Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-05-21
| TRAIN In A TORNADO.
A Passenger Train has a Terrible
Experience Passing Through
Terrific Tornado in Ohio.
The Engine and Cars Badly Battered
by Flying Debris In
jured. but None Killed.
CYCLONES AND TORNADOES.
A Passenger Trains Frightful Experience il

Passenger Trains Frightfui Experience in a
Tornado.
PITTsBURG, May IA Chicago express
on the Fit. Wayne railroad had a rough
experience passing through the tornado
which struck eastern Ohio last night
lightning flashed continuously from the
time the train left Fit. Wayne. at 5 p. m,
and rain descended almost solidly until
Lima, Ohio, was passed. Such storm
the passengers had never seen before. and
the ladies, of whom quite a number were
on the train, were greatly frightened, and
the gentlemen were too scared themselves
to be of much service in allaying their
fears. The wind steadily increased in fury
and the breaking OF the trees and the rush
ing sibilatiOn of telegraph wires made a
concord of wild sounds. The train past
Forest, 229 miles west of Pittsburg, at
1926 o'clock. The engineer was sending
the locomotive along at about 80 miles an
hour The engineer put on more steam
and when about three miles from Kirby
the storm was at its height. Suddenly
there was a dull roar in the distance. and
then a cyclone tore across the level plain
or the south side of the track, and catch
ing big tree
TORE IT UP BY THE ROOTS
and flung it across the cars. One limb
struck the locomotive and cut the COW
catcher in two. Another limb fell on
the platform and steps of the first car
and demolished it. Other branches
smashed in the windows along three or
binary cars and two Pullman sleepers.
! Telegraph poles came dangling down at
! the same time and rocks and bushes flew
through the air in riotous hurry. The
~ windows ,oshal To
cracked and splintered, and the glass
flew in every direction.
The train kept on the rails, and the en-
gineer, applying the air brake, brought it
to standstill within POO yards. Every
passenger was in paroxysm of fear. The
sleepers were transformed into dens of
wildly excited men and women. The rail
way men kept fairly cool, and as soon as
they could, assisted in the restoration of
confidence. The storm continued, and
the air was still filled with flying branches
and stones, while the glare of electricity
liberated from the clouds intensified the
| horror of the scene. Although every
window i'll the two sleepers, Baden"
and SalamiS " were fractured and almost
every pane in the other coaches were
smashed, ii is remarkable that very few
passengers were hurt. Mr.. c.. C. Bow,
merchant of Canton, Ohio, was in his
berth in the sleeper, when the tree shiv-
cred the glass above him. and drove one
piece under his right eye with such force
that his
EYE WAS LITERALLY CUT OUT.
A lady in the same car, who refused to
give her name, was cut, though not Sc
riously, about the face. Others had their
hands cut. The storm did not abate
much, except that the tornado passed
away. An idea of its force may be con
ceived from the fact that rocks were
blown Into the cars on the south side and
had sufficient impetus left to pierce the
windows as clean as if they were bullets
from a gatling gun. None of the
roofs of the cars We're very much
damaged, but the locomotive boiler
was denied in several places and the
smoke stack was knocked out of plumb
After about an hours delay the train was
started again and i'll due time reached
Crestline without further accident There
| a locomotive was procured and the bat
tered cars came on to Pittsburg and
reached the Uni.n depot one hour and
half late good deal of time being made
up on the run. When the train arrived
here it looked as if it had been riddled by
sharp shooters and a battery of heavy
artillery.