The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-26


heard. Another instant and the storm
would have struck, and then all was chaos.
Those who heard it early saved themselves
in some cases by getting into their cellars
or caves. In other places whole families
were killed or seriously wounded and their
property destroyed.
A typical bit of destruction was at the
Bailey home, northwest of Bondurant.
There we're in the house nine keople, four
of them were killed and the reNt injured
so badly that it is doubtful if any of them
will recover. The house was on a hill,
high above the surrounding country, and
the funnel dipped down into it.
House, barns, outbuild1ngs and groves
were destroyed alike. Two minutes after
the storm struck there was no trace of the
house save the cellar, and in it were piled
the chimney and stove and half the furni-
ture. The house was torn to pieces; the
boards into splinters. They were scattered
so far that no trace of them can be found
save here and there for a mile pieces OF
broken lumber. This was a freak OF the
Storm.
At some places II would twist trees or
uproot them. at the Bailey place the
members of the family were blown con-
siderable distance The bodies of the vic
tins were found in the fields, where were
also distributed the bodies of a dozen
horses, two score of cattle and about 100
hogs that had occupied the barns and
other buildings-every animal dead.
This was the experience of the fated
home of Peter Bolenbaugh q mile further
west. What happened will never be
known. No one lives to tell of it. Mr.. and
Mrs. Bolenbaugh occupied the home with
a little boy. The house was RACED so COM
pleteiy that no sign of 1t can now be seen !;
the three inmates were killed. Mr.. Bolen-
baugh had both arms broken, his head
crushed in, one leg and several ribs in
lured and his neck and jaw broken. The
boy and women were as badly hurt. They
were not found till o'clock in the morn
ing. Houses unroofed and barns destroyed,
groves ruined and people killed were mere
incidents along the path of the funnel.
At Valera where the worst damage was
done the storm struck first the house of
Charles Phelan, wealthy farmer. on the
edge of town. There were five in the
house killed, two or three others with
probably fatal injuries. One of the
rouse the others. She stepped into an upper
room. Before she could call to them the
storm was around the house.
She was pulled out of her room through
an open window and carried back in the
face of the storm about 100 feet, where she
was left on the ground unhurt. She
started to the house. TO see it crumble TO
splinters before her eyes. With it went
the barns and sheds around. and in an
other instant there was the most awful
scene of destruction that the storm left in
its wake. Eve in the family were killed
their bodies were found in the plowed
fields, where they were in fearfuIly mutt
lated conditions and plastered with mud.
Around them were the bodies of horses
and hogs and cattle.
AT Valeria the depot of the Chicago
Great Western road was wrecked. The
wires were torn down from that place to
Bondurant, and Just east of Valeria the
storm dlo the most remarkable piece of
work. Just near the town the railroad
goes over a grade. The track for 100 feet
was torn up and scattered, rails, ties and
all. Half a dozen rails were broken into
pieces. AT VaIeria, the Methodist and
Catholic churches were totally wrecked.
About dozen of the business houses were
blown to pieces or partly wrecked A
large part OF the population won't into the
cyclone cave and got in its shelter few
seconds before the storm struck.
The storm spent itself about three miles
northeast of this place. but not until it had
killed one child at the home of Douglas
Akin and fatally hurt another, wrecked
the home of Solomon Dickev and probably
fatally hurt Mr.. Dickey and his sisters,
Martha Dickey and Mrs. Frank Shale.
The home of William Osborne, in the
same neighborhood, was DESTROYED and
four members OF the family were fearfully
hurt. 1t is learned that two of them will
die.
AS nearly complete list of the dead as
could be had is as follows: James Max
well, struck by lightning north of Bondu-
rant; Mrs. Robert Bailey, aged 60; Lizzie
Bailey, aged 10; Joe Bailey, aged %; John
Bailey, aged 20; Mary Bailey, aged Is;
Peter Bolenbaugh, aged so; Mrs. Peter
Bolenbaugh, aged As; Theophilus Milburn,
aged 8; Charles Pnelan. aged As; Susie
Phelan, aged IS; Michael Phelan, aged s;
Charles Phelan Jr., aged 5; Nellie Phelen,
NSNN - AAIOlAbAcj OdhIl1S L dSeu L.,
Martha Akin, infant child of Douglas
Akin; John Yates, back broken, Will die.
The list of seriously injured is not COM
plete, but includes as those expected to die
the following: Teeney Bailey, aged 10;
Johnnie Bailey, aged u; Solomon and
Mrs. Solomon Dickey, daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. Dickey, Robert Bailey, Mrs.
Charles Phelan and two daughters, two
children of Douglas Akin, Mrs. Martha
Dickey; Mrs. Shale, sister of Mr.. Dickey.
Aside from these there were many minor
injuries.
McGREGOR, Iowa, May 25.-Words are
inadequate to fifty describe the scene of
desolation caused by last nights terrible
cloud burst in historic Bloody Run. For
ten miles west of this place everything is
IN uins. All the afternoon threatening
clouds were gathering and about 1 O'Clock
this morning the storm burst in it's fury.
soon deluging the valley. 1t swept all be,
fore it. Fifteen people were drowned as
far as known.
The names of the missing are: Mrs.
John Maloney, four children of Lawrence
Meyer, Mike Havick, John Livac, John