The Brookhaven leader., 1886-05-20
STORM ECHOES.
Death, Wreck and Devastation BY
the Recent Storms.
Towns and Cities In Illinois, Ohio and In.
diana Receive Fearful yIsItatiOns--
Shocking Loss of Life at Xenia,
o., and Elsewhere.


brick block was wrecked and three ware
houses were unroofed. The Eastern
Hotel, Masonic hall and four store build
ings, also the upper story of the Angel
block, in which was the Odell Bank and
Odd Fellows hall, were completely de-
stroyed. Scarcely room In the town
escaped injury. The loss will foot up
about $4,000 The houses were twisted
off of their foundations and destroyed; /;
trees foot in diameter were snapped of.
The large livery barn OF Hoke Bros. was
completely destroyed, 4 laroe three
story elevator, operated by c. Ii. Chisam,
was blown off its foundation and badly
damaged. The two-story brick hardware
store of 5. S. Cole Is a total wreck. A
number ofresidences were badly wrecked,
and as many as seven barns blown to
pieces. The streets are filed with tim
bers, boards, trees and fences. The new
school-house is partially unrooted, ana a
one-story school building was completely
demolished.
Those fatally injured are.
LOttie Zwine, ten years old. Sic was
carried over two hundred feet in the air,
and fell on the railroad track, smashing
her skull.
George and Charles Hoke, liverymen,
both fatally injured.
s. S. Cole, merchant.
Two children of John Miller are serl.
ously injured. The Miller children had
taken refuge in brick building and were
buried In the debris.
The storm only lasted about five min
utes. Ten minutes before the storm tho
air seemed to get green. The cyclone
struck Odell at 8 40 p. m, and was ap.
parently formed by the union of twG
black and ominous storm clouds which
were first noticed about five miles from
Odell, one south and one west. The
wind was from the east. At this time the
passenger trains of the Chicago & Alton
met and passed at Odell, which is about
forty miles from here. The engineers OF
both trains saw the storm approaching
and stopped their trains one on each side
of the town, and the storm swept be
tween them. The windows of both trains
were smashed and the passengers greatly
terroriZed.
A passenger described the storm-cloud
as an inverted mountain peak of inky
blackness, streaked with lightning flashes
and accompanied by great heat and loud
and dreadful roaring. In few minutes
the storm-cloud had disappeared and ap-
parently dissipated. Every telegraph
line was wrecked and communication has
not been fully established yet.
XENIA, o., May ia terrible storm
ragged here from nine until twelve O'Clock
last night. 1t is supposed to have been a
water-spout. 1t struck the southeastern
part of town, and followed the course of
the Shawnee river, which was swollen in
a few moments so as to inundate all the
leighboring streets, sweeping away or
hotally running more than one hundred
houses. Many were swept down the cur
-ent with thu families In them. One of
these, tnat of Aaron Ferguson, contained
nine persons of his own family and three
of John Burck's, who had fed there for
safety.
A man named Earbor risked his life
by throwing himself into the current aud
floating against the house, and with a
rope in his hands succeeded in saving
the inmates of the house by means of a
boat.
Twenty dead bodies have been taken
out of the stream, and are now lying In
the Mayors office, and many more are
supposed to be lost.
The Pan.llandic railroad, including Its
embankments, is a total wreck IN this Ell.
tire vicinity.
The greatest excitement prevails
The building which contained those who
periShed Is surrounded by crowds anxi-
Gus TO view the remains of the dead.
Many narrowing stories are narrated.
A family named Morris was fioated
away in their house and drowned, with
the exception of a child about seven
years old, who was found this morning
clinging to tree.
1880 p. Mp to this hour twenty
three dead bodies have been recovered
from the ruins of once happy homes,
which are now naught but tangled mass
of timbers and slime. Relief parties are
hard at work; the doctors are all over
worked, and nearly every uninjured house
Is hospital.
The condition of the town is sickening.
The groans of the wounded ill the air,
and whole families have been killed. Over
a mile of the Little Miami Railroad Is
completely gone, and no trains can be
run. The nearest approach Is Dresden
Junction.
LEBANON, o., May ia cyclone
1t came from the northwest and was ac-
companied by ram and hail. The Leba-
non House was unroofed, also the Meth
odist Episcopal church and the Union
Sunday school.
Washington Hall was unroofed, de-
stroying all the scenery of the G. A. r.
No serious casualties are reported. Every
ahn do fmnA st.f sa,A AaV rad nd
less than forty private residences show
the effects of the great blow.
There are twenty persons known to be
to be seventy-fve.
During the rain the wind blew fearful
ly. blowing down telegraph poles and
wires, trees and every thing that came In
Its way. Communication OF any kind Is
not to be had with the town, six hundred
feet of the Little Miami track just east Of
Xenia being carried away.
The train over the Little Miami road,
leaving at seven O'Clock every morning,
left for the East at nine O'Clock this morn
ing, and went via the Muskingkum Valley.
The regular Columbus train, due here at
Z a. m, has not yet left Columbus. All
eastern, western and southern telegraphic
communication Is cut of from Xenia.
DAYTON, o., May lS.-A fearful thun.
der storm visited this city last evening,
commencing at half-past eight O'Clock
and continuing several hours. The elec-
trical display was decidedly brilliant, and
the rainfall very heavy, flooding many
cellars in various parts of the city, par
ticularly among the business houses on
Main street between Third and Fourth
streets. The bsS viii reach many thou
ssads Of dollars. The storm was accom-
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