Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-21
THE CYCLONE.
Latest Reports From the
Demolished City.
AN EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT.
The Work nf Destruction Accom-
plished i'll Two Miautes.
Appalling Scenes.
AN EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT
Associated Press Dispatches TO the HERALD. |

Associated Press Dispatches TO the HERALD. !
MOUNT VERNON, Ill. February 90
The cyclone tnat visite this city yes
terday afternoon destroyed nearly 500
re sidences and places Of business, and
unhoused from 1900 to 1900 persons
In the fall OF walls many people were
bu led under the debris and thirty
Ave killed, while twice as many more
were Injured, eight or ten SO seriously
that their lives are despaired OF.
tI A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT,
Sr' LOUIS, February 20.-An eye
witness who saw the cyclone at Mount
Vernon, ILL.,, from a Louisville and
Nashville train describes il thus: 81
beheld a fearful black cloud coming
from the northwest. 1t was in the
shape of large inverted cone and
could be plainly seen revolving around
an imaginary axle and at the same
time bouncing up and down through
the air with wonderful and frigh ful
speed. II grew denser and the black
ness assumed fierceness that was
appalling The wind in our immedi-
ate vicinity was blowing with
ALMOST INCREDIBLE VELOCITY.
Men and women in the streets were
blown to the ground at the moment
the whirling cloud arrived at the town
and it could be seen dipping down
hereI I'D there tearing off house roofs
and then rising higher in the air
again like q swaying BALLOON 1t
would float along with lightning rapid
ity but soon swoop down again upon
the defenseless little town in another
spot, raising houses and tree,
licking the side OF buildings and
tearing great holes in them and
leaving devastation along every
part OF it's course. AS the cloud
would dip down and raise again, it
would carry trees upward into the air
and throw them to the ground with
mighty force hundred yards. Parts
Of h pus-s, roofs, trees, boards, bricks,
with all kinds of debris we're flying
through the air at a fearful rate and
LETT piled in heaps along the
track of the cloud. Passengers on
our train were frightened and
A vERITABLE PANIC
Ensued. Women screamed from
fright. The cloud dipped down on
the north side of the train and demol-
ished house, but lust before it ar
rived at our position it arose and
passed over us with magical swiftness
and dropped down on the earth south
Of the train, where it completely de.
stroyed another building and passed
on in it's work of destruction. The
passage of the cyclone occupied abou!
two minutes. Fully half the town
was totally wrecked, and to add to
the horror of the wind, many fires
broke out among the ruins. From
the train we could see the smc ke and
flames arising from dozen different
houses. A strange thing was that
three minutes after the cyclone, the
sun was shining brightly and serene
ly on
THE SCENE OF DEsOLATtON.
Preceding the destructive wind
was a he IVY fall of rain for half an
hour. which drove all the inhabitants
to shelter. This was followed by a
slight hail-storm, accompanied by
lightning and then a furious blow
wnich formed into the funnel-shaped
ou,Jo,,o otr,,cI> tha oork kt,,yoctarp no.,
tion of the city, taking diagonal
course througa the business part
of il, unrooing and diSmantling
the Supreme Court building and
crushing the Methodist and Baptist
chu ches into r,ins. The wind tore
down heavy brick buildings, wrsnt he'd
frame structures out OF semblance and
made a useless mass out Vi solid
edifces. The massive court house
that occupied the public square, was
literally torn TO pieces.
The storm does not appear to have
done any damage outside of Mt.
Vernon. Had the storm occurred an
hour earlier, the los, of life would
have been frightful, a. the churches
which were destroyed were crowded
at that time"
THE FOLLOWING CIRCULAR
Was issued This morning, and is now
being sent through the mails:
MOUNT VERNON, Ills, Feb Goth.
To Mayors and Citizens:
- The City Of Mount Vernon, Ills.
was visited by terrible cyclone on
yesterday afternoon, which carried
death and destruction in its path.
About thirty people were killed out
right, &c )res of men, women and chill
dren manned. wounded and bleeding,
and about 1000 people made homeless
bv the disaster. Some. 500 houses
we're swept almost from the
face of the earth, among which
are the county court house,
public school building, Methods,
and Ba,tist churches, the Supreme
court house and the round house OF
the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Many Of the l-ading business houses
are also totally wrecked, their con-
tents being buried beneath the debris.
A raging fire which broke out also de-
stroyed much property which might
otherwise have been saved from the
ruins. We are sorely in distress, and
forced to call upon the charitable oi
the country for money and such other
timely assistance as you feel able tc
contribute. Money is needed more
than rovisions, as there are q few
business houses that may be able tc
supply the demand. Send cash CON
'ributions if possible to George w
Evans, chairman finance committee.
(Signed) NORMAN H. Moss,
Secretary
SCENE AT MT. VERNON.
Aliphtipg at the Louisville ant
Nashville Railroad depot, few yard.
away is the o-~tory Supreme Cour
building withou. dome. or roof.
few steps ea>tward an appalling sigh
| is presented. It was here that the
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