The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1896-05-30
DEATH IN MICHIGAN
THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE
STATE SWEPT BY A CYCLONE.
1t Is Believed That the Number of
Dead and Injured Will Reach n
Hundred-TwO or Three Villages
Many of the Inhnb ftantn Arc
Killed,

Oxford, Mich. May ga terrible
cyclone struck the village of lakewood
last evening and entirely wiped it off
the earth. destroying all the buildings
and leaving death and destruction in
it's trail. Just west of the village the
fields are strewn with dead and wOun-
ded. and it is impossible to get a cor
rect estimate of the damage. The
as and destroyed about a dozen build
McDermott and the large apple drier
Many farm buildings are destroyed.
but no word can be obtained from the
country on account of the roads being
blocked with fallen trees. etc. 1t is
believed that the number of dead and
wounded will reach nearly a hundred.
Physicians have gone from Oakland,
Oxford and Metamcra.
Fire Mt lakewood.
Detroit. March q. = J. E. Weaver,
one of the Tribune's travelling col
%lectors. came to Detroit on the Bay
City division of the Michigan Central
train that passed through last evening
and said that the cyclone had followed
the railroad track very closely. AS
far as. he could learn from observation
from the train and conversation with
the people the cyclone first struck the
outer edge of Metamora. but did not
do very much damage. 1t then took a
leap and struck a farm house and
barn between Metamora and lakewood.
leveling them to the ground. Whether
or not the occupants were killed could
not In 1norr01 hut %I>Drv 14l -1% Io1-
seen. and it was presumed they were.
Then the cyclone descended upon Oak
wood and leveled every building to the
ground. Here fire added it's horrors to
the terrible work Of the cyclone and
the train passed through there not a
had nearly completed their work of
twister.
Wiped OF the Earth.
Pontiac. Mich. May 27.-The country
in the vicinity of this city was given
the first taste Of a cyclone last night,
and the little village of Thomas has
been wiped from the face of the earth.
Metamora and lakewood were also
touched up and their Inhabitants badly
frightened. some being injured. and a
track of devastation left to within
threc-fourths of a mile of Ortonville.
The telephone and telegraph wires be-
tween here and those places are all
down and the only data of the work
of the cyclone is furnished by sur
vivors who have come here for shelter.
But from comparison of their stories
it seems certain that IA to 1S lives
hG Vyn 1n<Nn Lost Th@ P~11~~-:~- ~
of the dead at Thomas have been re-
ported by their neighbors. who es-
capped with their lives. but lost their
homes: John Pooritt. Mrs. Joseph
Bird. John Mickey. e. E. Torrance.
two children. Mrs. Alice Mitchell and
two children.
Many Injured.
Mount Clemens. Mich. May q. A
terrific cyclone accompanied by heavy
rain struck this city last evening.
Some thirty houses on Front. Butler
and Inches streets were blown down
and many of them literally torn to
pieces. AS yet no deaths are reported
but many people we're injured. The
home of Mrs. Anna Pohl, a widow
with three small boys, was blown
uOWH owe tuelF neaOS n the IOur
members of the family were pinioned
in the wreckage.
Country People Killed.
Detroit. Mich, May 81, The Free
Press has received the following tel
eplone message from Ortonville. 10
miles northwest of Pontiac: The cy-
cloEe first came from Groveland town
ship. i'll the northwestern part of Oak
land county, at the line separating
that from Genesee and IMpeer coun-
ties. Sweeping westward through the
farming country it destroyed every
house. barn, fence or every obstacle,
leveling trees and pulling down tele-
graph poles and killing and manning
the unfortunate farmers. 1t struck
Thomas and Oakwood and wrecked
those villages. The path of the cy-
clone was about half a mile wide and
nothing could withstand it's fury. The
operator says that the report at Or
tonyille shows that the cyclone tore
|. along for about fifteen miles. but how
much further it went he was unable
to determine. Seventeen persons
+ reported killed and twenty to
thirty injured.