The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-09-10
SWEPT FROM THE EARTH.
a City in Ohio Struck by a Terrible
Tornado.
Almost Every Business Block on One
Street Ruined.
Death and DesoIation Left In the
Path of the Storm.

CLEVELAND, o., Sept. "a special to the
Leader says that terrible tornado struck
Washington Court House, city of 1000 in
habitants, situated % miles west of Spring
field. The tornado appeared at 5 o'clock last
evening, and almost literally swept the town
from the earth. 1t came from the northwest
and broke upon the town very suddenly car
rying everything before it. Whirling up
Court street, the main business thoroughfare
it ruined almost every business block on the
street. At least 40 or 80 in all were destroy
ed. Hardly private residence in town es-
capped. Fully 400 buildings went down. The
Baptist, Presbyterian and Catholic churches
all suffered the common fate. The Ohio
Midland depots were blown to pieces, and
every building in the vicinity was carried
away, making ingress or egress by rail al
most impossible. AS every wire within a
circle of two miles is down, it is impossible
to get an accurate account of the catastro-
phe. The only reports that can be obtained
are through an operator who tapped the
wire two miles west of the town. and has
sat in heavy rain storm to work the instru-
ments.
The account which this operator sends
shows that the panic-stricken people were
taken completely unawares, and fled from
the tumbling buildings in every direction
through the murky darkness A mad frenzy
seemed to seize them, and they hurried hith-
er and thither in their wild distraction, little
knowing whittier they were fleeing. After
the whlrlwind, which lasted about ten min
utes, heavy rainfall set in, which contin-
ued unabated through the night.
AS soon as few of the cooler heads re-
covered their senses, searching parties were
organized, and the sad work of looking for
the dead began, SO far 10 bodies have been
recovered from the debris of the various
ruined buildings, and the dreary work is just
beginning to get under way. 1t is probable
that as many more will be found. The glim-
mer OF lanterns, procured from farm houses
in the vicinity, and from the few houses left
standing, was the only light they had to
work by. Two or three bodies were STUN
bled upon in the middle of the street. where
they were stricken down by flying bricks or
timbers. The cellars of houses and every
sort of refuge are filled with shivering peO-
pie, huddling together in the vain attempt to
keep warm. One babe in arms has died from
exposure.
COLUMBUS, o., Sept 9.-The most alarm
ing reports are current here. regarding the
loss of life and property at Washington Court
Heuse, where a tornado destroyed large
part of the city last night. Help will be sent
at 8 O'Clock to the destitute families. At
Plain City, Is miles from this city, carriage
factory and mill were demolished and other
buildings unroofed. This place is on a direct
line north of Washington Court House, and
all along the Ohio river the trail of the storm
is marked by like ruins.
CINCINNATI, o., Sept. 9.-Reports from va
rious parts of Ohio and Indiana show that
yesterdays storm, which devastated Wash
ington Court House, was widespread in
Miami county, o. Its course was due east at
C0leSVille. In that county two barns were
blown down, and the dwelling Of Mr. Win
terstein was carried around, and one side
ana end blown away. Three members of his
family are seriously hurt. On the other side
of the Miami river a grain house was blown
away and Berry Ramsay's frame house was
blown from its foundation and wrecked. The
path of the storm was from forty rods to a
half mile wide At Cambridge City, Ind,
NJ. Shanks' house was blown down, and Mrs.
Shanks was injured. At Dublin several
houses were wrecked. AT Seymour, Ind,
and at Napoleon, o., much damage is report
ed, but no lives were lost
Advices from Circleyille, o.. state that last
nights tornadol passed through that county
a few miles south of this place. unroofing
houses and blowing down fences and trees.
There was also very heavy rainfall. News
from Washington Court House is difficult to
obtain, as the telegraph wires are down in
all directions. Nothing has been received
from there up to 12.3 p m. today.
LATER
A special from Washington Court House
says: Mrs. Mollie Jones, Edith Floyd, Ella
Forsha, Jennie Forsha and Flora Carr were
killed, and Herbert Taggart, James jackson
and John @. Van Pell are supposed to be fa-
tally injured. Fully 800 persons were hurt.
The loss will exceed 81 100000.
WASHINGTON COURT House, O., Sept. 9.
The tornado of last evening almost COM
pletely demolished this place Not single
store facing the central square, out of forty,
is left intact, and majority are leveled to
the ground. About 200 residences are de-
stroyed, and the streets are so filled with de-
bris that it is almost impossible to pass
through them. Sheriff Rankin ordered out
the militia, which took charge, and helped
get order out of chaos. All the gas lights
went out in the city when the storm came up
and as the gas works were destroyed bonfires
had to built in the streets to give light to the
searchers. The total number of dead so far
as known is five, and the injured about fifty.
The manager of the telephone exchange was
hurled across the street, and had an arm, a
leg and his collar bone broken. Some houses
were lifted up and carried bodily several
hundred feet. and then dashed to the ground
with terrific force. The shattered fragments
were then whirled, in some instances, quar-
ter of mile. A relief committee is at work,
and all the houses not destroyed are thrown
open to the homeless, and farmers are com
ing in by dozens, bringing food and bedding.
Every hotel, bank, church and business
house in the town is ruined, and the utmost
desolation prevails. Persons coming in re-
port the finding of debris ten miles from
the town.