Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-05-18
Maurice Evans Buried in the
Debris.
NARROW ESCAPE OF OTHERS.
Damage of Robert Lees
Property.
Losses at Cable, Presumption
and Elsewhere.

People who had the impression
that the furious storm which visited
Rock Island between $50 and 1880
Saturday evening was the last end of
cyclone were not mistaken in
their diagnosis of the prevailing con-
dition.
Sherrard. the new mining town of
the Coal Valley Mining company.
over in Mercer county. was the Gen.
ter OF the storms path. 1t came over
from the southwest shortly after 6
o'clock with terrific force that left
no doubt as to it's nature. The I'M
usual combination OF wihd and water
came upon the new town with a sud-
denhess as terrible and terrific as
was the effect of the attendant de-
struction.
Destruction and Death.
The storm struck the new Congre-
ga,ional church. just completed at a
cost of s.. 00O, and RACED it to the
ground, and in the demolition Maur-
ice Evans, who with two others, was
in the church preparing for festi-
val, was caught in the debris and in
-tantly killed. And hour later and
the church would have been filled,
under which circumstances the loss
of life would doubtless have been ter
rible. ,t.,
Mr.. Evans was 81 years Of age. and
leaves a wife and six children. The
church was q frame building and its
| ruin is absolute.
The building containing Freytag's
furniture store was twisted entirely
from its foundation, while other
buildings throughout the town were
more or less damaged.
On the premises Of Robert Lee, the
mine superintendent Of the Coal
Valley Mining company, the barn
was picked up and blown to pieces.
portion of it striking the side OF
Mr.. Lees house and damaging it
considerably.
shaken, more or less damage being
done.
At Cable and EIsew here.
At Cable the force of the storm was
also felt. The front of the general
store of the Coal Valley Mining COM
pany was blown in, and other build
ings and dwellings sustained more OF
less damage from the wind.
1t was distinctly a Mercer county
storm. On the farm of Ben iamin
Whit. slit the roof of a power house
32 feet square was demolished and q
section I6xl 20 feet was carried 100
feet and thrown against the roof of
the barn. tearing off the cupola. The
windmill tower was blown to pieces
and portion carried q considera ole
distance and thrown, against a piece
Of fence. 3O-foot stretch which was
destroyed. The total damage to Mr..
Whitesitt's property is 5000.
| At the farm of Albert wicker a
wind mill tower was blown down.
All over the section Of Mercer
county where the storm spent it's
fury, wind mills and outbuildings
were damaged, while from the south
end Of Rock Island county news is
received OF the damaging effect OF
the storm.
POked Coach's Windows Out.
! The st. Louis train on the Chicago,
burlington & Quincy road came into
Rock Island with one Of its coaches
in pretty bad shape. as result Of a
collision with a telegraph pole, which
was blown against one side of it dur.
ing the storm aud scraping along
and breaking all of the windows
Passengers were given q good scare,
but no one was hurt.
| In the Upper End.
From the upper end Of the county
comes reports of destruction Of barns
at Rapids City. Port Byron and Hills.
dale, but the damage is not of a SER.