Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-05-30
The Work of the Cyclone.

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Some of the stories told concerning
the work of the late cyclones in Wis
consin and Illinois are almost beyonG
belief, yet their truth is so well voucheG
for by many witnesses that they must
be accepted as trustworthy. At Kel
logg's Corners, Kenosha county, Wis,
the cyclone which few minutes later
visited Racine with such disastrous re-
suit, swept millpond dry, carrying the
water in binding sheet to the barn OF
Charles Herrick, which was literally
deluged, and cow, stabbed therein, was
drowned A new brick school house
at Aztalan, Jefferson county, Wis, was
destroyed by hnil The stones were as
big as eggs, and came down in such
numbers and with such velocity as to
make the building look as though it
had been destroyed by cannonade.
Mrs. Northrop and her son, who lived
on farm in Racine county, near Union
Grove, were standing at windo y
watching the cyclone, when they
noticed that the funnel was coming to-
ward them with terrific momentum.
They jumped into the cellar, and had
no sooner landed on their feet than
their house, a substantial frame, was
picked up like a balloon and carried
over their heads long distance down
the road
The residence of Mr.. Page, south
east of Springfield, ILL.,, was demolished
and every outbuilding blown down.
Some Of them were carried completely
away, especially large ice house, of
which no vestige could be found within
a radius of a mile. Mr.. Page, with
his family, took refuge in the cellar of
the house on seeing the approach of the
cyclone. They had narrow escape
from being crushed to death by the
foundations of the building, composed
of brick, which came tumbling in upon
them, seriously bruising Mrs. Page.
The house would at times rise several
feet off the ground, but, strange to say,
with the exception of being unroofed it
settled down almost on the old founda-
tlon Near the house, and in the track
of the tornado, were found several huge
logs which bad evidently been part
OF some log house, but which Mr.. Page
had never seen before and did not
know whence they came. The wagon
standing near the house was carried
several rods away and turned upside
down without being much damaged.
The residence of Supervisor Grubb, in
the same neighboyhood, was unharmed,
but summer kitchen was thrown out
of shape. The stove, which was
heated at the time, was raised up and
carried about 200 yards and lodged in
a straw stack. A fire followed, and
the barn and other buildings adjacent
were consumed.
Near Dawson, further east, the
tornado was very violent. Along its
track nothing could be found that had
not been damaged. In all the fields
were dead horses and cattle. Trees
were prostrated, fences blown away,
and the roads in some places blockaded.
In one place a haystack in shapeless
mass impeded travel 1t had been
blown from an adjoining field. The
cyclone at Dawson and other points,
according to the testimony of eye wit
nesses, presented the appearance at
times of vast ball of fire, shaped as
funnel. 1t seemed to possess heat and
power at the little end Nothing of
human construction could survive its
touch.
A few miles north of Virginia, ILL.,,
hedge fence was raised root and
branch and carried away. A big pile
of railroad ties lying near the track
was scattered far and wide. On
Springfield Round Prairie horse was
found with a piece of rail thorough his
body. At the residence of Major Hess,
one and half miles east of Springfield,
the chimneys were tumbled and the
windows were broken. In one of the
windows sat large wooden bowl.
This was split midway, one half being
left in it's original position and the
other half carried off by the cyclone.
At one place flock of geese were
found naked this morning, their feath-
ers having been stripped from their
backs and hung upon hedge.
On hill near Howard, ILL.,, the
storm was very severe. On Friday
afternoon this knoll was well covered
with houses and barns. On Saturday
morning not stick of timber was to
be seen. The vestige of houses or
barns now left are the cellar walls.
The trees are filled with torn garments,
remnants of bed-clothes, and the en-
trails of animals, and strewn over the
ground are bushels of grain and corn.
At Grafton, sixteen miles southwest OF
Jerseyyille, ILL.,, large stones were lift
ed off the bluffs and hurled with tre-
mendous force into the Mississippi
river and upon the town below, caus-
ing the utmost CONSERVATION and fear
among the inhabitants. The Wabash
track was covered for several miles
with stones thrown by the force of the
wind from the bluffs. A car Of stone
weighing $4,000 pounds was lifted
from tho track, and the stone scattered
in every direction. Michael Larned
was taken up bodily and carried away.
Search was made and his body found
in culvert of the Wabash Railway,
distance of one hundred yards from
where the storm struck him. His
head and face were split in two, and
his body badly bruised. Large pick
cts were carried long distance and
into trunks of trees.
One of the most miraculous escapes
recorded was that of the family of
Peter Schaffer, living few miles
south of Mount Pulaski, Ill. The
house was torn from its foundation,
and in an instant the Dir was filed
with nying timbers and human bodies.
Mr.. Schaifer was thrown into the
branches of large cottonwood tree
tbavhad been prostrated by the storm.
He found his wife lying at the base of