Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-07-13
POM eRoy'S AFFLicrIoN.


ono who did not see II an idea of the
storms ravagcs The town lies prin,
cipally ON the south side of the Illinois
Ccntrals tracks Ia tho center Of the
town east and west stands the Illinois
Central depot, North of the tracks
there are five houses and they IRE not
injured, South of the tracks there is
not house that is not in some way In.
iurcd and over 100 are completely
obllteratcd, and at least sixty are 80
badly damaged that they will have to
be rebuilt
The storm came from the northwest
aud struck the town u short distance
west Of the depot IL crossed tn,
track diagonally and after going south
east through three squares Of the town
vcercd u little to the east and continued
on ITS course. The center Of the storm
was about 100 feet in diameter, but
everything was destroyed for n distance
OF 500 feet on both sides OF the center,
There were about forty blocks de.
stroyod six east and west and eight
north and south. In the l00-feet cen.
ter OF the storm there Is not blade %!
grass remaining, and within tho 1000
Get limit there Is not u piece Of tho
100 houses large enough To be used for
any purpose save kindling wood. One
of the general pcculiarites OF the storm
II that in the territory where the storm
was on the ground the splinters all
point toward the center The storm
was on the ground for one nile and u
hall aud within the 100 foot limit the
the splinters all point the way II was
going. just outside of this they begin
To turn at right angles to the course,
and at the 1000 limit they are ut right
angles to IT, Had n small army of men
been employed for several days they
could not have placed them in more
regular order, for not one OF the thous.
ands Of spllntcrs devintcs point Of
the compass from the rule,
A short distance from the center OF
the storm tn the east stands big ma
pie tree foot and half In diameter,
A short distance from the ground u
splinter has been driven through the
tree, u was probably u scantling
which was splntercd, IL now sticks
out on both sides and IN being cut away
by curious people. The street winch
runs south Of the depot In the business
street. Tho north ends of the stores
are hardly damaged, but the south
ends Of many of them are blown away,
II was not until the second street was
struck that the great amount of dam
age was done. Just south OF the dc.
pot upon tins street stood the Eplsco.
pal church, one wall of this was
picked up aud carried solldly up
against the next building, dwelling
house, and this was not In the least
damaged the window glass not even
being broken,
A few blocks south. Just ON the edge
Of the storm. stood "a fine two.story
house, II was completely swept away,
not even the foundation stones being
left There was u grove OF trees around
the house and they were pulled up by
the roots and carried away, save n lit.
tie clump on one side which still stands,
The bark ~ completely peeled oil and
the tops arc whipped into ribbons. No
man with u knife and piece Of glass
could have peeled these trees any neat
or or more perfectly.
one woman with babe nj her breast
was blown over q block from her home.
She chung To the child and when ; he
was found some time after the storm
the little one was still! elasped close In
the mothers arms and trying To got At
its mothers breasts, but the mother
arms were fixed and stiff and her
breasts cold IN death. The babe was
taken away and died the day follow
ing,
One lady, Mrs Buxton, had started
with her family for the cellar, they
having taken alarm at the storms APP.
proach when she turned and went out
on the porch, he wind was then
blowing at an awful rate, and looking
before her she saw little child lying
II few feet from an open WELL the cur b
Of which had been blown away. She
caught up the infant, which was in
danger of being blown into the well,
and il wits taken by her son. But Mrs.
Buxton was caught the next instant
by the wind, lifted INTO the air like u
feather, and carried away. In another
instant, while the wind was wrench
ing her about aud tearing her almost
limb from limb, she saw "a horse ilying
over her in the mir; and the next she
knew she was on the ground once more,
the horse and part of the house lying
on her. She was taken out sometime
after and was found Ia be uniDjurcd
beyond some painful bruises.
The slaughter Of dumb animals was
terrible. In ali ffty.tbrcc horscs, half
MS many cows and multitude Of hogs
were either killed outright or bad to be
shot. Their carcasscs were burned on
immense piles OF boards.
DR. Wight saw the storm approach
ing and saw IL the moment before IL
struck. He says the cloud was an i'm
meme wblrling and scetbing greenish
black one, and that u was some time
gathering, 50 that "a warning was sent
around. lie says it was over In from
fifteen 10 twenty seconds.
1t seems that as many fatalities re-
suited from going into cellars AS from
staying above the ground The seven
churches of the town were demolished.
Next morning after the storm, u
rooster, Invested of all his feathery
apparel, was seen strutting proudly
about, Tapping his denudcd wings and
giving vent TO lustY salutes To the
dawning day.
The Drommer family of three sought
refuge in a cellar sXl0. A horse was
blown in on them, but they escaped
without scratch.
In one house that was reduced To "A
mass of splinters there were thirteen
persons. All escaped with only slight
injuries.
young man by the name OF Louie
Metsen was driving buggy about
three miles west of town on the eve
ming of the storm. lie was picked up,
and hurled about eighty rods through a
barbed WIRE fence. One OF the horses
was killed. Mr.. Metsen is terribly
bruised and cut up, but is able to be
around and will soon recover
Among the ruins wounded man
was found with his legs pinned to-
gcther by splinter passing through
both of his calves. Apparently he was
about TO run when the splinter struck
HIM. lie may recover.
The total damage done in the state
by the cyclone is estimated at $500, 900.
i. is estimated that 100000 were
stolen from the ruins.
Friday night an old German walked
into the surgeons headquarters and
,yitb fpars m his pusS stated that ha