Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-05-24
Northwestern Ohio Visited by a
Terrific Cyclone.
The People Thought. the Day of Judg-
mont Had Overtaken Them-Giant
Trees Snapped ON Like Alders
several Persons Killed.

injured. Inc names OF the DEAD, as
far as can be learned, are:
THE DEAD.
Schlesser, Edmund, aged "a; hurled
against a tree and almost instantly
killed.
Rigby, an elderly woman; had a
limb torn from her
Small children, names unknown; in
stantly killed.
Daniel Barrett; body badly crushed
and arm torn off.
Mrs Daniel Barrett; horribly man
gled; died within two hours.
Martha Dawson; instantly killed.
Myrta Dawson, limbs broken and in
ternally injured; died at 10 p. m.
George Oxinger; head crushed, body
disemboweled.
THE INJURED.
Longely, David; scalp wound and
fractured leg; will die.
Miles, Jason; head crushed.
Charles, Mrs III. B.; extent of injur-
les unknown.
Charles Cole; internally injured; can
not live more than a few hours
Mrs. Charles Cole; head crushed;
will die.
Jennie Creek; badly bruised; will re-
cover.
Several others, mostly women, are
more or less badly hurt. but their
names cannot be ascertained.
The cyclone was felt worst at a
point three miles from Kunkle and
five from Montpelier.
The day had been usually warm up
to 4 o'clock and heavy thunder storms
seemed imminent. Along towards 5
o'clock the skies took on a dark, leaden
hue, heavy, notified clouds moved
slowly across the zenith, there was
scarcely breath of air, and the heat
was almost unbearable. The climax
came with unexpected and awe-inspir-
ing swiftness Two 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 fear
stricken country people. A great
many people thought the day of judg-
ment had come, and the story is told
of one man who was hurt, was buried
in the debris of an clubhouse, while
on his knees praying.
Giant trees snapped like alders lin
the grasp of the maddened elements
and were carried hundreds of feet
from where they stood. Roofs of
houses and barns were lifted as though
they were so many shingles AID scat
tered over three townships.
Edmund Schlesser, the old 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 frightfully bruised, and there was
scarcely a bone that was not broken.
The property loss Is vaguely esti-
mated at between 1000 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 one
quarter mile wide and six or seven
miles in length. The funnel-shaped
cloud travelled in an irregular south
-easterly 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 Bar
rett, his wife and their two grand
daughters. Martha and Myrta Dason
were killed, was so completely demol-
ished that not even a portion of the
foundation is left standing. The first
remnants of the house are at least 100
l. "A L.
gan few scattering boards, and fur
Their on can be seen larger portions of
the building and about forty rods
from where it stood lays the roof al
most intact, together with portions of
the frame work.
Mrs. Barrett, who was the wors st
mangled, was carried over quarter
of a mile and dropped in a cemetery.
Her dismembered limbs were found
about hundred yards further on.
There was very little left of the
woman's body that resembles the
form of a human being. Her breast
and abdomen were rent in two and
her entrails, lungs and other 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 struck
him. His left hand was torn off at the
wrist and scattered to the winds One
leg was broken into q pulp and he
suffered internal injuries. He was
still breathing when found. but died
soon afterward without becoming con-
sscious.
Martha and Myrta Dason, who
were in another part of the house,
were left near where the building
seems to have gone to pieces. Martha,
the eldest, aged IA, was apparently in.
jured about the side, showing a great
hole from which the blood oozed. The
younger, aged 10, lay almost in the
arms of her sister, and her bones in all
parts of her body were broken and
ground into the flesh. Nothing could
be done to relieve the little ones suf-
fering, and she died at 10 o'clock in the
evening.
George Oxinger, hired hand of
Barrett's, who was in the field plow-
ing, saw the storm coming and started
for the barn. He succeeded in getting
his horses inside and started for the
house, which was about ten rods dis
tant from the barn, and exactly In
line with the storm.
witnesses say that the man was
lifted from the ground AID whirled
into the air at least q hundred feet, to-
r,ethcr with timbers, fences. trees and
.other debris, scooped up in the rolling
r. fna