Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-10-05
LEFT DEATHIN IT'S WAKE.
TORNADO CAUSES RUIN
MANY IOWA TOWNS.

|
Several Towns Swept Out OF
Existence-A Path of Devastation.
| The worst storm Ct wind, hail and rain
| known in years between 6 and II o'clock
! ,. N. swept over narrow strip OF country
| 300 miles long IN Iowa and everything in its
| path was laid waste By the hurricane which
! N many places developed into regular
| cyclone. In the path Of the "twister" were
| LEFT ruined towns, devastated farms and
several hundred dead and injured peo-
| pie. Starting about ten miles south
| d Spencer IN Northwestern Iowa, the
| storm Of wind at 8 o'clock began its work OF
destruction. Taking everything before 1t 1t
| swept across the State Just north OF Emmets-
! ourS ant A!gona. 1t touched only the
outhern part OF Lincoln Township, and
hence pissed eastward to Manly Junction
and into the southern part OF Worth
County
The latest reports from the stricken dis
rict of the destruction wrought indicated
hat the loss OF life was about seventy-fve,
he injured number. perhaps, 800.
Some OF those hurt were expected to die,
anf 1t was considered not unlikely that fully
loo persons would be numbered in the list
Of the storms fury. The property loss IS
very heavy.
The fury CT the st orm seems to have been
spent with the destruction of Spring Valley.
10 this place four persons were left dead.
some severely hurt, while the property loss
Is estimated ut S85, 900, the residence portion
Of the town lying directly in the path OF the
cyclone.
At Leroy. lying southwest, four were
killed and several fatally injured. The de-
structton OF property amounts to about S75,-
300. This is heavy blow to the village, for
It's chief business houses lie in ruins.
Fifteen miles north OF Mason City, Iowa,
four persons were killed outright and as
many more probably fatally hurt, while all
the buildings struck are total wrecks. the
loss being in the neighborhood Of $4,000.
East at Lowther, a town of about 100 per-
IONS on the Chicago and Great Western,
:hree persons were fatally hurt and the
whole country for miles around laid IN
ruins. The loss In that vicinity will probably
be not far from S100,000 Five miles north
Of Usage, Iowa, six persons were killed and
a large number hurt. The destruction Of
iarm property Is quite heavy.
West of Mason City, near Britt, two per-
sons were k1llei outright, while north OF
that town some half dozen lost their lives.
Three miles north of Wesley, Kossuth
County, J. Bingham's house was overturned
and caught fire. The inmates had q narrow
escape. The killed In that vicinity are NJ.
Castle AMI wife, J. W. Dingnan, IL .. Tweed.
mother OF Thomas Tweed two children Of
Thomas Tweed, NJ Schweppe and TWO chill
1ren, Fred French and two children, infant
Rockaw.
North Of Algona seems to have been the
scene OF the greatest number OF DEATHS
more persons being killed in Kossuth Coun-
y than in any other one county through
which the tornado passed. Nineteen funer-
ais we're held ht AlGona next day.
North of Emmettsburg, which seems to
have been the place where the tornado first
assumed dangerous proportions, two lives
were lost. From there the storm went tear
Ing across the country, demolishtng every
thing in its path.
For the most part Of its course It travelled
through q farming district, Leroy and Spring
Valley, Mimi, being tho only two towns Of
any consequence that wero damaged, but
even here tho deaths wero comparatively
few.
The fact that tho storm went through q
part of Spring Valley, AMI most OF the resi-
dents were not aware fits work OF destruc-
ton until the fire bells We're rung, shows
what q narrow strip Of country was swept.
AS the storm travelled through the coun-
try AMI avoided villages and towns, the
property loss Is largely confined to farm
buildings, and these being badly scattered
make even an approximation OF the loss i'm
possible, but conservative estimates place
the damage at not less than 81, 100000.
Incidents reported from near Algona,
whence a relief expedition OF surgeons and
others went out show the fury Of the storm.
The little town Of Cylinder, twenty miles
west o. AIgona, on the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul Railway, was literally swept
from the face of the earth.
About twenty-five miles north ofthat place
a family naIneI Culden, four in number,
were al! killed. The town of Whitteman,
twelve miles west Of Algona, was unharmed,
but Robert Stevenson a farmer living four
miles north, was killed. and his wife fatally
injured.
Eighteen persons who sought shelter in
the house on the Durant place were more or
less hut. They were going homo from the
county tair at Agona.
little further on fourteen others were
hudded into the Begelmair house. Here
Carl Barrycke was badly hurt and his wife
was probably fatally injured. Charles Leo
and wife and five children were blown away.
One OF the children was killed and the
wife badly hurt, and all of the company who
escaped death were in ured. The wife and
children OF Fred Pompe, in Fenton Town
sltp, were in the house which was complete
Iy wrecked but they were covered up by the
falling walls and not one of them was nurt.
George W. Beavers, three miles north Of
Algona, had just reached home from the
fair. He got into the house with his wife
and two children and an adopted boy, and
was just going down cellar when the lorna
DO struck the house and demolished it COM
o!eteiv. The whole family was carried with
he ruins about four rods into the road.
Beavers had the baby in his arms, and with
t he made his way to the house of Christian
Dan, his father-in-law, for help His wife
vas just dying when he returned.