
utferer by the terrible viitant Farm
ouses, barns, fences and trees were swept
way like feathers Four people were killed
nd more than dozen crippled
In Logan county several farm dwellings
nd outhouses were torn to pieces, three
eople killed and quite number injured
n MenaId county about a dozen dwellings
we're wrecked and q child was killed. In
angamon county great number of houses
rere blown down, three lives were lost, and
everal persons received Injuries more or
ass severe. In Sullivan and Champaign
ounties the tornado did considerable dam
&c TO property, but no iyes were lost In
livingston county one woman was killed,