Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-31
WORK OF THE WINDS.
TsrribIs Tales Of the Destruction
Mondays Tornado Wrought
IN OHIO, INDIANA AND ILLINOIS.
A Dozen or Fifteen Persons Killed, and
Many Wounded-HOuses, Barns and
Forest Trees Demolished
and Overturned.

ana UftIIuIHeu'
IYDIASApoLIs, May 30.-News OF the very
destructive tonado which passed over the
counties of Clay, Owen, johnson, aud She
boy on Monday evening was not received
sooner on account of smaller towns which
suffered having no telegraphic communi-
cation.
At Clay City,
q town in the southwestern part OF Olay
county, the bank building of Thompson,
Jett & Wilt was unroofed, and Abe Durg-
er's wareroom destroyed, besides other
smaller buildings. The storm passed over
part of the town and destroyed John g..
Crofts farm house, killing five inmates
Mrs. Croft and child, Mrs. Williamson and
child, and young man by the name Of
Pferster, who had stopped to take refuge
there. A heavy rain and hail accompanied
the wind.
AZ Patricksbura.
Owen county, the path Of the cyclone was
a mile wide. Great havoc was made IN
the town. Two mills were destroyed anda
large Touring mill unrooted; Coass q
Smoltz's store was badly wrecked and the
proprietors badly injured. The houses ot
br, Richards and DR.. Storm and the Chris
tan church, were all damaged greatly.
The Flat Rock Valley, in Shelby county,
suffered from the high winds destroying
timber, orchards, gardens. fences and
houses, rendering many roads impossible.
MANY thousands of dollars were lost.
The Little Miami Valley.
CINCINNATI, May G0.-Reports are still
coming of the storm Monday night. up
the Little Miami Valley something like a
cloud burst occurred, driving the people
off the first floors with the flood.
At Freeport the bridge across the Miami
was torn from the piers and wrecked.
Stubbs Touring mill was unrooied.
In Shelby, Decatur and Bartholomew
counties, Indiana, the destruction OF barns,
fences and growing crops is almost i'm
measurable, yet not single person was
hurt.
In Butler county, Ohio, family near
Westchester was badly injured by falling
walls. A great number OF barns were un.
rooted and three dwellings demolished.
seven Persons Killed
AtIancaster, Owen county, Indiana, w.
R. Williams, wife and child, and four Croft
brothers were killed by timber falling on
them. Several others were injured. Va.
rious other points in Ohio and Indiana re-
ported high wind, extraordinary rain, hail
and lightning.
The Cyclone I'm Indiana.
SHELBYvILLE, IND, May S0.-One OF the
most terrific cyclones ever known in the
history of the State struck this county
about 6 o'clock last night, at Edinburg, Just
across the line, pursuing northwesterly
course, having a path varying from 200
wards to half mile in width, and demol-
ishing every thing in its track. At Edin-
burg the cupola of the Methodist church
was blown over, and fell on the roof OF the
parsonage,
Crushing IL In Like an Egsshen.
The family, Mr.. and Mrs. Rev. e. W.
Lee, had fled Just a moment before, and
thus saved their lives, the former having
very narrow escape, the falling timbers
striking at his feet. Further on the storm
struck the barn of Jarrett Demings, level
ing it to the ground, and crushing under
ITS weight John Deming and Daniel Lane;
the former, it is reported, being killed in
stantly and the later receiving injuries
which, it is feared, will prove fatal.
Still going west, the tornado next struck
Flat Rock, ten miles south of this city, and
swept every thing before it. Mart Higgins
lost 500 trees, including his orchard, John
Nading lost five acres of timber and all his
fences. On the farm OF Chris Girten a
house was caught and
Dashed Into Splinters,
and the roof of large flour mill torn OIL.
John Shaw loses eight acres of heavy TIM
Der and the roof of his house. Geo. Raup
lost five acres of timber, and Sandy Shores
ten acres. The cyclone then cut swath
about 200 yards wide through thirty acres
of timber belonging to John Williams.
Next came VIM. Aspey, who lost twenty
acres of timber. The Fately school.house
is minus q roof, and a ten.aCre lot of tim
ber belonging to Mr.. Fatsly is now hardly
Et for wood.
Henry Girard was the next sufferer, end
he loses large barn end fine buggy.
His neighoor, John Colby, saw
His Barn Picked Up
and carried across a ten-acre field, where it
was dropped in heap. Next came Rob-
ert Titus, who had just completed a new
house, which was literally obliterated.
David Congers barn happened to be in the
track, but it isn't any more. At this point
the direction of the storm was changed to
due east and struck the little village of
Norristown, this county, where every
house was more or less damaged, the Gu
pola being torn Off the school house, barns
and residences unroofed, shade. trees torn
up by the roots and carried high up in the
air only 10 be
Dropped on Top OF the Houses.
Not foot of fencing is left in the town,
and the church is badly damaged. Contin-
uing its course, the barn Of Wilson Conger
was struck by lightning and totally de-
stroyed. entailing loss of $1,000. The
large barn of ex.Representative Spellmau,
Just across the road, was also struck and
completely destroyed: loss 81, 800, with an
insurance OF 500 in the Continental, OF
New York.
Still further on the barn OF Daniel Hen
erickson was completely annihilated, and
his neighbor, Thomas Jones, also lost his
barn. Next came the residence of John
Hungate, which however was only strU,
by the
Tail OF the Critter."
but every door and window in the house
was taken out in second. Along on the
same line stood the residence of Joseph
Mounts, the whole upper story of which
was shorn of as if by gigantic knife and
carried out of sight. The barn of John
Cue was then picked up and carried over
into Decatur county, just over the line Of
| which, neor Adams, a large brick church
Was torn to pieces. 1t is impossible to
give anything more than an appr oximate
estimate o. the loss IN this county, which
is said by good judges to De not less than
$4,000. The barns belonging to Job Tin.
dali and John Howard were also de.
stroyed.