The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-03-02
The City of Mt Vernon, ILL.,, Almost
Totally Destroyed by q Relent-
less Cyclone.
Five Hundred Houses in Ruins, Where.
in the Nangled Victims Slowly
Roasted to Death.
The Death List Already Numbers
Twenty-Sevcn and Will Probably
BE Increased,

Ieaased the shock and loss they Lad sus.
tanned Hundreds OF houses were blown
down, and many people were crushed in the
xutnA 1t is impossible at this time 10 esti-
mate the loss. but at least one-half Of the
town is destroyed The south aud east
parts OF the square are completely destroyed.
The large building known as the Crews
block, now owned by J. G. Murray, was en-
tirely demolished and caught fire in short
time. aud is now burning rapidly. The NJ.
E church is nearly mass of
ruins The roof and second story
are entirely gone. while the lower
part is badly damaged. The Baptist church
is wreck and beyond all hope of repair.
The east end of the public school house ia a
bad sight The once mammoth building ia
bricks and stones are all that remain to tell
the story. Hundreds of houses are heaps of
ruins, and the city in the cyclone distr:ct
presents scene Of the most horrible desola-
ton and ruin. The town is about two miles
long east and west. and the course of the
cyclone took in about two thirds Of the east
end, the western part of tho town escaping.
1t ts impossible to begin to estimate the
number Of houses destroyed, nut the number
will run up into the hundreds The large
known as the square is totally destroyed
Out of q row of buildings about 200 feet
long there are none but are more or less
injured, while most of them are entirely
raging now on that street, and unless
help soon arrives will be wholly lost
These are all business houses, and the goods
are entirely destroyed The east side Of the
square presents even q more
CHASTITY APPEARANCE,
brick This side is also occupied by business
houses. Nothing is savei here; not single
building Is left on this row. The north side
as badly damaged, but the wreck here is verv
slight compared to that on the east and
south sides. The Odd Fellows hall is most
damaged on this side, but none Of the build
lngs escaped being more or less injured.
The west side escaped more lightly than
any. but the buildings here are also in bad
state, being greatly shaken VI. The damage
that IL is completely ruined. The general
appearance OF the town il horrible to con.
ten.plate, and looks as if an earthquake had
visited it It ls impossible to convey any
idea san,s Of wha how S,vd it really looks and
The he COUNTY @ court house, one Of the 1'1l"sst most
complete wrecks in the city, is mammoth
two-htory building, and stood in the center
OF the square. but being directly in the path
Of the cyclone il is entirely demolished It
was an expensive building and an ornament
TO our county. 1t will have to be rebuilt
There is no alarm felt in regard to the
records. us they are easily accessible, and
unless the fire should spring up in tho ruins
are perfectly sale. AS your correspondent
writes the fire is dying out, after stubborn
conflict with men who risked their lives to
extinRuish it Alt the largest and best build
ings seem to have suffered the greatest The
Commercial hotel Is almost completely
ruined, but none of the guests or others are
injured 10 far us known
; II is impossible to say what the damage to
$500 900, to 81 100000 1t is not known
what damage mas Deen sustained in
the country, us no news has bcon brought
In. 1t will be several days before it will be
possible to tell what the damage really IT,
On East Main street, for nearly q quarter
OF mile, there Is
HARDLY HOUSE LEFT
standing, and as near as can be ascertajned
this ts the case all over the city. From near
the center TO the west end on all SIDES ruins
stare one in the face. ]. J. Manton, saloon
stroyed. J. j. Hiserman. bakery destroyed
and goods lost The wagon and blacksmith
shop of Donner d Co., DESTROYED. G. D..
Cook, druggist. building aud goods
ss@.gsd tss a0's' The johnson bsGnr nsnfE badly
which is the large dry goods store Of
The drug store OF Hill, Williams dry goods.
FergIson's harness shop and Mrs Waters
Smiths building, continuing Rober's cigar
store and ]. J. Gray's saloon. badly damaged.
Johnson's building, containing Sextons shoe
store. and J. H. Rlckawar's building, con-
tanning G. " P"s.'s general stock of mer-
chandise, d. II. Wise and Sudspeth l. Co in
g IL Watson's building. stock and building
are total wrecks j. F. Watson's building.
including Howard Bros & Co.'S stock
OF groceries. y, is totally DESTROYED The
". Morgan's building and jeweiry store
destroyed ]. i Powelsons house and
furniture store destroyed. w. E. Jackson's
harness store and building ruined. The
skating ring is scattere all over town. The
ts badly damaged. The other buildings are
not seriousIy damaged except G. NJ F.
Wards building on the west side. which ie
almost totally demolished. The loss OF life
is varlo4sly estimated at from fifteen to
thirty. In the destruction Of the Crews
building it is surprising that many were not
killed. as the upper story was occupied az a
boarding house Murray. the owner of the
building, perished in the runs. and although
great efforts were made to save him, it was
impossible. The storm passed from the
southwest and had
A ROTARY NOTION
1t swept down with fearful fury, striking
first just south of the city hall. then carried
away the third and fourth stories of the Mt.
Vernon null 6rom there it swept on in
path 500 yards wide. The n Methodist church
fell ust after $50 people had left the sun
day school room. The Commercial hotel
lost is third story. Next tho wind struck the
county court house and rendered it heap
county records were saved. The Crews
block on the south eide of the square ia
leveled with the earth. and under it was
found the body of John Crews. the owner Of
kt,< IL E~~ .~1,, - HNu.
and second story of II. l. Stratton 4 Co.'s
hardware store was blown away. The large
two-story brick scloo! house did not with
stand the shock any better than the sm ailest
house in the track Of the cyclone The
large two story frame house of George Ward
was picked up and carried about twenty
feet and left unhurt. while two brick
buildings within 100 feet were left in
ruins. 1t is growing colder and many
homeless will suffer if the weather
the country, and the storm seems to have
swept everything for miles Incalculabls
loss OF life and great suffering will follow
unless outside assistance is given The may
committee meeting of business men was
held, and committees appointed to care for
the dead and wounded. and protect the
property as much as possible. Many people
who escaped with their lives have nothing
besides Many are
with no home to 90 to. The north side Of
tho Court House square is injured consid-
erably. The wounded are being cared for by
the physicians in the best possible manner.
The railroad shops ure badly damaged and
great number of homes destroyed The
people ure out doors who lived in the track
Of the Storm The dead and dying are scat
tered through the city. All the doors of the
remaining houses have been thrown opea to
the less fortunate Three -fourths Of the
business portion Of the city is ruined tnan-
cially. The Public square ia III the center
of the town. The court house il in the
center of the square The school build
ing ts In the northwest ccrner of the CITY
and all tho dwellings in that portion of the
city are destroyed and the ruins "f some are
still burning. In all. 500 buildings are de-
Wtroyed and many others injured. The dead
are now being gathered ut the supreme court
house, which has been converted into hos
pital for the dead and wounded. This build
Ing Ii also damaged. but not seriously. Late
. reports show twenly-n,ne dead and
about one hundred injured. some Of whom
will die before morning Later reports
Two more reported a. having diod. They
ess Eddie Aaxey and MrA Col. Cooper
- ovobst Of the ~enrdsd asp tyang,
= =. Il. 49,. Z
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