The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-02-22

OF their NUMBER IN the destroyed city. Mt.
Vernon is a beautiful city of four thousand
inhabitants, the county seat of Jefferson
county. 1t is considered ona of the most
thriving and beautiful of southern Illinois
cities. Its streets are broad and well lined
with shade trees, and the residences are
trim and home ike. 1t is situated on the
Louisville and Nashville road, and is
about seventy.eight miles from st. Louis.
The surrounding country is rolling. Cy-
clones or heavy storms have never before
visited this region, and it was considered
safe from any such destructive element,
AN APPEAL FOR AID.
The following circular was issued this
morning and is now being sent through
the mails:
Mt. VERNON, Ill, Feb. 20.
To the Mayor and Citizens;
The city of Mt. Vernon, ILL.,, was visited
oy terrible cyclone on yesterday after
noon, which carried death and destruction
in its path. About thirty people were
killed outright, and scores of men, women
and children are MANNED, wounded and
bleeding, and about 1000 people are made
homeless by the disaster. Some 300 houses
are swept away from the face OF the
earth, among which are the county court
house, public school buildings, Methodist
ard Baptist churches, Supreme court
Nashville Railroad and many of the leading
business houses are also a total wreck,
their coRtents being buried beneath the
ruins. A raging Ire which broke out also
destroyed much OF the property which
might otherwise have been saved from the
ruins. We are sorely in distress aud are
forced to call upon the charitable people OF
the country for money and such other
timely assistance as they may feel able to
contribute. Money is needed more than
provisions, as there are few business
houses that may be able to supply to the
demand. Send cash contributions il DOS
sible to George w. Evans, Chairman ri.
nance Committee. NORMAN ii. Moss,
Secretary.
SOME OF THE LOSSES.
The following list OF losses has been COM
piled so far: Supreme Court building, un-
rooted; county Court House, destroyed; !;
Methodist Church. torn TO fragments;
Commercial Hotel, unroofed Baptist
Church, demolished; r. w. Vost, store
blown in; Porter q Bond, drug store, de-
stroyed; Major James Hitchcock's resi-
dence and photograph establishment, de-
stroyed; Jerry Taylor's residence, ruined
Nieman's restaurant and bakery, wiped
out; Maxey, Wescott & Swift, general
merchandise and machinery, blown away,
$4,000 damages; w. Z. Jackson, harness
store, roof off and mashed Jordan Nor
gan, jeweler, building completely de-
stIoyed, some stock saved; Jacob Oswald,
building occupied by PolisbeTs Furniture
Company, entire loss, both building and
stock; the Crews Block, owned by E c.
Murray, occupied by Robert Ryan, dry
goods, entire stock lost; a d. Cox, gro-
ceries ana dry goods, loss entire; G. ".
Evans bank, destroyed: Slratton & John.
son, three story building, wrecked, occu-
pied By Jobnston's drug store. also by
Renchler, Waters & Co., groceries and dry
goods, total loss also G. B. Goodridge, gro
ceries. upper rooms occupied by theater
and Masonic ball Central Hotel and saloon
connecting, both ends blown out; Cooks
frame drug store, total loss; two story
brick occupied by Gothen & Ellis's saloon;
Silas DOwning's two story brick residence,
ruined; Warren's two story frame store
rooms; HeismeR's bakery and con
fectionery, total loss; Thomas Walsh's
residence, two story brick; G.. f. NJ.
wards residence, damaged badly; Mt.
Vernon Milling Company, three story
brick mill destroyed; loss, 10000; wooden
factory badly injured; Lewis Deal, frs
house struck, literally torn to pieces;
Stratton hardware store demolished; loss
$4,000; Howard Bros. Il Co., groceries,
wholesale and retail, in Watson building;
stock loss, s., ,0C0: building ruined; Hud-
s.-eth, dry goods three story bailding;
total loss, $40 600; David Wise, clOthier
loss S15 eco; Yost & Co., dry goods and
groceries, stock loss SIS, ,0O0 Crowder's
barber shop, demolished; JOIN Gray's
sIloou, stock and building injI red; Will
lam re bero, dealer in tobacco and cigars,
partial loss; Mrs HedriD, millIner, stock
and building destroyed. Mrs. Waters,
milliner, stock and building destroyed;
J. II. Ferguson, harness, stock and build
ing, partial loss; Hill, Williams e. Co.,
general dry goods, lose 5000 ALI Of Main
street, from Howard corner east TO Morris
Emmerson's residence, each side of the
street, except Mr.. Steiner and Colonel
Casey's residence. The following were
totally demolished: Three brick buildings
belonging to Colonel Casey, T. E. Wes-
colts residence. Charles HOyt's residence,
Professor Barnhardts residence, Mrs.
Mlller's residence, Mrs. Albright's resi-
denoe, o. T. Brooks residence, Y. A.
Covers residence, Russell Dewey's resi-
dence, Lawler Legg's residences, David
Gearwood's residence, S. Phiman Maxey's
residence, Fletcher JOhnson's residence,
George Howard and Lew Emmerson,
VIEW OF THE TOWN.
Alighiing at the Louisville and Nashville
railroad depot the storm seekers attention
is first directed to the two. story Supreme
Court building, few yards from the de-
pot, without dome or roof, but sheets of
tin hanging from its side marking pivot
around which the storm seemed 10 swing.
All else in this direction is untouched,
few steps eastward along the railroad dis.
closes to the southwest an appalling sight
Of devastation. 1t is in this direction that
the laboring classes have built their little
one-story cottages, among the timber aud
here it was that the cloud first dropped
down and IN whirling fury twisted i'm.
mense oaks from the ground and mashed
the homes fiat; then gathering the clinging
pieces strewed them along path, tearing
down fences and wiping out land marks.
Scarcely can the direction of the streets be
traced, for in this poorer quarter grading
had not been attempted. How many
houses were here destroyed is not known,
for nothing is left in many places to mark
the spot. Fifteen foundations still remain
in SIX acres, formerly well 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 northeastw ward across the railroad
the ruin appears more terrible, because the
buildings were larger, heavier and more
compact, and the wave that swept for 600
yards clean swath, tearing down fences
and trees, piled up the debris on either
side, and left naked fence posts and foun-
dation walls TO mark the spots OF residen.
ces. There still remain 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 stri ipped
down and the machinery exposed and on