The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-26

Ihere was Little Time For Els
cape.
DIES MONIES, Iowa, May 25.-Forty.
three killed. a. score fatally injured and
about fifty people seriously hurt, is as
near as can be estimated tonight, the
result of the destructive tornado which
swept portions of Iowa, Illinois and
Kansas last night. The property loss is
heavy, but accurate estimates thus far
are impossibilities. The list of killed
stand as follows:
Jasper county, Iowa, 10; Polk coun-
ty, Iowa, 9; :. Rockford H., 4; Elgin. H.,
L; North McGregor, Iowa, II; Durango,
Iowa, 5; Fort Scott, Kan, 2.
TWO TORNADOES.
The storm wrought its greatest havoc
in Iowa. where the counties OF Polk
and Jasper were devastated by two
tornadoes. The loss of life was heav-
lest there, the list of dead being as
follows:
In Polk county, near Bondurant and
Santiago stations, on the Chicago and
Great Western:
Robert Bailey, jr.
Mrs. Robert Bailey.
Miss Lizzie Bailey.
John Bailey.
Peter Bolenbaugh.
Mrs. Peter Bolenbaugh.
Two grandchildren of the Bolen-
baughs.
John Maxwell, killed by lightning.
Following is list Of killed in Jasper
county: ~ 1
Charles Phaf1en, sr.
Charles Phafien, jr.
Dannie Phaflen.
Susie Phafien.
Mike Phafien.
Mollie Phafien.
Clarissa Dickey.
Martha Dickey.
Charles Elkins.
Mrs. Shell. s-N
SERIOUSLY INJURED.
The following are among the seri-
ously injured, half OF whom it is esti-
mated, mey de.
In Polk County:
w. T. Scott
Mrs A j. Edwards. hip broken.
Oliver Yates.
L WQ VI EQWdlQ
Robert Bailey, fatally injured.
The injured in Jasper county are:
Mrs. Charles Phafien and Willie
Phaf1en, fatally.
D. EakinS.
Mrs. D. Eakins.
Solomon Dickey.
Mrs. Solomon Dickey.
Nellie Dickey.
Harvey Pitcock.
Mrs. Harvey Pitcock.
Monroe Osborne.
Mrs. Monroe Osborne and child.
THE STORM ORIGINATED
near the town of Ankeny 50 miles
north of Des Moines. AS near as can
be ascertajned, from those who saw
the sight, two clouds, one in the north
west and one from the southwest met,
and then dropped down on the earth
and wrought their havoc on all that
was loose and fast. The storm moved
northeastward. Near the town of
Bondurant it killed its first victims,
the members of the Bailey family. The
storm was seen from Bondurant.
Many farmers who had attended the
church services had been unable to
get home before the storm, and their
lives were thus saved. The track of
the tornado at this point was about
quarter of mile wide. 1t passed on
ward, going north of the town of San
tiago. All along the course the fences
and buildings, crops and trees were
completely destroyed. In places the
bark was peeled from the trees, the
HOUSES WE'RE LIFTED UP
and hurled down and broken into splin-
tiers; the cellars were heaped full of
mud and debris, often partially COW
ering those who had taken refuge in
them. Those who fed to caves were
invariably saved, but SO sudden was
the approach of the storm that many.
were unable to find that shelter, though
the caves were only a few rods away
from them Passing inward the storm
struck Valeria. The railroad bridge on
the Chicago and Great Western was
the first object it wrestled with. The
bridge was completely demolished and
the rails were twisted and bent out of
shape The town was almost complete
ly ruined The buildings were demol-
ished when they stood in the 1lll force
of the storm, and those which stood
along the edges of the storm were
moved and twisted and in other ways
injured. A school house was
TAKEN AWAY BODILY.
and the fragments of it have so far es-
capped discovery. The family of Charles
Phafien seem to have been the greatest
sufferers near this point They were liter
ally wiped out of existence, together with
al their belongings. A pitiful story is told
of how two children tried to hold the
doors against the storm until the house
was lifted up bodily. There were some
strange pranks played near this town.
An old man, holding babe, was lifted
up and dropped in an adjoining field
without the least injury being done to
either him or the child.
Leaving the wrecked town, the storm
moved forward, laying the country bare,
wrecking houses and killing the inmates.
One observer near Valeria, who saw the
storm moving and observed it carefully
says that the cloud appeared TO be high
balloon, dark green in color, with light
streak in the center. 1t Travelled at a
tremendous rate, tearing up the largest
trees by the roots or stripping them
clean off and driving posts into the earth