Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-05-21
DEsTRUOTIHE sTORMs


terrible storms on Wednesday and Friday OF
last week, which destroyed scores of lives and
a vast amount OF property. The storms
swept through q great belt OF country from
western Kansas to western Pennsylvania, do
ing probably the worst damage in southern
Ohio Wednesday night. The phenomena
we're everywhere much the same, unusually
heavy and long-oontinued showers Of hail,
followed by great down. pours Of rain and vio-
lent winds. The rainfall was heavy enough
in many places to cause serious floods, aud
much of the damage in Ohio came from swol-
len streams. A few of the dispatches de-
scribe the storms as cyclones, but where de-
tailed descriptions are given they seem to
have lacked the funnel. shaped cloud and the
rotary motion that mark the cyclones OF that
region.
In Ohio the hurricane fell with greatest
fury upon Xenia, a city of 5000 people, the
capital Of Greene county, so miles northeast
of Cincinnati. Twenty five bodies of victims
have been recovered there and many are still
missing The counties of Montgomery, But
ler, Clarke Warren aud Greene lie adjacent
in Ohio, and form an elevated platform with
but shallow valleys and low hills. In these
counties are the the towns Of Dayton, Spring
field, Hamilton, Lebanon and Xenia. In the
eastern county of Indiana adjoining this dis
triot is Connorsville. At all these places the
special despatch gives the following sto-
ry Terrible clouds were seen gathering
over Xsnia about p. NJ, Wednesday, aud
terrific lightning and heavy peals Of thunder
This lasted till o'clock, when an extraordi-
nary clap of thunder seemed to open the
cloud gates and the rain fell In torrents. The
people living in houses on Water street es-
capped by every way possible. The spout
seemed to vent its fury on that portion OF the
usN =. Il ~. T .aaN.
Miami railroad is swept away. The spout
struck the houses ON Water street and tore
them to pieces as u they we're shells. A res.
ident Of the street states that within two min
utes after the clap of thunder he stood in
water to his waist, he being about 25 yards
from the creek. When the waters reached
the residence OF Aaron Ferguson it was swept
away with nine inmates and lodged against q
bridge, where they were afterwsrd rescued.
The next damage was at the coal yard Of
Samuel CLARK, in which was located a tene-
ment house occupied by a family named Pow.
ell, niue in number Up to 8 P. M. none of
them had been heard from. The next point
Of destruction was in what is known as the
bottoms A dozen houses occupied mostly
by colored people were here swept away.
Horses were lost by the dozen, and railroads
leading out OF the city were swept away, so
that 1t is impossible to hear from outside
points. At least dozen trains are at Xenis
and within few miles of the city. Tele-
graph wires are down, aud business has been
suspended. One family by the name OF Nor
ris were swept away. The last seen of them
WAS at the Miami street bridge, when a man
WAS seen at the window by the terror stricken
crowd, waving lighted lamp. The next in
stant the house collapsed and they were gone.
Only one of them, a boy Of 10 years, has
been found. The work of finding the bodies
still continues. The mayors office has been
turned into mOrgue, and there are now %
bodies there. The scenes are heart-rending.
Whole families lie dis6gured on cote. Forces
of men are busily engaged clearing away, and
hundreds OF people surround the places.
The council has appropriated $1,000 for i'm
mediate use in the burial Of the victims
private subscription has already reached into
thousands. committee is collecting cloth.
ing and bedding. The rink has been turned
into a refuge for the homeless, who are many.
All aid possible is needed from every source.
Among losses are Mcdowell Il Terrence, lum.
ber $40, 600; Miami powder company, $25,-
600; Little Miami railroad, 1926, 900; indi-
viduals, $50 600 The city engineer places
the city loss at $75, 900. The Little Miami
road has about lG miles swept away"
At Springfield, 20 miles north OF Xenia, a
place Of 20, 900 people, the food was nearly
equal in volume to that at Xenia but the
drainage was better. All kinds of crops are
ruined. The greatest destruction is in a
track east from Big Miami to Little Miami.
Zionville brick Reformed church, four miles
south Of Dayton, was razed Paramount is a
total wreck. The church at Beavertown was
demolished, and dwellings there we're twisted
from their foundations. At Shaker Village
many buildings we're unroofed, barns blown
down and cattle injured. A special train was
wrecked near Osburn, and Superintendent
Tucker and six others were injured north
bound freight train on the Cincinnati, Ham
ilton & Dayton dashed into a washout at Pos
sum Run, five miles south of Dayton, and the
80 ton locomotive was carried 100 feet down
the mighty torrent before sinking, then rolled
over and over. A farmer q mile across the
waters, noticing signals of distress at day
light, rescued the freight crew from the tree
tops. The rainfall was 4 inches in three
hours. Additional disasters are constantly
being reported by country people coming in.
A storm passed over Kempton, 80 miles
east of Lafayette, Ind, on the Lake Erie Il
Western railroad, about $50 Wednesday even.
ing unroo6ng houses, tearing down trees and
fences, and carrying everything before it.
One man was killed and a number are report
ed seriously injured. There were several
wAshouts below indianapolis on the Louis
vile, New Albany 4 Chicago and Wabash
roads. A tornado struck Williamsport, Ind,
Wednesday evening" destroying everything in
its track. Several houses and barns in the
north part OF town we're carried away. The
tornado seemed to travel about 80 miles an
hour. 1t struck Attica, two miles east, and
destroyed several of the business buildings,
including a saw-mill. The Revere house and
the Great Southern railway offices aud the
wagon bridge over the Wabash river were
torn down. Several persons we're on the
bridge at the time it went down, and all are
supposed TO have been killed. Several in.
mates OF the Revere house were severely in
jured. Two brick houses at Williamsport
we're torn down. The east. bound passenger
train on the Indianapolis, Bloomington 4
Western railroad, which left Indianapolis at
. P NJ, Wednesday, ran into washout near
Newcastle, toward midnight. The engine,
baggage car and first passenger car plunged
into the abyss. The engineer, fireman and
an unknown passenger were instantly killed,
and the baggage men and conductor were se-
verely injured All the passengers we're more
or less bruised. The Wabash, St. Louis Il
Pacific east bound passenger train struck a
washout six miles below Lafayette, Thursday
morning, throwing the whole train of seven
cars from the track, The cars were piled
upon each other promiscuously, but no one
was hurt except baggage man, and he not
seriously. The baggage and express cara
were totally wrecked Aspecial from Wilkin
son, Ind, hamlet 80 miles east OF Indian
apois, says that the storm lasted only 6ve
minutes, but destroyed nine houses. The
killed are Samuel White, farmer, crushed
into shapeless mass Glen Smith j. W.
Smith, wife and children Eli Ross and FAM
lily Mrs. Ada White and daughter The
buildings on the fairgrounds at Upton, Ind,
were destroyed, and many private residences
in and near the city badly wrecked. The
family of Uriah Gates, five in number lie at
the point of death. The damage in the vi
oinity is estimated at from $50, 900 to $780,
600.
An Attica, Ind, special says that the loss
there will exceed 5000 900 and gives a list
of six persons killed or fatally injured. At
Greenfield the wind blew down all the build
ings except three Samuel White was killed
aud his wife fatally injured. A boy named
Shader was also killed and about twenty per-
sons seriously hurt, several Of whom will die.
Chester, H., was visited by a hurricane
Tuesday afternoon, which continued fully an
hour and caused great damage to property.
The gale was accompanied by hail, rain and
ufvi Eulaf Fal