The herald., 1896-05-26

Peter Bolenbnugh.
Mrs. Peter Bolenbaugh.
Two grandchildren Of the Bolen-
baughs.
John Maxwell. killed by lightning.
Following Is the list of killed in Jas
per county:
Charles Phahen.
Charles Phafen. jr
Dannie Phaflen.
Susie Phahen.
Mike Phafier.
Mollie Phafien.
Clarissa Dickey.
Martha Dickey.
Charles Elkins.
Mrs. She'll
The following are among the seriously
injured. half of whom 1t is estimated,
will die:
In Polk county:
w. T. Scott.
Mr.. A. J. Edwards. hip broken.
Oliver Yates.
Two children Of Mrs. Edwards.
Robert Bailey, fatally injured.
The injured in Jasper county are:
Mrs. Charles Phafien. fatally.
Willie Phafien, fatally.
d. E. Atkins.
Mrs. D. Z. Atkins.
Solomon Dickey.
Mrs. Solomon Dickey.
Ellie Dickey.
Harvey Pttcock.
Mrs. Harvey Pitcock.
Monroe Osborne.
Mrs. Monroe Osborne and child.
The storm originated near the town Of
Ankeny. ninety-five miles north Of Des
Moines
AS near as can be ascertained. from
those who saw the sight. two clouds.
one from the northwest 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 this town
Of Bondurant,- 1t 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 tor
nado at this point was about a quarter
of mile wide. 1t passed onward going
north Of the town of Santiago. All
along the course the fences and build
ings, crops and trees we're completely de-
stoyed. In places the bark as peeled
from the trees, the houses were lifted
UP. hurled down and broken into splin-
ters. The cellars were heaped full OF
mud and debris. Those who fled to
caves were invariably saved, but so sud-
den was the approach of the storm
that many were unable to find that shell
ter. though the caves were only a few
rods away from them. Passing onward
the storm struck Valeria. The railroad
bridge on the Chicago Great Western
was the first object 1t wrestled with.
The bridge was completely demolished
and the rails were twisted and bent out
of shape. The town was almost COM
pletely ruined. The buildings were de-
molished when they stood in the full
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 80
far escaped the searchers.
The family of Charles Phaffen seems to
have ben the greatest sufferers near this
point. 1t was literally wiped out of ex-
istence together with all their possess
sions. 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 q babe, was lifted up and drop
ped 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 and observed it carefully, says
that the cloud appeared to be a high
balloon dark green in color with light
streak III the center. 1t travelled at
tremendous rate, tearing up the largest
trees by the roots or stripping them
clean off and driving posts into the earth
and twisting buildings in the edge Of it's
track. end f1rst. spattering the house
close to it with mud and sand. stripping
hedges and licking the grass from the
fields.
From Valeria the storm moved on,
passing near the town of Mingo.
It,. I,x,o 81 i L -
age. Some of the spectators say the
cloud divided, others that 1t was lifted
upward or sped on in midair with
frightful noise. The latter theory is
probably the correct one. Later in the
evening tornado seems to have struck
near Manchester, in Delaware county,
although reports are still ve.y meagre
from there. 1t is possible that this was
the same storm, after travelling hun
dred and fifty miles in the. air. that it
once more dipped down to the earth
and laid bare strip half a mile wide
and 81 xor eight miles long. There were
serious disturbances In Northeastern
Iowa and they may have been In the
wake of the same cloud, crossing the
Mississippi river in Clayton county.
The weather bureau is attempting tc
trace the progres of the storm as here
indicatd. The total loss Of property is
hard to estimate. The crops which w4re
ruined can be replanted in many cass,
rs the season is still comparatively early.
The buildings destroyed will aggregate
from 100000 to $150,O00, for fortunately
only one thickly populated comm unity.
Valeria was in it's path.
The storm that passed over this Sec
ton last night was one Of the severest
ever experienced here. The resultins
flood caused heavy property damage in
this city and throughout this vicinity.
The mos tappalling calamity occurred
at Durango. small hamlet on the Chit