Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-05-30

and tremendous force and roaring and cleo
| trical disturbances. From this point west
| for nearly 20 miles the path of the storm
is path of destruction. At Polk City and
Ankeny considerable damage was done;
| at Bondurant much damage was done, but
| the serious loss of life occurred from Bon
| durant to the northeast.
| Travelled Mile n Minute.
The storm after the cyclonic conditions
were developed, swept across the country
| at terrific speed. 1t gave warning of its
| approach to all in its path until II got near
| to Valeria, Jasper county, where the most
| harm was done. Here it came with such
| awful force that people who saw IL say that
| the great black funnel hanging down from
a blacker heaven, tore across the prairie
| at greater speed than the fastest train.
| 1t Is believed 1t moved at this time about
a mile minute; the great funnel of wind
| and rain and lightning Seethng and roar
| ing and scattering debris in it's path. Moth
| ing was left in its path For several miles
| 1t passed through a dense forest Oak and
| elm trees two feet in diameter were torn
up by their roots or twisted of: Where
| a human habitaion lay in its path the de-
| struction was instant. AS 1t approached
the eastern part of its course 1t strength
ened and wiped the country clean in its
| path; at Valeria a little town of coo people,
it wiped out almost half of the town.
Used the Cyclone Cellars.
The people were nearly all in the caves
| did not even have warning until 1t was too
| late The loss of life was remarkably
email, considering the number of buildings
| that were wrecked, and the wonderful es-
| capes are almost without number. The
| path covered by the cyclone proper is in
| most places from 40 to so rods wide. 1t
| perpetrated all the remarkable freaks that
| cyclones are famous for The first large
| building wrecked was the Monarch school
| house, west of Rondurant, Here ii took
| 70 cchonlbOnCa chnolx m, ,,ia
| scattered ii so that very few of the boards
| are to be found, and even distributed the
| stone foundation over the fields: while
| big wooden stile over the fence three rods
| from the building II left unharmed The
| huge cylindrical cast iron stove was tossed
| into an oat field quarter of q mile from the
| cite of the building.
| The storm came in some places in the
| form of two and in others in the form of a
| single funnel. At Bondurant there were
| two sweeping along the earth side by side
between them was calm space, and in
this little damage was done. After the
two consolidated their force seemed to be
| greater.
The storm struck about 1880 to 1O:4O all
| along its course 1t had been a fearfully
hot and sultry day, the air had been op-
| pressive and STILL and many people had
remarked that there was danger of a
| cyclone. Most of the people were in bed
| There was a rain and thunderstorm just
|
| wind was whistling through the trees and
| the rain beating down in sheets, suddenly
| the awful roar that every prairie farmer
| knows as the dread forerunner of the
| cyclone was heard. Those who heard
| II early saved themselves in some cases
by getting into their cellars or caves. In
| other places whole families were killed
or terribly injured, and their property de-
| Stroyed.
Destruction of the Bailey House.
! A typical bit of destruction was at the
| Bailey home northwest of Bondurant
There were in the house nine people: four
of them We're killed and the rest injured so
badly that it is doubtful If any of them
| recover. Their house was on a hill high
| above the surrounding country, and the
| funnel dipped down into 1t. House, barns,
outbuildings and grove were destroyed
| Ten minutes after the storm struck there
was no trace of the house save the cellar
| and in 1t We're piled the chimney and stove
and half the furniture. The house was torn
| to pieces; the boards into splinters They
were scattered so far that no trace can he
found save here and there for mile east
| pieces of the broken lumber. The trees
were stripped of their bark but left stand
| ing. This was freak of the storm. AT
| places, as this one, 1t would strip the trees
of their leaves and bark but leave the
trunks and branches at others it would
twist them off or uproot them.
At the Bailey place, the members of the
| family were blown considerable distances
| from the house, the bodies of the victims
were found in the fields, where were also
| distributed the bodies of dozen horses
| Two score of cattle and about 100 hogs that
had occupied the barns and other build
ings on the place. every animal dead.
Eone Live To Tell the Story.
This was the experience of the fated home
of Peter Bolenbaugh, mile farther west
| What happened there will never be known
| exactly; nobody lives to tell of 1t. Mr.. and
Mrs. Bolenbaugh. both about 10 years of
age, occupied the home, with little boy,
Theophilus Minburn, nephew The house
was raZed so completely that no sign of 1t
can now he seen; the three inmates We're
killed. Mr. Bolenbaugh had both arms
broken, his head crushed in, one leg and
several ribs injured, and his neck and jaw
broken. The boy and woman We're as bad
ly mangled. They were not found till two
o'clock in the morning.
Experience of IA Young Lady.
Houses unroofed and barns destroyed
groves ruined and stock killed by hundreds
were mere incidents along the path of the
funnel At Valeria, where the worst dam
age was done, the storm struck first the
house of Charles Phelan, wealthy farmer
| on the edge of the town. There were five
in the house who were killed; two or three
others will probably die. One of the daugh
ters heard the roaring and got up to rous,
the rest of the family. She slept In an up
per room. Before she could call to them the
storm was around the house. She was
pulled out of her room through an oper
window and carried back in the face of tn,
storm out hundred feet, where she was
left on the ground unhurt. She started t
the house to see 1t crumble to splinters be
fore her eyes. With 1t went the barns anc
sheds around, and in another instant ther,
was the most awful scene of destruction
that the storm left in its wake. Five II
the family were killed. Their bodies wer,
found in the plowed fields. where they wer,
In fearfully- y-mutilated conditions and plas
tered with mud. Around them were tn
bodies of horses and hoge and cattle: for oil
this place alone about 900 head OF stool
were killed and scattered around the fields
The Eject at valeria.
At Valeria the depot of the Chicago
Great Western road was wrecked. Th'
wires were torn down from that place t'
| Kondurant, and lust east of Vnlerla Ill,