Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-22
lPp6ALIH6 FOR AID.
Mount Vernon, Illinois, Asks for AS
sistance In Her Distress
A Graphic Account OF the Desoiat'on
Wrought by the Storm.

The Homes Of the Laboring Classes
the Worst Sufferers.
The Damage Sustained viii Amount
to Half q Million.
MOUNT VERNON, February 2O.-The fol-
lowing circular was issued this morning
and is now being sent Through the mails:
MOUNT VERNON, Illinois, February 20
To mayors and citizens: The City of
Mount Vernon, Illinois, was visited by a
terrible cyclone on yesterday afternoon,
which carried death and destruction in it's
path. About thirty people were killed but
right, and scores of men, women n
children are MANNED. wounded and bleed
ing, and about one thousand people are
made homeless by the disaster. Some
three hundred houses are swept almost
from the face of the earth, among which
are the County Court House, the Public
School building. the Methodist and Baptist
churches, the Supreme Court House, the
Round House of the Louisville & Nashville
Railroad and many business houses are
also a total wreck. their contents being
buried beneath the debris. A raging fire
which broke out also destroyed much OF
the property which might other wise have
been saved from the ruins. We are sorely
in distress and are forced to call upon the
charitable 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 a few
business houses that may be able to sup
ply the demand. Send cash contributions
il possible to George w. Evans, Chairman
| of the Finance Committee.
NORMAN H. Moss, Secretary.
A SCENE OF D~EsoLArIoN.
Alighting at the l.. & N. R. r. depot, at
tention is first directed to the two-story
Supreme Court building a few yards from
the depot, without dome or roof, hut
| shreds of tin hanging from it's side, making
a pivot around which the storm seemed to
swing. All else in this direction is un.
touched. A few steps eastward along the
railroad diecloses to the southwark an ap-
palling sight OF devastation. 1t is in this
direction that the laboring classes built
their little one-story cottages among the
timber, and here it was that the cloud first
ropped down, and in whirling fury
twisted immense oaks from the ground
and crushed homes fiat. Then gathering
the clinging pieces it strewed them along the
path. tearing down fences and wiping out
landmarks. How many houses were here
destroyed is not known, for
NoTurNc 70 rrrr
in many places to mark O lot. Fifteen
foundations still remain. In six acres
formerly well built up, but three houses are
standing that were in the path of the
storm, and these are wrecked. On the
right and left of the path, the debris is
plunged like catapults in homes more for
tunate. Looking north.eastward, across
the railroad, the ruin seems more terrible,
There the buildings were larger, heavier !
and more compact and the wave swept for
six hundred yards a clean swath, tearing
down fences and trees, piling up debris on
either side and left naked fence posts and /
foundation walls to mark the spots of
residences. There still remain on either |
side OF the path, dismantled frame houses, |
hall buried with other roofs. To the south
east stand
THE MONUMENTAL RUINS
OF the three-story brick flour mills, the
walls stripped down and the machinery
exposed. On the north partially sur
rounded by uniniured houses is the crushed
Baptist church n the large brick Com
merc'al Hotel unroofed and partly torn
down. Six hundred yards further on in
tne course OF the storm brings you to the
corner and in 'front.' stands the
AnaffQroh {N0Irrf love- -sAL
over the entry, walls cracked and
partially tumbled down and in the Su-
premeC Court yard lies the tin and timber
and roofs OF adjacent buildings. In the
[ront OF the postofice across Bunton
street, a brick building was RACED to the
ground, and nearly all to the south and
East Jared likewise, but
UNCLE SANS QUARTERS
we're untouched. The streets here are
broad, but to-day they are filled with the
leor1s OF business houses of Bunton and
streets, along the eastern side
which not one house remains STANDING
,r even partially preserved. Unable to
thoroughly tear asunder the frame work of
ulldines, they were mashed and twisted
nto useless masses, roofs carried away and
Fonts and rears knocked out, Several G
rick blocks OF three stories gave an air Of {
to-. the streets. The cvclono I
round walls level and the furnaces set fire. +
o woodwork and destroyed thelast plank. &
q bank on the corner exhibits in 8, +
urnlng pit the safe cracked with heat. y
UNDER THE RUINS =
the charred remains of J. c. Murray, "
re owner OF the block. Looking to the is
nth and east from this corner the Spec t,
'tor will see q line of groggeries, ware il
buses and q few reputable places leaning c.
'alnst each other, but still holding to. t,
ther. The reputable portion of this q
ock, a bakery, Taught fire and was con-. :.
med. Other bakeries were swept ont Of A
and to-day not a loaf Of bread o,
to be purchased in town, nor will such o.
state OF affairs soon be remedied. How W
er, no one suffers for want of food, shell tt
r or clothing. Along Washington street. al
st back OF the court house, it was hard ca
tell where one building began and the it
ner le1t OIL. Floors. roofs, sides of build nj
% and partitions were ha
UP IN CONFUSION -
d crushed against the few brick walls sti
at still remained standing. Everything ha
ing here wal dead loss; not wen the pro- 60 81
t'on OF fire insurance being available. no
{ street east OF WASHINGTON was COM ne,
'tely blocked by the walls of Strattan & iii
anson's fallen block, from the rear Of on
zen the destruction OF warehouses and Ba
residences is much like an a, .
andoned lumber yard and rubbish lot' dns'
Q corps OF physicians that responded to Me-
hrst call were quickly Organized and res
day long rave moved from place to the
&c. A complete list of the dead and in
a nnao nas not vet been compiled. The cen
perry loss will aggregate nearly half q,
non dollars, and falls heavily upon a.
wing community.
TENTS FOR THE
o]utant-General Vance and DR., Rauch
we'd tonight and have arranged to have
'arded Immediately anumber of shelter
Is Tor the use of the homeless until l.
nanent quarters can be finished. There Die
many persons who believe all the hea