Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-24
DEgTH gND DESTRUCTION
Marks the Path Terrible Storm
Which Swept Through Will
Jams County.
FIVE KILLED AND MANY BAD.
LY WOUNDED.

on the nth is thus portrayed in a
special dispatch to the Toledo Bee:
The intensely warm weather of yesterday
was followed by the most disastrous tornado
ever seen in this section of country. All day
long the sun had been beating down on the
farms surrounding the towns Kunkle and
Montpelier in this county. At noon the sky
filed with clouds and. there was every evil
dence that dangerous storm was approach
ing.
The animals in the pastures scented the
danger in the air and long before the storm
broke gave evidence of great unrest The
horses raced about the enclosures and the
fowls sought shelter on their roosts.
Hundreds of people we're watching the ap-
preaching clouds which seemed to roll and
toss in the sky until 4 O'Clock in the after
noon when it broke in all Its fury and the
paragraph at the head of these dispatches
tells in, brief the awful destruction and death
left scattered about Williams county.
The cyclone was felt worse at point three
miles from Kunkle and five from Montpelier
The day had been unusually warm up to 4
O'Clock and heavy thunderstorms seemed i'm
minent. Along towards5 O'Clock the skies
took on dark, leaden hue, heavy clouds
moved slowly across the zenith, there was
scarcely breath of air andj the heat was
nearly unbearable.
The climax came with unexpected and awe
inspiring swiftness.
The dark clouds seemed to unite in the
west and then a wind blowing at hurricane
speed, swept down on the earth and drove
terror into the hearts of the now thoroughly
terrorized country people.
A great many thought the day of judgment
had come and the story is told that one man
who was hurt. was buried in the debris of an
outhouse while on his knees praying. Giant
trees sna' ped like alders in the grasp of the
maddened elements and were carried hun
dreds of feet from where they stood.
Roofs of houses~and barns were lifted as
thought they were 80 many shingles and
scattered over three townships. Edmund
Schlesser, the cid man who was killed, was a
farmer in fairly good circumstances He
was on his way from the field to his house
when he was overtaken by the storm. His
body was frightfally bruised and scarcely a
bone was not broken. The property loss is
vaguely estimated at betpeen $25,O0O and
$4,000. 1t is believed that at least half
dozen more fatalities will have been reported
when the worst is known.
The section devastated is about onequarter
mile wide and six or seven miles in length.
The great funnel-shaped cloud travelled in an
irregular southeastery course. Houses,
barns, fences, trees and distractions of all
kinds in the path of the storm were carried
away and nothing was left to mark the spot
where they stood except huge holes in the
ground. The greatest damage was done
about mile from where the cyclone rose
and passed on east.
The building in which Daniel Barrett, his
wife and their two granddaughters, Martha
and Myrta Daso, were killed, is so complete
ly demolished that not even portion Of the
foundation is left.
The first remnants of the house are at least
one hundred yards from where it stood.
Here begins few scattering boards, and
further on can be seen larger portions of the
building, and about forty rods from where
it stood lays the roof almost intact, togethe,
with portions of the frame work.
Mrs. Barrett, who was the worst mangled
was carried over quarter of mile and
dropped in cemetery. Her dismembered
limbs were found about a hundred yards
farther on. There was very little left of the
woman's body that resembled the form of q
human being. Her brest and abdomen were
rent in two and her entrails, lungs and othe,
internal organs were scattered broadcast
through three forty ACRE fields.
The search for her remains continued fully
an hour.
Daniel Barrett was carried about forty
rods from where the cyclone struckhim
His left hand was torn off at the wrist and
scattered to the winds. One leg was beaten
into a pulp anc he suffered internal injufies
He was still breathing when found, but died
soon afterward without becoming conscious
Il
another part of the house, were left near the
building seems to have goue to pieces. Mar.
tha, the eldest, aged IA, was apparently in
jured only about the head, which was crush
ed in on the left side, showing great hole
from which the brain oozed. mingled with
blood. The younger, aged 10, lay almost il
the arms of her sister, and her bones in al
parts of her body were broken and grount
iato the flesh.
Nothing could be done to relieve the little
ones suffering and she died at 10 O'Clock in
the evening.
George Oxlinger,s hired hand of Bar
! rett's who was in the fields plowing, saw tn,
storm coming and started for the barn.
He succeeded in getting his horses insid,
and started for the house, which was abou
ten rods distant from the barn and exactl,
in line with the storm.
Witnesses say the man was lifted from tn,
ground and whirled into the air at least on,
hundred feet, together with timbers, fences
trees and other debris scooped up in the rol
ling avalanche.
Oxlinger's lifele.s body was found abou
100 rods from where he was lifted into tn,
air. His bones protruded from the flesh ant
and his body indicated that he came in con
r tact with many of the flying trees and beams
Jas. Whittle another farm hand in the EN-
ploy of Barrett, had most miraculou
escape. He was in the field with a team com
pany with Oxlinger and started to the barn.
To the fact that his team became unmau
ageable and broke away from him he prob