Huntsville gazette., 1883-06-16
WRECK AND RUIN.
The Destructive Touch of the Tornado
Felt In Four States-Twenty People Re-
ported Killed in Southern Illinois
Trains Blown from the Track.

Trains Blown from the Track.
Y - MARION, ILL, June IL.
A terrible cyclone struck the southeast
portion of Williamson County on Saturday
night, June9. Several houses were thrown
down, and all the farm fences in its path
were destroyed. The loss Of life is not
7Sknown, but will reach twenty or twenty
fve, it. is supposed Its direction was
from southeast to the northwest. Two
boys were killed in New Burnside, and
one whole family were struck by lightning.
! The mother was killed and the rest of the
family are dying. Every report that comes
in makes matters worse. Its track was
about quarter of a mile in width. The
| lightning and wind was terrific, but the
rain was not so very hard. Large trees
were rooted up and borne along by the
wind. Whole fiocks OF sheep were blown
away. This is one of the best regions in
Southern Illinois for peaches, but not a
single tree is left standing in it's track.
This is the only storm Of this nature that
has visited this section since the great hur-
| rlcane of twenty years ago. The track of
the storm can be easily traced by the
! desolation and waste it has left. Reports
are coming in very slowly.
The Ruin at BeIoit, Wis.
BELoIT, WIS, June IL.
A terrible tornado struck this place at
p. M, coming from the southwest, doing
damage to the amount Of S75, ,000 to $780,
700. The storm concentrated on the river,
taking first the Chicago & Northwestern
bridge and blowing it into Rock River, then
the roof of the Brown block and hurled it
\ no ctr ola .Y,C Co,
penter's block, Rich's block, Emerson's
| drugstore and Goodwin's block, then fol-
| lowing the river northeast 1t demolished
| the carriage factory of o. III. Denman; then
| to the Rock River paper mill, a part of
which was demolished, killing one man,
seriously lnJuring one, and others slightly.
In the west part of the city three houses
! were blown down, one moved off fGs foun-
! dations and five barns destroyed. On the
! east side the steeples of the Presbyterian
| and First Congregational churches were
blown off. Broad street, the finest in the
! city, is impossible. Trees, from one to
four feet i'll diameter, were torn up in all
parts -of-the city. The public school, on the
I east side, q fine brick structure, is damaged
considerably. j. f. Johnson's paint-shop,
two stories, is ruined. The telephone and
telegraph wires are down all over the city
killed and twenty wounded. The larger
| part of the wounded are not badly hurt
The Wreck in Indiana.
..r INDIANAPOLIS, June IL.
While the cyclone that passed over Ver-
non and vicinity, fifty miles south of In
dianapolis, last night was of fearful force,
so far as can be learned no loss of life
was occasioned by its visitation, and re-
ports of damage are rather meager in de-
tails. 1t pursued a narrow path, fortu-
Iiately no more than 150 feet in width in
any place, and sometimes even smaller
than that. 1t passed over the country be-
tween Vernon and North Vernon, and ev-
erything in its path was leveled to the
ground.
Farther east, in Ripley County, two per-
sons are reported to have been killed at
Osgood, but no names or particulars are
given.
AS indicating the extraordinary power of
the wind it is related that as 1t passed
over Muscatatuck Creek all the water in
the stream was lifted in the air and the
bottom exposed for minute. In the VI
cinity of Butlerville, east OF North Ver-
non, the storm struck moving freight
train on the Ohio& Mississippi Railroad. The
cars were loaded to their utmost capacity
with sugar. Seven of them were carried
from the track as if they had been mere
shells aud thrown into the woods some dis
tance away, and nine others are lying ON
their sides near the track. None of the
er, vino was cut on the head by flying de-
bris.
Extensive damage was done to trees and
out-houses, and that no more serious results
followed is miracle.
An Iowa Cyclone.
DUBUQUE, June H.
The weather for the past day or two has
been favorable for cyclones, and dispatches
received by the Times this evening state
that the interior of the State was this morn
ing visited by these terrible disturbances at
various points. At British Creek, Fayette
County, frightfuI cyclone swept through
the village at O'Clock, completely destroy
ing about one-third Of the town. No one
was killed, but the damage is about S3O,O00.
Sumner, Brewer County, was also visited,
the wind blowing down several buildings,
including Gardner's large warehouse,
which is a total wreck. The depot was al
so demolished and several other buildings.
A man by the name of Carpenter is re-
ported seriously injured.
dispatch from Waverly says young
cyclone this afternoon visited Tripoli, the
scene of the exploits of the Barber brothers;
time, about $780, 1t blew down trees and
buildings. The large machinery warehouse
of j. G. Gault was completely destroyed,
the loss being about $500 or II 900. Two
men were in the warehouse at the time, but
succeeded in escaping with few bruises.
Considerable damage was done to business
houses, and many small buildings and corn
cribs were blown to atoms. Several per-
sons were slightly injured, but none seri-
ously.
A Whirlwind at Elmo, Wis.
GALESA, ILL.,, June IL.
whirlwind passed over Elmo, Southern
Wisconsin, at 4:30 O'Clock this afternoon,
doing much damage undoubtedly, full par
ticulars Of which can not be obtained at
this hour owing to the imperfect communi-
cation with the. points by telegraph A
freight train on the Galena (Wisconsin) Di-
vision of the Chicago e. Northwestern
Road, while on the way to this city, was
picked up bodily, all but the locomotive,
and carried several feet from the track
The conductor, VIM Gleason, was seriously
injured. and w. g. Comstock slightly
hurt. The train was a complete wreck.
At Harvard, Ill.
HARVARD, ILL, June H.
A peculiar cyclone passed a short dis
tance southeast of this place tonight, with
heavy hail and rain. 1t met another cy-
clone north of here, reversed its course,
jumped over this place and struck the
earth mile south of here, sweeping away