The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-17
HAVOC'S WILD SWEEP.
ANOTHER STORY OF THE CYCLONES
FURIOUS RUSH.
Incidents of Night of Terror in Iowa
Immense Destruction of Property and
Some Loss of Life-StOrm Notes
from Several States.

Some Loss of Life-StOrm NOTES
from Several States.
MASON CITY, Iowa, June l7.-Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday nights were charac-
terized by severe rain and wind storms in
Cerro Gordo county. The rain fell in tor
rents accompanied by heavy hail and CON
slant and terrifying display of lightning. a
cyclone struck in Mount Vernon town hip
about 1880 Sunday night, and a school
house was demolished, and in Bath
township 1t struck the housa and barn Of Mr.
H. F. Lincoln, tearing both to pieces The
household furniture was scattered in every
direction; the farm machinery was also
broken. Trees were uprooted, and some OF
them driven deep into the earth. A horse
was thrown over a fence into ditch, and
lay on his back until relieved. Trees as
large as mans body were snapped of like
candy ten feet above the ground AMI thor
trunks peeled The bird cage was blown out
of the kitchen, but the bird was found min-
jured The watchdog, which had been
shut up in the kitchen, was also I'M
hurt. The family saved themselves by going
into the cellar, where they stood knee deep
in water, and were pelted by hail as the
building topplei over The barns and out
houses and cribs were leve!ed to the ground,
chickens and doves were to be seen lying
about dead A stallion worth 81 900 was
found, after the roof and sides and floor of
the barn had disappeared, hanging unhurt
across some joists. while another horse was
thrown down and held to the ground by
timbers, though apparently not hurt.
A Ia h at,l no. Of
Matthew Reddy were carried away. There
are hardly boards enough left to build
fire Not bit of furniture nor stitch of
clothing can b found. The wreck is COM
plete Mr.. Reddy's brother was carried
into field when the house went to pieces
Mr.. Reddy was left in a sitting position ON
the ground On looking around he saw by
fash of lightning that his brother
was stretched dead some yards away.
He picked him up and cerried him into an
underground milk house. He then com
meneed a search for his wife, AMI found her
In her night-clothes some ten rods from the
house, In a corntieli. She was also carried
to the milk house He next looked for his
5-year~old boy-searching by the light of
the electric flashes-and at last discovered
the infant thirty rods from where the house
had stood. The boy was almost driven into
the mud When all were gathered into the
| milk-house their injuries were discovered to
be severe and the mother and child will
hardly live All three were beaten black
| aod blue all over their bodies by the hail
Some miles further on Mr. Alexander Carr
| lost his house and stables and everything in
| them was laid ever a vast stretch of coun-
| try. His wife and daughter we're thrown
out and alig hted three rods from the house
| The furniture and bedding is scattered all
| over his farm. All were undressed and not
a vestige Of clothing can be found.
| Another mile along in this pathway Of the
storm was the house Of K. q. Parker,
whose entire possessions shared like fate
| The wife and husband were thrown
out of bed, with baby boy,
landing in the middle of the floor They
instinctively clssped arms, and in mo-
ment were cropping in willow hedge ans
clinging to it to prevent being carried
further off. After the storm subsidized 3
little Mr.. Parker found large lox buried
in thickst, and with his wife and boy
crawled into it for protection from the hail
and rain. Here they remained for over tive
hours, and were nearly chilled to death
|
upstairs vas fearfully cut and gashed, and
was found in pile of rubbish. He may
live. Mrs. Parker is badly bruised AMI in
ternally injured. They expected deatl
every moment. Everything they had is
swept away.
All along the line of the storm miles OF
fences, groves, and corn-cribs were torn t.
atoms The crops of all descriptions were
| o,,k 49,. ~ 1T l.
the soft earth. The damage can not be es
timated at this writing, but was immense
The night was so dark that no one could SET
the progress of the cyclone, but they say il
sounded like freight train running over
trestle bridge. 1t did its work within
moments time, but the rain hail and light
ming continued for two hours or mora. Re-
lief Is being raised for the sufferers.
Sioux CITY, Iowa, June 10 A sever,
wind storm struck this city at lob oclocl
Sunday night. The postoffice was unroofea
loss, Il 500. The Wholesale dry goods stor
of TootIe, Livingston x Co. was unrootct
and end wall blown in; loss on building
g., 800; damage to goods, $1,000 In c
Shinkberg's Wholesale grocery portion o
the side was blown in; damage to building
: 5000; damage to stock, 500. McDavi,
large barn and residence were dana &c,
$1,000. J. d. Farr & Co S butter and egg
, warehouse was unroofel; loss. 81 900. Tn
Standard Oil company warehouse was un
rooted and a portion OF the wall carrie
away, with a loss of $500, The St Paul {
Omaha railroad pile barge boilers and Ell
CINE were blown overheard; loss, 81, SOC
3 The ferry boat Bennett lost her smoke-stacl,
and pilot-house; damage, about $500 Alex
Mair's dwelling was demolished. Stoughto
& Nikesell's store unroofei, and the Methc
4 dist and Baptist churches blown down.
The total loss will reach S20O, 900