The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-21
Mount Vernon, Ill, Suffers
from One,
WITH ALARMING FATALITIES.
The Supreme Court-Blown to Etern-
ity-Ihe Starving Indians-Nomi-
natinns-Other Notes.
A Cyclone.

town was virtually destroyed, a num-
Der of lives lost, and many persons in
jured. Such were the reports that
reached this city this evening. Mount
Vernon is situated in the southern part
of the State, about sixty miles east of
St. Louis, in an almost direct line.
A dispatch from Evansville. Ind,
says: Over 100 persons were killed in
che cyclone at Mount Vernon, Ill. Tele-
grams were received this evening at
Evansville from Mount Vernon asking
for help. A train with two engines was
at once sent. having on board a surgeon
and such other assistance as could be
hastily gathered
A Centralia, ILL.,, special to the Daily
Ne,OS saws tWo-thirds of Mount Vernon
we're wiped out. Besides the peope
killed outright many were injured. In
response to calls for cid, twenty mem
oers of the Centralia fire department.,
four physicians and number OF lead
ing citizens left to night for the scene of
the Ca astrophe.
A special to the Daily Neacs from
Evansville, Ind, says the cyclone
struck Mount vernon. ILL.,, at 450 m.
to-day, from the northwest, sweeping
around in a half-circle, and leveling
half the town. The remain
der OF the place caught fire.
aud as there was strong
wind blowing, the flames soon
got beyond the control of the fire de-
partment. Above the roar CT the wind
could be heard the shrieks and groans
of the dying. Bodies half buried in
debris coulu be seen on every hand.
ST. LOUIS, February l9.-Following is
list, us far as now known, of the klllen
and seriously wounded by the cyclone
at Mt. Vernon, this afternoon:
Killed-Mrs. Russell Dewey, John c.
Murray. Mr. Cummings, an engineer
Mary Westbrook, James Hearson. Mrs.
Holcomb. DR.. John Yearwood and wife,
Samuel Yerawood and wife, George Pur
cell, Mrs. William Jones and child,
John Dodson, Miss Josie Sutton, John
Shew, blacksmith, name not known
Eddie Maxey. s. J. Waters. George
PIERCE, Mrs. l.. +. Legge, and two tele-
graph operators.
Fatally injured q Leg. Mrs.
Henry Waters, Miss Laura Lisenby
Charles Ellis, Mr.. and Mrs. q. Gal
braith, Charles Weir, Mr.. and Mrs.
Westbrook, Amanda Bearden. w. H.
Hitman. Lizzie Bennett, J. G. Han
brick, Charles Pool, Miss Corlnne
Hanbrick. Brownslow Hawkins, Mrs.
Albright, Henry Ellis, Mr.. Millcrope,
Joel Howard, Mr.. and Mrs. Calvin.
1t is growing colder, and many help
less people will suffer if the weather be-
comes severe. Reports are coming in
from the country. and the storm swept
everything for miles.
CENTRALIA, Ill.,, February 20 The
fremen sent to Mount Vernon returned
this morning, and report thirty-slX
dead up TO o clock this morning. The
flames are all extinguished.
ST. LOUIS, February 2O.-An eye wit
ness who saw the cyclone at Mount
Vernon, ILL.,, from Louisville & Nash
vile train, describes it thus: II beheld
a fearful black cloud coming from
the northwest. It was in the
shape of large inverted cone
and could be plainly seen
revolving around an imaginary
axis, and at the same time be bouncing
up and down through the air with Won
derful and frightful speed. 1t grew
denser, and the blackness assumed a
tierceness that was appalling. The
wind in our immediate vicinity was
now blowing with almost incredible
velocity. Men and women on the streets
We're blown to the ground. In mo-
ment the whirling cloud arrived at the
town, and could be seen dipping down
here and there, tearing off house roofs
and then rising higher in the air again
like swaylng balloon. 1t would float
along with lightning-like rapidity,
but soon swoop down again
upon the defenceless little town
in another spot. raising houses
and trees, licking the sides of buildings
and tearing great holes in item, and
leaving devastation along tvery part oil
it's course. AS the cloud would dip down
aud rise again, it would carry trees up
ward in the air and throw to the ground
with mighty force hundred yards dis
tant. Houses. roofs, trees, boards
bricks, with all kinds of debris, were
flying through the air at fearful rate
and left piled in incongruous heaps
along the track of the cloud. Passen-
gers on our train were frightened. and o
veritable panic ensued. Women
screamed from fright. The cloud
dipped down on the north side
OF the train and demolished
a house. but just before II
arrived at our position it arose, and
passed over US with magical swIftness
and dropped down on the earth to the
south of the train, where it completely
destroyed another building, and passed
on its work of destruction. The passage
of the cyclone occupied about two
minutes. Fully half the town was
totally wrecked, and to add to the hor.
| TOR of the wind, many fires broke oui
! among the ruins. From the train we
could see smoke and flames rising from
a dozen different houses. A strange
thing was that three minutes after the
cyclone the sun was shining brightly
and serenely on the scene of desolu
ton"
MOUNT VERNON, February 20-Tht
cyclone that visited the city. yesterday
afternoon. st 5 oitlock, destroyed nearly
800 residences and places of business
and unhoused from 1,200 to 1850 per-
SONS. In the fall of the walls many
people were buried III der the debris
and thirty-fve were killed, while twice
as many more were injured, eight OF
ten so seriously that their lives are
espsi ed of. Preceding the destruc
| tive wind was q heavy fall of rain fo1