The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-17
ANOTHER CYCLONE
ERAvRRsEs THE sTATE og oHIo.
Laying Waste Five Counties, and Leaving
Death and DsStrustiOn In itS PAth-A
Large Number of People Killed
and Many Houses Destroyed.


CLEVELAND, May 15.-With the terrible
disaster Of Wednesday night at Xsnia and
ether pointsin the southern portion Of the
State, still fresh in the minds Of all, intel
ligence Of another and still more fatal and
wlds-reaching catastrophe Of q similar ma.
ture came with the daylight this morning,
Between the hours Of 10 o'clock last night
and 2 o'clock this morning a tornado
ploughed its terribly devastating way
through a hundred miles Of splendid farm
ing country in a asouthwesterly direction,
leaving desolation in It's wake, Seneca,
Hancock, Hardin, AuglRizs and Mercer
counties to-day mourn the loss OF millions
Of dollars in property, and above all,
scores and perhaps hundreds OF lives, AT
this writing there 10 not definite idea to be
formed Of the full extent OF the calamity,
EARLY Friday night great storm ap'
peared to be brewing along Lake Erie.
The atmosphere was heavily charged with
electricity, and huge black clouds OBJ.
scursd the sky, while heavy psals Of
thunder aud fierce gusts Of wind, accom-.
panied by the peculiar sitting murkiness,
always the precursor Of atmospheric dis
Uurbances, caused considerable alarm and
uneasiness. Nothing more serious than
the blowing down Of signs, window blinds
and the demolition Of q few riCkety
shantles was inflicted upon Cleveland, and
many breathed easier when the storm
passed over this section OF the country
and the last peal oi menacing thunder had
died away In the distance.
But while the people in the lake towns
slept secure their nsighbors to the south
west were going through terrible ordeal,
The tornado struck Mercer county, lying
on the Indiana State line, about ~
O'Clock, and swept through the western
part, Its fury was confined to belt
not more than quarter OF mile wide,
but within this area everything was level.
ed TO the earth. Houses and buildings Of
all descriptions were wrecked and scatter.
ed over miles OF territory. Forests were
laid low, crops destroyed, fences torn
down, and what was yesterday blooming,
prosperous country, is now q dreary waste,
FAMILIES HoMELEss,
Hundreds Of families are homeless. In
this county, up to q late hour this after
noon, thirty dead bodies had been found,
with many times that number injured. 1t
Is impossible 10 ascertain names at present,
Passing into Augliaze county, the tor.
nado continued Its work OF ruin, though
reports place the damage there as less
severe than at other points. SHardin Coun.
ty was the next sufferer, and here the
dread destroyer redoubled its fury.
Hitherto It's path had been through the
open country, away from towns and other
settlements. Shortly before midnight 1t
pounCed upon Dunkirk, town Of 1900
Inhabitants In the northeastern corner oil
the county. The inhabitants, not dream.
ing Of the impending danger, were asleep
when the tornado came upon them. 10
an instant II had done its work and passed
on. The town, or that portion OF II In the
path OF the storm, was In ruins. It was
an indesCribable scene. Above the roar
OF the elements and the crashing OF the
timbers came the wild screams ol agony
and fright, men, women and children
calling for help, and trantically seeking
for loved ones separated from them in the
confusion. Five persons were found
dead. They are William MoElree and
two children, Mrs. Higgans and Mrs. Rufus
Lease. Twenty persons badly injured
were taken from the wrecks Of their
dwellings.
The residence Of w. McElree was to.
tally destroyed, killing MCElree, his two
children and his mother.in.law, Mrs. Hig.
gins. "A house near by was destroyed,
killing a man, name not given. The house
Of Thomas Moore was razed TO the ground,
injuring Mr.. Moore, John Thompson and
j. Rlckett serlously, but not fatally. The
Big Oak school house and church, two
miles northeast Of town, are destroyed,
Mr.. Samuel Packard was fatally hurt and
his wife injured by the blowing down Of
their house.
In the Blanchard river valley the fences,
telegraph poles, trees and many houses
were laid low, and II will be several days
before the wires can be fixed along the
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne 4 Chicago rail-
road. The lines Of the Indianapolis,
Bloomington 4 Western railroad are down
north OF town. Three deaths are Just re-
ported from south OF Dunkirk-names not
ascertained, A train on the Fort Wayne
road, near Dunkirk, narrowly escaped be.
ing wrecked. A huge tree was blown
onto passenger car, slightly injufing o
number Of the inmates.
BIZ PEOPLE KILLED.
Wyandotte and Hancock counties, ad-
joining one another, were also devasted.
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