The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-16
WRATH OF THE TORNADO
Mangled and Manned by the Hundreds
Graphic Description of the Ap.
proach and Work Of
the Destroyer.

| ttEeu anu Sdffttu vi III an ihsthut-h
Moment of Indescribable Confusion
and Then Desolation and Death-Lat-
| est Reports from the scene-List of
Victims.
ST. PAUL. Mimi, April 16.-Reports
OF the cyclone at st. Cloud. Sank Rapids.
Rice station and other points in the vi
entity were not exaggerated Wednesday
night Following is graphic description
of the terrible affair by an eye witness:
| All day long an oppressive sultriness
had pervadel the atmosphere At
aoon the clouds banked up on the western
horizon gave promise of welcome rains and
relief from the dust and neat All looked
forward with pleasure to the coming Of
gentle April showers Their presence had
been long delayed; vegetation Just begin
ming to be touched with tinge of green
would be freshened no and the parched
earth refreshed Windows were thrown IN
and doors opened that the cooling air might
have free access Slowly that bank of
clouds increased in 81 9, but a change was
taking place. About O'Clock, in place Of
| the contrasting clearness which had hith-
| erto ext tel,
| AN OMNIBUS, GRAYISH-GREEN TiNGE'
was assumed by the sky in the southwest
The air became more close Still no fear
was manifested or felt Instead there was
| gladness for the surety which now ex-
listed of copious rainfall Slowly the
hue of the heavens changed The coloring
interchanged and dec ened as though the
heavens was huge palette and the colors
were being laid on with a giant unseen
| brush. From green to muddy copper and
from copper to dark brown, the
| clouds In few moments SHIFTED Here and
there a streak of light like a glittering dag
ger was seen cleaning among the masses Of
darker color, while scurrying sail-Iike scud
| appeared here and there On the edges OF
the approaching cloud hank was seen a
whitish gray trimming. All the cyclonic
conditions were present. A vague alarm
| then began TO stir in the breasts of the hith.
| erto joyful onlookcrS 1t seemed to ami
mate even dumb animals; horses standing
in the street shifted uneasily and Weighed
anxiously. Even dogs whined timorously
and tried to stink away into places of shell
ter. Those who had experiences of cy-
clonic storms feared the worst and i'm
| parted their alarm TO others. Anx-
iously the sky was regarded. In
a few moments the truth could no longer be
doubted. The inevitable and fatal inverted
cone quickly took form out of the terror in
| spring mass which now covered the entire
southwestern heavens At 4:3i its shape
wns distinctly outlined in Hacker coloring
TWISTING AND TwIRLING
it came whirling down toward the doomed
towns Then the instict of self-preservatioI
took possession of all Mothers, with blan he'd
faces, hastily snatched up their babes and
sought makeshift protection in convenient
cellars Husbands and fathers ran terror
stricken to their homes fearful for their
wives and children. Hasty protection was
made against the fast-driving demon of the
wind. Doors were locked, windows closed,
and families crowded into cramped cellars.
Others sought safety in the open feds In
nearly every case within the cyclones path
precautions were in vain Like huge
black funnel, with its ca.laverous NAV seek
ing to gulp down every thing within its reach,
THE DEATH-DEALING CLOUD
came sweeping down; with unreasonable
swiftncss it drew near the ill-fated towns.
At 4:52 it had struck the southwestern por-
ton of st Cloud There was n rush Of wind
the mtermingled patter of heavy rain drops
and hail, and the beautiful town was at the
mercy of the al[devouring demon Like
snow beneath the warm suns rays, the
houses in the path melted away. Some were
lifted bodily with their contents high into
the air and dashed into kindling wood upon
the ground. Others. of stouter frame, were
crushed like so much cardboard Still others
more massive in construction, were twisted
and wrenched. The churches forming al
they did prominent objects of attack, felt
the full fury Of the monsters force Their
towers were all more or less damaged, a.
was the Normal school building. The sky
was almost
BLACK WITH FIXING TIMERS
which were whrled like straws through the
air Occasionally was seen aN ANNA
hurled along with irresistible force Occa.
sionally the semblance of a human form,
bruised almost beyond reco 5nition, formed
a part of the flying debris Tall and sturdy
trees were hoisted out of the ground like so
many reeds, ami sent flying like chaff
through the air. Above all the confusion
rose the roar and swirl of the storm as it
satiated its awful appetite for destruction
For twelve minutes the terrible uproar and
work of devastation ragged Then all was
quiet--quiet save for the groans and moan
ing OF the wounded and dying. These rose
with trr BILE distinctneSs on the clear even
ing air There were others who made
neither sign nor sound Lying under heavy
beams, buried in rubbish, choked cellars,
lying lfeless in the roadways, where they
had leen thrown. Nearly two score people,
who had awakened glowing with strength
and health into the light of a bright spring
day, lay
COLD AND MoTIOSLESS IN DEATH
Here beneath the edge of broken roof a
mother was lying with her left arm thrown
Protectingly around the mangled form of a
little child Both were dead There q man
with the hardy vigor of his manhood so re-
Gently snatched from him was lying beside
the boulder against which his life had been
dashed out Principally the fatalities were
occasioned by the crashing in of the heavy
timbers of the houses upon the heads of the
unhappy occupants The full list of these
casualties has not been made out, but at this
writing twenty bodies have been recovered
and every additional search discloses
another victim The tale from Saul
Rapids is the same. Almost in 9
thought the scene of desolaton wa.
|
were in ruins it seemed almost simultane
ously. man who had just crossed thu
river from Sank Rapids informs the CORES
pondent that, already
FOURTEEN BODIES HAVE BEEN FOUND
there, and that the tale of woe is not YET
ended Upon the streets of both town.
even now the scene is most heart-rending
Children are seeking their parents, and pa
rents their children Dreading the worst
but eager to learr the truth, they searcl
each ruin with wild eyed fervor. Father
and mothers with loved ones missing, ant
almost bereft Of reason, run from sobbin,
knot to knot of workers, hoping agains
hope that there may yet he such thing a
rescue. Strong hands and brave hearts ar,
lending all the aid they can. The wounded
number over 100.
THE MORNING AFTER.
| .f 4 4 fp and Broparfv IN