The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-02-21
TIE WRECKED TOWN.
bow tho Ruins Appear to tho Vlsltorst to mt.

How the Ruins Appear to the Visitors to nit
Vernon.
MT. VERSoN, ILL, Feb. 20.-AlightiDl
at the Louisville & Nashville R4ilroad de,
pot the Ftorm sOoke,'s attention is frsI
directed 10 the two.story Supreme Court
building, a few yards igom the depot, with,
out dome or roof, but shrsdS Of tin hang.
ing from lie sides, marking q pivot around
which the storm seemed TO owing. All
else in this direction 10 untouched.
A few stops eastward along the railroad
discloseB to the southeast au appalling
sight Of degradation. 1t ia in this direc.
ton that the laboring classes have bpit
their little one story cottsEes among the
timber, and here it was the cloud first
dropped down andin whirling fury twisted
immense osks from the ground and mash
cd the homes fiat; then gathering the
Clinging pieces strewed them along the
path, tearing down fercsg and wiping out
land marks. Scarcely eau the direction
Of the trees be traced, for in this poorer
quarter grading had not beea attempted.
How many housCs were here destroyed
is not known, for nothingig 10 left, in many
places, to mark the lot. Fifteen iounda-
tious still remain. In six acres formerly
well built up three houses are standing in
the path oil the storm and theBa are
wrecked. On the right and left OF the
path the debris plunged Ike Catapulta into
homes more fortunate.
Looking northeastward across the rail-
road the ruin appears more terrible, be.
cause the buildings were lsrger, heavier
and ore compact and the wave that rwepI
for six hundred yarda clean swath, tear.
ing down fences and trees, piled up tho
debris on either side and left naked fence
posts and foundation walls to mark the
sites Of residences,
There still remains on either side OF the
path dismsntled frame houses half buried
with other roofs.
To the southeast stands the monument.
al ruins Of the LhTse-story brick ,ur mill,
the walls stripped down aud the ma
chinery exposed, aud on tho north parti.
ally surrounded by uniujured houses, the
crushed Baptist church and the large
brick Commercial hotel unrooFed and
partly torn down. Six hundred
yards further in ths course oi
the storm brings you to the post.
Office corner and in front stands the shat.
tered Court House with dome thrown
down over the entrance, the walls cracked
and partially tumbled down, and in tha
Supreme court yard lie the tin snd tim.
Der and roofs Of adjacent buildings. In
front OF the postoffiCe acroBs Buuton streot
brick building was raised TO the ground
and nearly all to the south and east Jared
likewise, but Uncle Sans quarters were
scarcely touched.
The Evans bank on the corner eXhibitg
a burning pit, the safe cracked with the
heat. Under the ruins yet uneerthed lie
the oharred remains of ]. o. Murray,
owner OF the block. Looking to the south
and east from this corner the spectator
will see q line OF groggeries, warehouses
and few reputable placea leaning sgsinst
each other but still holding together. The
wines aud liquors mad been swept out but
the enterprislng hummer had headqusrk
era and signs up long before the excur-
eionists began to pour in or the ruins were
clear OF their dead. In tho reputable
portion Of the block q bakery eaught FIRE
and wac consumed. 0sher bakeries were
wiped out Of existence, and to-day not
q loaf Of bread was TO be pur.
chassd in the town, nor will
such state OF affairs be soon rsmedied,
However, no one sutlers for want OF food,
clothing or shelter. a complete list Of
dead and wounded has not yet been com.
piled. The property loss will aggregate
over half q million dollars and iallG heaV.
lily upon a thriving community. The
heaviest loserH are the nineteen hundred
poor who loOt their all.
all day long the funeral tramp has boen
heard through the, town and every little
while body Of men passed down street
carrying body to the home Of q friend to
await burial. As yet no arrangement has
been made for general funeral.