Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1885-09-10
A fearful tornado passed through por-

A fearful tornado passed through por-
tions of southern Ohio Tuesday even
ing, carrying death and destruction in
its path. The town of Washington
Court House, in Fayettc county, con-
tanning 1000 inhabitants was almost
entirely swept away, over 400 buildings
being destroyed. A Cincinnati tele-
gram says: Washington Court House,
the scene of q most disastrous visit
alton by the elements last night, is the
county seat of Fayette county. 1t has
had a most extraordinary business
growth within the past fifteen years
and being the center of a rich agricult-
ural district, with excellent railroad
facilities, it had grown to be a business
place of considerable importance. Its
residents had beautiful town with
tasteful dwellings, and its recently
completed courthouse was one of the
best in the state. Today this prosper
Gus town is mass of ruins. Last
nights experience of its inhabitants has
no parallel in the experience of any
town in Ohio. A heavy rainfall began
about 8 o'clock last night. That and
the darkness drove everybody into shell
ter, so that while there are some who
say they saw the funnel shaped clouds,
it does not seem possible that there
could have been much observation of
the heavens. Shortly after the rain be-
gan the wind came with a terrifying
sound. Its work was almost inStan-
taneous. People say it was over in two
minutes, but nobody could take note of
the time in such fearful experience.
The fierce roaring of the terrible tor
nado, crashing of broken and falling
buildings, sharp flashes OF lightning,
rolling thunder and pitless rain, COM
bined to produce sensation of most
horri!ying character. Two minutes of
this startling experience was followed
by a new feeling among the scattered
and terrified survivors more sickening
than that through which they had
passed. 1t was the uncertainty of the
fate of friends and relatives. All who
| escaped allye felt sure that many lives
were certainly lost. When the fierce
ness OF the storm had passed and men
could communicate with each other, it
was found that all was darkness. The
gas-works We're destroyed and the street
lights were out. Only by the lightning
flashes were the frightened people en-
abled to catch glimpses of the desola-
ton which had wrecked their little city
With daylight came Il most dishearten-
| ing spectacle. The fair town Of yester.
day lay torn and wrecked in disordered
heaps, and streets were well-nigh i'm
passable from trees and parts of houses
cast into them. Worst of all was the
sight of the poor, who had lost all, and
who had no place to lay their heads
They wandered hopelessly about as If
they We're strangers. OF course the
people whose houses were not ruined
began at once to care for their unfortu
nate fellow-sutferers, but farmers soor
began to pour into town, drawn by GU
riosity, but at the same time bringing
with them substantial aid for the desti
tgte. Before the day ended the councl
hid taken formal action by organizing
.,arelief committee, and by night much
was dona to prevent actual privation
The great wonder Is that more live.
| Tn
forty members were gathered at meet
ing in the second story when the storm
came. The building was LITERAL,
thrown down, yet no one was injured
Thirty-one went down with the ruins
and escaped, while nine clung to tn,
walls of an adjoining block and wer,
! rescued by ladders