The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-05-08
A VALLEY OF DEATH.
Additional Details of tho Great
Cyclone in Iowa.
Three Hundred Families are Homeless
and the Loss of Life is Appalling
Nearly 100 Persons Injured, Some
of Whom Will be Crippled
for Life.

ALTON, Ia, May 6.-The funeral of
the victims of Fridays cyclone were
held here Sunday, in the midst OF
terrific storm. In some parts of the
country what remained after the big
storm of last week was ruined by yes
terday's blow. The valley of death
from Ireton and Sioux Center, which
nearly parallels the railroad track, was
crowded all day with vehicles of every
description. From all sides there was
nothing but debris. Dead horses, cat
tie, sheep, portions of houses and barns.
farming implements and everything
movable was scattered along the route.
All the dead were buried in Sioux
county Sunday, excepting the Marsden
brothers and sisters, whose remains
were sent to their old home in Wiscon.
sin. Around Sioux Center, forty far.
mers are homeless and ruined, and APP
peals for aid have been sent out tc
many adjoining cities by the authori.
ties. The railroads reaching this part
of the country have agreed to carry all
donations free of charge,
Another death, Mrs. Heymen, was
reported Sunday. The Heymens lived
in Welcome township, few miles from
Sioux Center. When the storm struck
their homestead Mrs. Heymen was sit
ting in chair near the window trying
to catch breath of air The storm
lifted the building and carried it fully
100 feet into forest, where it was
dropped. Mrs. Heymen was picked up
fatally injured and died late Saturday
night. She was 80 years of age. In
this vicinity sixteen are dead and fif-
teen injured.
John Haggie's experience was terri
bic. He was away from home and no.
ticing the approaching storm, was re-
turning with all possible haste. When
he had reached point 500 yards from
his dwelling the storm struck. Ho
threw himself to the ground and held
to tree. He was struck at least a
hundred time by small pieces of debris
and while on the ground was covered
with mud several inches in thickness.
The storm passed over in five minutes.
When he managed to gain his feet he
saw nothing of his home except mass
! of wreckage. He hurried forward and
in short time was greeted by cries for
help by the different members of his
family. One of his boys was found on
the edge of pile of timber badly
crushed, He cannot recover. His eld'
est daughter, Lucy, was extricated, but
she, too, was fatally injured. His wife
was badly bruised, but her injuries are
not dangerous.
Haggie's youngest son was attending
school one-half mile away and when
the storm struck the building the boy
together with great many of the
pupils, was blown along with the build
ing for half mile. When the struct
ure struck the ground young Haggie
had one leg broken above the knee
and was badly bruised He started tc
crawl home, however, but had covered
only half the distance when hi,
strength failed him and he sank to the
| REOuuO' IlcTC HIS luJlcI lOulu I'LL
about an hour later and carried hin
home. He is in critical condition. Ii
the district round about the Haggie
and Roster farms forty families are
homeless Between Perkins and Ash
ton twenty-five families have nothing
left.
Altogether 300 families are homeless
as the result of the five minutes de
structive work of the cyclone. The
average loss of property to each family
is about $1,000 1t is thus seen that
the financial loss is very large anG
cannot be easily repaired. In many
cases it will never be repaired by the
present owners of the land, as severa
of them have already left the country
The injured aggregate 100 people and
many of them will probably be crippled
for life