River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-02-23
SWEPT BY A CYCLONE.

II
AL 'ed-BeiweeR Thirty and Forty Lives
1 L. Il and About ESQ Persons Wounded
The P~euniary Loss VIII Reach ST.
00O. 900.
/ EVANSVILLE, Ind, Feb 20-At 4:50 d
m. yesterday cyclone strucz Mount YER
non. Ill. from the southwest Sweeping
around in a half-circle IT leveied half the
I town 10 the ground The remainder caug ht
I hre, and as IN r. was a strong wind
I blowing the flames soon got be-
I yond the control Of the fire de-
( partmenL The situation was a
startling one High above the whistling
OF the wind and the cree cracking of tho
flames could be heard the shrseks and
gToans of the dying All over the ruined
I part of the town could be seen bodies
half buried beneath the ruins The sur
yiyors who re zed the terrible desuuc-
ton fully set 10 work Ike giants
The tornado came from the southwest,
and the whole southern port on of the
town was leveiel, the northern portion re-
naming intact, but threatened every mo-
ment " TIA flames. So far there are thirty
five reported killed, and up to . o'clock
twenty even bodies had been recovered
About $50 were wounded Among the dead
known are:
Mrs. Russell Dewey, Mrs. John T. Walter
and babe, Henry Waters David + Yearwood
and wife, John C. Murray, Charles Cummings,
an engineer, Mary Westbrook, James Bearson,
Mrs. Hulcomb. DIR. John Nearwood and wife,
Samuel Yearwood and wife, George Purcell,
Mrs. William Jones and Child, John Dodson,
Mss Josie Sutton, John Shew, Mrs. Colonel
Cooper Eddie Massey, S. J. Waters. George
Pierce, Mrs. l.. +. Legge A blacksmith. name
not known
Those known to he ia ally injured are:
Lawler L. Legg. Mrs Henry Waters, Miss
Laura Lisenby, Charles Ellis, Mr. and Mrs c.
Gaibraith, Charles Wer Mr.. and Mrs. West
brook, Amanda Bearden, w. II Human. Liz
zie Bennett, II. 9. Hanbr ok, Charles Pool. Miss
Connie Hanbr OK, Browalow Hawkins, Mrs.
Albright, Henry Ellis, z. Lillicrop, an engineer,
Joel Howard, NJ and Mrs. Calvin.
The destruction is muo h greater than the
Noun Carmel cyclone of several years ago
| The FIRE ght and passenger depots OF the
Louisville & n saviile are slig htly damaged,
tue round houses and shops have lost the
roofs and the sides and ends are crushed in
The siore-rooms are totally wrecked and
the contents damaged Two caboose cars
were blown of the track and turned bot
tom side up.
The south portion OF Mount Vernon is the
newest portion of the city. and has many
large and fine buildings The courthouse
has not been injured, but it stands alone.
All about it is ruin and desolation, and it is
now being used SIS a hospital for the
wounded Many are suffering greatly.
ST LOUIS. Feb 20-The cyclone which
ruck Mount Vernon, Ill, yesterday alter
noon was pr, coded by hail, but MOI more
than i've minutes elapsed until the fearful
des, royer had swept over the town It
came from the southwest but the rotary
motion was present and buildings were
rHaA cd nj f1s altad foT ~
earth total wreck The storm passed a
little south of the Casey hill,
missed Joe Chances house, swept
away the third and fourth cries
of ne Mount Vernon mill, destroying
nearly every house from the Evans 4 How
ard mll north for space Of about 500
yards The Methodist church fell, and
only few minui es before the building fell
257 people left the Sunday school The
Commercial Hotel lost the third story. The
entire west side of the fuu4re was wrecked
The comfy court house was struck and the
building is q massive pile OF ruins The
clerks have worked in 10 the records and
they are saved The Crews building, on
tie south side OF the SOU re. was leve ed to
the earth and under it was found the body
OF john c. Murray, the owner of the block,
formerly of Chicago Howard Bros &
Co.'S grocery store was blown down and
the roof and second story of L L StrattOn
& IS hardw re store were blown away,
while two-s;ory frame hotel adioin .ng ii
was uninjured
Across ,ow I'd the northeast portion of
the city swept the storm, and a number of
people were killed and the school building
blown IOWA. The building was a large two
story BRICK, but it did not Whilst NJ the
terrible shock any better than the smaller
houses in the track of the cy-
clone. The large twO-story frame Rouse of
&c rye Ward was p cked up and rried
about tw my feet and iefC intact, while two
br ok buildings in hundred feet We're left
in ruins
Reports are coming in from the country,
and the storm seems TO have swept every
thing tor miles
MOUNT VERNON. H.. Feb 2O-The path of
the cyclone 10 a scene of destruction Not
a house is left standing on the east. wess,
and south side of the public square. OF
the fifty bus ness houses only six are
left st nding and the debris is burn
ing. Under the burning debris lie
men, women and children, some
dead, others injured, and the flames are
fast coming upon the poor creatures whom
9th rs are powerless to aid Add to this the
shrieks of the won u, gro ms OF the injured
and the plead ngs of those pinioned under
burning ruins ami you will have some deG
of this terrible calami y.
partial list of the business houses de-
mo. ished is as follows: GeoTg W Evans &
Co.'S bank, and the stores OF Hudspeth &
Co, Louis Rober. Howard Bros & Co, r. A.
Ryan. Srat;on & Co., Hill, Williams q Co,
J. Z. Ferguson & Co, 4 e johnson, A b
Cox. Powlson d Co, Jackson & Co, G. w.
Morgan and Aaxey, Westcott a. Swift
No goods We're saved and the debr
is burning The saloons of Ellis &
Guthrie and ]. j. Mspion are wrecked ana
burning the Commercial Hotel a bad
wreck. Every church in the city is totally
destroyed, except the Presbyterian and
Ca holic. Over 500 dwellings, were totally
destroyed and some burned The Joss viii
no. fall short OF 81, 900, COO ople Lere
will suffer If outside help is not fortAcom-
ing at once.
LATER-The fire 10 now under control At
a meeting of business men last evening
Morris Emmerson wss made chair nan, and
committees were appointed TO look after
the wounded and homeless The citizens
are working nobiy for their relief. but It viii
b ,mposs bic for them TO meet the demands
OF the occasion
Mount Vernon In the capital of Jefferson
County. H., and has population OF about 2.100
II is about twenty miles southeast of Centraia
and contains a courthouse, two newspaper Of
fees two steam iour-mills, awoolen-n.ill, saw
mil md raf I