Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-21

court building few yards from the station,
| without dome or roof but shreds of tin
hanging from its side, marking a pivot
| around which the storm seemed to swing.
All else in this direction is untouched. A
few steps eastward along the railroad dis.
closes to the southwest appalling sign of
devastation. 1t is in this direction that the
laboring classes had built their little one
story cottages, among the timber, aud here
1t was the cloud first dropped down and in
whirling fury twisted immense oaks from
the ground and mashed homes fiat; then
gathering the clinging pieces strewed them
along a path, tearing down fences and
wiping out landmarks. Scarcely can the
direction of the streets be traced, for in this
poorer quarter grading had not been at
tempted
How many houses were here destroyed Is
not known, for nothing is left in many places
to mark the lot Fifteen foundations still
remain. In six acres formerly we'll built up,
but three houses are standing In the path of
the storm, and these are wrecked. On the
right and left of the path, the debris plunged
like catapults into homes more fortunate
Looking northeastward across tue railroad,
the ruin appears more terrible. There the
buildings were larger heavier, and more
compact, and the wave swept for 600 yards a
clean swatb, tearing down fences and trees,
piled up the debris on either side, and left
naked fence posts and foundation walls to
mark the spots of residences. There still
main on either side of the path dismantled
frame houses half buried with other roofs
To the southeast stands the monumental
ruins of the three. story brick -four mill, the
walls stripped down and the machinery ex-
posed, anu on the north partially surrounded
by uninjured houses the crushed Baptist
oh, I'D fha lar hriN al
tel unroofed and partly torn down.
Six hundred yards further on in the course
Of the storm brings you to the postoffice
corner, and in front stands the shattered
court house with dome thrown down over
entry, the walls cracked and partially tum-
bled down, and in tine supreme court yard
lie the tin and timber and roofs of adjacent
buildings. In front of the postoffice, across
Bunton street. brick building was RACED to
the ground, and nearly all to the south and
east Jared likewise, but Uncle Sans quarters
were scarcely touched.
The streets here are broad, but to-day
are filled with the debris of the business
houses of Buuton and Washington streets,
along the eastern side of which not one
house remains standing, or even
partially preserved. Unable to thoroughly
tear asunder the frame work of the
buildings, they were mashed and twisted in
to useless masses, and the roofs carried away,
and the fronts and rears knocked out Sew
eral brick blocks of three stories gave an air
OF Substantially to the streets The cyclone
ground the walls to a level, and the furnaces
set fire to the woodwork and destroyed the
last plank. The Evans bank, on the corner,
exhibits burning pit the safe cracked with
the heat. Under the ruins yet unearthed, lie
the charred remains of j. c. Murray, the |
owner Of the block. Looking to the south |
and east from the corner the spectator will |
see line of groceries warehouses, and few