The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-04-10
SWEPT AWAY.
Two Black Clouds Meet Over the
Village Of OakviIIe, Ind, and
Oemolish the Town.
The Cyclones Awful Work In Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Georgia, and
Tennessee.


Tennessee.
Most people living In the Northwest will recall
the fact that Monday, the al of April. was one of
the darkest days OF the year. Dense clouds OBJ
scured the sun to such an extent as TO render
artificial light necessary In nearly oil houses.
The remark was a common one that IL was
good day for cyclones, and 70 1t proved. Many
sections of the country were Visited by fierce
storms that swept away houses and killed many
people The worst of these elemental outbreaks
appears to have directed it's fury against the
little town Of Oakvtlle Delaware County. Ind
correspondent thus describes the ruin
wrought by the windy monster: Its path was
about half mile wide and distance ten miles,
presenting a scene of ruin and wreck seldom
seen. The cloud came from the northwest, and
was Of funnel shape and of a greenish color
The center OF it's destructive track Is Oakvflls
natl a. Louisville Road. 1t is, or WAS, place Of
l25 inhabitants and Of forty or fifty buildings,
net more than five OF which are now standing.
and prosperous, rs to-day mass of confused
debris Houses and all buildings are de-
stroyed beyond repair The place is
absolutely wiped from the face Of the
earth. Five persons were killed outright,
namely: Mrs Anna Dearnond q widow. aged
about IS years; Col~ell G. Johnson: a email
/
about year old; Susie Hines aged l6, daughter
OF q widowed mother. Two others received
! fatal injuries. Turner Johnson and jefferson
| Hoover. The following were wounded: Nancy
Myers, GO years of age, arm broken and badly
| bruised; John Hoffman, badly bruised; Mrs.
Hoffman, wife OF the above, severe wounds;
| Mrs Brown, seriously hurt about the head !:
Jetf Miller, hip dislocated: Mrs. Mile, wife Of
the above. bad body bruises; Fred Coldsoott, of
broken: Widow Hines, cut on the shoulder; l..
j. Holtzinger, bruised and cut; Lemmie Myers,
| Is, arm broken.
Browns little child was found dead about
| twenty-five yards from the house, while that of
| c. c. johnson was whirled through the air dis
tance of $50 yards, and dropped in wheat
| field, where the body was found two hours after
the storm had passed. Miss Hines was alse
found some distance from her demolished home
with almost every particle of clothing stripped
! from her body by the force OF the wind. Mrs.
Dearmond was found dead under her fallen
house. About dozen others were injured
slightly. but those mentioned sustained most
serious wounds and bruises Among the houses
| smashed was that of Johnny Sullivan, in which
were himself, wife, and six children, the young
est a babe weeks old. Most miraculously none
of the family were injured in the least The
! babe was found in q bed covered with debris
but unscratched
The two clouds met at the house OF Louis
| Cochran. two miles south of Oakville, and en-
tirely demolished it in a seconds time and car
ried the heaviest timbers over quarter OF a
mile from the foundation, while some Of the
planks OF the house were found at a distance Of
two miles and a half Two bows riding in q
wagon were caught in the wind, the wagon
turned over, and the horses ran away. flying
Iiece of timber struck one of the boys, infiict1ng
severe scalp wound. rendering him unoon-
scfous The other boy was also seriously in
tured by the wagon turning over on him.
At Luray, a small town two miles east of Oak
vile, Will Lines, with his family, was seated in
the house when the storm struck and complete
| ~ wrecked 1t, killing Lines, but the seven other
members OF the family ESCAPED without harm.
-Four miles west James Sanders, merchant
Inv md iOhl n
had gone 10 his farm to instruct his tenant, and
while in the house of the latter IL torn TO
pieces and Sanders killed instantly. In the same
vicinity w. r. Painter, while at work on farm,
was canght by the cyclone and lifted high in the
air and thrown to the ground and killed
About the same hour that 0ai1ville, Ind, and
the surrounding country was being devastated.
destructive tornado, accompanied by rain and
hail, was sweeping with great force over the re-
hsn down 10 o WS neop e
number manned, and great deal OF valuable
farm property damaged. The village of Jaysville,
near Greavile, suffered severely, every house in
the town being more or less injured, and several
| persons receiving serious wounds. At Troy and
Casstown the destruction was also great, houses
In both towns going down before the blast.
Whole orchards were destroyed. and in some
instances stately trees were carried away a dis
lance OF several hundred yards. The loss sus-
| tanned is very great At Dublin, large number
of houses and barns were blown down The
| Christian church OF that place was demolished.
At Plain City, number OF large buildings were
| v.
factory was demolished and the cemetery laid
waste.
cyclone swept through the Monongahela
Valley, ut Pittsburg, leveling fences, wrenching
several houses. Five persons received fatal
injuries, and many others were more or less
seriously wounded, by falling buildings.
About the time these tornadoes were doing
their awful work In Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsyl-
vania, a series of cyclones were tearing through
| the Sunny South, leaving death and desoiation
L.. &l..-~ III s,l. NAuNA
Tenn. reports: Much If the country IL miles
from railroad and only meager details can be
! learned, but enough Is known TO characterize 1t
as the most destructive storm that has prevailed
in this country in years The storm commenced
| In the neighborhood of Collinsyille, Ala. and
passed in a northeasterly direction. Sweeping
up Wills Valley and then crossing Lookout
| Mountain. IL passed off into North Georgia, and
near Tilton left the earth. The width was less
than 800 yards. but its force was terrific. the
wind seemed TO be formed in numberless whirl-
winds, each whirling within itself, with roar
4 like thunder. and IL moved over the earth with
lightning like rapidity. Trees were uprooted
and whirled hundreds OF feet, and the path
| followed by the storm was cleared as wheat be-
fore the scythe. The swath precise and
well defined, and the strip 1t made Is a scene Of
ruin and des 1lation. Many people are known TO
have been killed.
The house OF the Hon. Clayton Tatum, Of
Dade County. Ga, brother OF the State Senator,
His child was Instantly killed. and his wife has
both legs broken. The house OF john Crowley.
in the same vicinity. was also demolished and
the entire family killed. lady and her daugh-
ter at Collinsville, Ala, were killed II is re
ported that the cyclone swept along the crest Of
Sand Mountain, Georgia, bt fore IL reached the
valley. and every house In it's path whirled
| like cOrks upon the sea, and many lives are re-
ported lost The storm crossed the Alabama
Great Southern Railway near Sulphur Springs.
Immense trees were torn up by their roots and
thrown across the tracks.
Another arm of the storm passed 10 the north
west and did great damage IN Madison County,
Alabama, In the vicinity of Huntsville The
| house Of William White swept away and his
wife and his mother. in-law, Mrs. Conner were
instantly killed. When IT struck the residence
! OF James Glover he was sitting indoors with a
| little child ON each knee The house blown
| over aud several timbcrs struck him in the back.
| causing instant death, but both children escaped
| unhurt. In another family little child was
caught M by the furious wind and carried sew
/ eral hundred yards,
Storms prevailed the same night at several
| other points in North Georgia and in East Ten
neeaes. Homes were unroofed feaclng blown
down, and general destruction marked its path
The total amecnt of damage or the entire loss u
| life will never he asoertained, but hundreds Of
| thousands were destroyed and scores met their
/ death Naa the fotr. N deetructivc cv.laua