The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-05-20
HOwLING HURRICANES.
Several Towns in Illinois and Indiana Par
italy Wrecked by 0yclones-Loss
of Life and Property.

terrible hurricane accompanied by
lightning and sheets of rain struck the
town of Odell, ILL.,, eighty-one miles south
of Chicago, on the afternoon of Wednes-
day, the 18th inst, causing loss of life and
great destruction of property. The north
bound Chicago and Alton train encountered
the storm some miles southwest of Odell,
but did not experience its full force until
that place was reached. As the train pulled
into the station shower of boards struck
the engine and tender, largo shed on the
right of the track having been demolished
and its wreck sent whirling over the
prairie. On the left of the station
livery stable with an adjoining
shed full OF horses, carriages, and
farmers teams was totally wrecked. The
large brick store of s. s. Cole was laid in
ruins and four children buried beneath it,
the daughters of John Miller. As the store
went down, broken bricks, fragments of
mortar, and pieces of timbers were whirled
through the air and dashed against the
sides of the cars, breaking the windows
and creating wild degree OF terror among
the passengers.
AS soon as the tempest lulled sufficiently
injury VI JuIIptu ITOIE
train and made n hasty exploration of
the ruins. Efforts were made TO clear
the debris from the Cole building,
and the children were rescued. Three were
seriously hurt, but will survive. and the
others miraculously escaped injury. The
searchers then proceeded with their work,
assisted by the calmer of the citizens but
for the most part the residents seemed
crazed by the calamity and stood about the
streets gazing at the wreck of their property
and wailing in distressing manner. Alto
gether about seven persons sustained seri-
GUS Injuries, of whom those likely 10 die are:
Lottie Zwifie, ten-y ear-old girl, who was
carried over 200 feet in the air and fell on
the railroad track, smashing her skull.
George and Charles Hoke, hyerymen. S..
5. Cole. hardware merchant.
The view presented to the eyes of the
passengers as they looked about the town
was startling. Every portion of the village
showed traces Of the wide spread wreck
wrought by the storm. 1t demolished one
brick block, wrecked three warehouses, un-
rooted the hotel, the Masonic Hall, and four
! store buildings and tore to pieces the upper
! story of the Angel block, in which the
! Odell Bank and the Odd Fellows Hall
| were located. Hardly storeroom in town
escaped injury, and many dwelling houses
were demolished The loss will exceed $780,
600. Houses, barns and sheds were twisted
from their foundations and completely de-
| stroyed. Trees q foot in diameter were
! twisted entirely to pieces. The storm did not
last more than five minutes. Ten minutes
before it appeared the air seemed to get
! green. Two clouds appeared to advance,
one from the southeast, the other from the
southwest, and met over the town, forming
n monstrous whirlwind, which swept every
thing in its track. ...t.-..... -.
p. w. Kenyon's lumber yard, few yards
away from the station, was taken up bodily
by the wind and scattered for rods around.
but the flying boards broke the force of the
wind to some extent and protected the train
from injury.
At Dwight floods of rain had fallen, pre-
coded by hailstones of remarkable size,
some weighing from five to six ounces. The
storm moved in an eastsrly direction, pass
ing into In diana.