The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-26
Then the Velocity of the Twister
Increases to Over a Mile
a Minute.
DES0LATI0N MARKS
ITS TERRIBLE COURSE.
Towns Reduced to Ruins and Large
Buildings Taken Up and Shaken
to Splinters.

DES MONIES, IA, May PA terrific
cyclone swept across Polk County and
into the eastern edge of Jasper County be-
tween 1880 and IL O'Clock Sunday night,
leaving 0eath and destruction in its trail.
There are about twenty known to be dead,
and at least as many others injured, a
mum ber of whom will almost certainly die.
The storm was in many ways remark.
able one. 1t appears to have started in
two sections. One came from the north
and was a fierce wind. Its first trace is
found about mile south OF AnKeny and
twelve miles north of Des Moines. It
seemed to be moving about due east when
il began its serious force. The first place
at which it did serious injury was at the
home of ]. L. Woods, a mile south of
Ankeny. The other branch of the storm
contributed the rain. 1t started three
miles north of the first.
The two divisions met two miles east Of
Ankeny and there they developed, first
the cyclone form with funnel and tremen-
dous force and roaring and electrical dis
turbances. From this point west for near
ly twenty miles the path of the storm is
path of desoiation. At Pol City and An
keny considerable damage was done At
Bondurant much damage was done, but
the serious loss of life occurred by Bondu-
rant to the northeast.
The storm, after the cyclonic conditions
were developed, swept across the country
at terrific speed. 1t gave warming of its
approach to all in its path until 1t got near
to Valera, Jasper County, where the most
harm was done. Here it came with such
awful force that people who saw it say
that the great black funnel. hanging down
from a blacker heaven, tore across the
prairie at a greater speed than the fastest
train. 1t is believed it moved at this time
about mile minute, the great funnel of
wind and rain and lightning seething and
roaring and scattering debris in its path.
Nothing was left in its path. For seve-
raj miles it passed through dense forest.
Oak and elm trees two feet in diameter
were torn up by their roots or twisted off.
Where human habitation lay in it's path
the destruction was instant.
As it approached the eastern part of its
course it strengthened and wiped the
country clean in its path. At Valeria, d
town OF 600 people, it wiped almost half of
the town out. The people were nearly all
in caves, but many of them did not even
have a warning until it was too late The
loss of life was remarkably small, consid.
ering the number of buildings tha. were
wrecked, and the wonderful escapes are
without number.
The path covered by the cyclone proper
is in most places from forty to eighty
rods wide. 1t perpetrated all the remark
able freaks for which cyclones are famous.
The first large building wrecked was the
Monarch schoolhouse, west of Bondurant.
Here it took up large school, shook it
to pieces, scattered it so that very few of
the boards are to be found, and even dis
tributed the stone foundation over the
fields, while big wooden stile over the
fence three rods from the building was
left unharmed. The huge cylindrical cast
iron stove was tossed into an oat field a
quarter of a mile away. 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 q calm space and in this little
damage WAS done. After the two consoli-
Gated their force seemed to be greater.
The storm struck from 0:3G 10 10:40 p. N.
all along its course.
1t had been a fearfully hot and sultry
day. The air had been oppressive and
still, and many people had remarked that
there was danger of cyclone Most of
the people were in bed. There was rain
and thunder storm Just in advance of the
cyclone, and while the wind was whistling
through the trees and the rain beating
down in sheets, suddenly an awful roar.