, 1888-02-21
A FURIOUS STORM.
Mount Vernon, Ill, Visited by a
Death Dealing Tornado.
Dwellings and Public Build
ings in Ruins.
Over Thirty Persons Killed and
Many Wounded.
Appeals for AID for the Home
less and Suffering.
An Eye Witness Describes the
Terrible Cyclone.
A Terrible

CHICAGO, Feb 20.-A Times special
from Mount Vernon, ILL.,, says: About 5
o'clock Sunday afternoon u tornado struck
the town and left it in ruins, killing from
fifteen to twenty people, and it is feared
many more than are known to have been
killed will be found among the ruins of
the buildings. A fire Immediately broke
out all over the city amid the ruins,
spreading rapidly owing to the damage
done to the engines by the winds.
The storm passed from the Southwest
and had a rotary motion. 1t swept with
fearful fury striking first south of the city
hall and then it carried away the third and
fourth stories of the Mount Vernon mill.
From there 1t swept on in q path 500
yards wide.
The Methodist church fell Just a few
minutes after twenty people had left the
Sunday school, and the Commercial hotel
lost its third story. Next the wind struck
the county court house and rendered it a
heap of ruins. Crews block, on the south
side of the square, is level with the earth,
and under 1t was found the body of John
| Crews, the owner of the block. The roof
and second story of r. +. Stratton & Co. s
hardware store blew away and a large two
story brick school house did not withstand
the terrible shock any better than the
smallest house in the track of the hurri-
cane. The large two story frame house of
George Ward was picked up and carried
about twenty feet and left unhurt, while
two brick buildings 100 feet away were
left in ruIns
The north side of court house square
was Injured considerably, but no buildings
were wrecked except Howard & STATIONS.
| IT, ,o,1-o.l .,IAr1 -, l,l1, 49,
a great number of homes were destroyed.
Three. fourths of the business portion Of
the city is ruined financially.
The public square is in the center of the
town; the court house is in the center of
the square. The school building is in the
northeast corner of the city, and all the
dwellings in that portion of the city are
bestowed. In all 500 buildings are de.
stroyed and many others injured. The
dead were gathered at the supreme court
room, which has been converted into q
hospital for the dead and wounded. This
building was also damaged, but not ser.
iously.
The latest reports show that twenty-nine
are dead and about 100 injured.
The storm was preceded by hall but not
more than five minutes elapsed until the
fearful destroyer had swept over the
doomed town. 1t came from the south
west. Buildings were wrenchcd and
twisted and then dashed to pieces as total
wrecks. The storm then shifted. South
of the city hall it missed Joseph Chance
house, but it swept away the third and
fourth stories of the Mount Vernon mill
and destroyed nearly every house from the
mill north Tor a space Of about 500 yards.
The Commercial hotel lost its third story
and the entire west side of the square was
wrecked. The county court was struck
and that building was reduced to a mas
sivo pile Of ruins. The clerks worked in
to the records and they are saved.
Henry Ellis was covered by a brick
building and he escaped by a miracle. He
vas covered up, and Charles Ellis, his
brother, was severely injured. r. r.
Ryan escaped in a manner almost incredi.
BILE. He was standing by Mr.. Murray in
Crews block and told him to rum, but
MIR. Murray remained and was killed.
Ryan ran west and finding the street full
OF flying timbers he jumped into a door
way, held to the latch and the building
against which he was standing fell around
him, but he escaped untouched.