Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-05-28

Klussman said: "We were all sitting
in the room and it was pouring down
rain. We heard no unusual noise, but
perhaps there was one, it being drown
ed by the noise of the rain on the roof. |
All at once the walls collapsed and we
found ourselves under a lot of boards, |
shingles and furniture. After we had
pulled ourselves out my wife was
almost s~uffocated, but Don got all
right. None of the children were
much hurt and we were thankful to
get out as we did,"
Mr.. Klussman's little boy, who was
in the school house at the time, de-
scribed the cen as best he could,
but was SO shocked that he could not
say much about it. He said none of
until it was on them.
The residence of Joe Stuart, in the
same vicinity, was also blown away,
but none of the family were hurt.
1t is also reported that Thos. Helms
house vas completely destroyed and
that slight damage was done to other
houses near his.
At j. r. Johnson's only the children
were at home. Mr.. and Mrs. Johnson
were in town. When the children saw
the storm approaching they ran to the
cyclone cellar and were not hurt at all.
A peculiar incident connected with the
destruction of some of Mr.. Johnson's
buildings is that he took out a $4,000
| cyclone insurance on them Wednesday
morning, which went into effect at
noon. At $3.50 the buildings were to-
tally destroyed and the house badly
damaged. SO far as is known this is
the only house touched by the storm
which was insured.
Riley Green and a party from this
city were out fishing, north of town,
when the cyclone came up, and mar
rowly escaped being drowned by their
boat capsizing. They all reached home
safely, however.
The course of the storm in this coun-
ty, so far as can be learned, was as fol-
lows: 1t entered the county at a
point between Clark switch and Rem
lex, then took a northeasteriy diree-
ton, striking the ground at Bean
Creek and Dye school houses and
crossed the Chicago & Alton tracks
Just east of Laddonia. The clouds be-
gan to gather about noon, but the
| storm did not burst until about three
O'Clock.
AT DYE SCHOOL HOUSE.
Full reports from Dye School House
show that three children are dead, two
dangerously injured and a score OF
more hurt. The cyclone struck the
school house about half past three
and lifted it from the ground, carry
ing with it all the children and the
teacher.
Little Eulah Miller, 9 years old, wa!
carried through the air a distance o
about $50 yards and landed in ths
limbs of a tree, and was dead wher
found.
J, Rose Hodge, 6 years old, was als'
} killed and a son of Albert Knoeble.
Eugene Lott was terribly injured
and it is not thought he can possibl.
survive. The little brother of Ros'
Hodge was also badly injured and it i
: not thought he can live a day.
{ The school house was entirely de
molished and OF a wall left standing
while great trees were hurled throug
the air at a terrific rate of speed. I'm
r mediately after the storm a crowd o
persons began hunting for the chill
g dren. The bodies of Rose Hodge an
g the Knoeble boy were found unde
g the ruins, and when taken out bot
were dead.
Q jim billiards. residence was entirel
a blown away, but none of the famil
;, were hurt.
Two children of Ned Hagan, VIII
g resides IN this vicinity, were badl
hurt, but will recover.
The storm came up SO quickly tina
9 before the children or teacher coul
realize it the school house was blow
away.
As to the further extent of the dam
age in this vicinity little is known.
J. T. Miller came in from Dye scho'
q house this morning to buy a coffin fo
a his little child who was killed. II
:, saws Frank ErdeI's little son was fata
ly injured.
ii FREAKS OF THE STORM.
III Aside from the work of devastatie
d and ruin wrought by the wind, a nun
Der of strange freaks occurred.
10 At the farm of Fred Klussman, on
half of his large barn was blown aw;
and the remainder left standing. III;
II from the barn loft was strewn for NAL
"a yards in the cyclones path, and W
so closely interviewer in the he'd
,e fences that they resembled Wick
at work fences more than hedges. Far
la wagons, which were in the bar
d. were carried many yards and jammt
10 up against trees, and fence pos
in Every tree in the yard was strip
of clean, and the fences were no whe
ne to be
Wandering around among the rui
ol was a rooster accompanied by
oe hen, each of them with but a few t
va and wing feathers remaining on tn
,s, bodies. The wind had stripped the
nd but otherwise they were as they h
to been before.
ok In the branches of one great loci
he tree, which had been blown down,w
,r. a few yards of tin %guttering, wound
of and out as intricately as if hum
air hands had spent much time on t
of work.
or One peculiar feature of the sto
re was the sudden change in the dir
nd ton it took at the church and at \
30, Klussman's. At the former pla
I'd. the wind seemed to strike the bui
of ing directly from the southwest, VIII
oh at the latter the ruins are spread
IN to the southeast of the original pc
aid ton, plainly indicating that the sto
struck it from the northeast. Such
pol strange fact is seldom observed il