The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-19
TORNADO'S AWFUL WORK.
Over a Score OF Lives Inst 10 Iowa
and Illinois.
RICH FARMS WERE DEVASTATED
Houses Were Demolished and
Many Cattle Killed.

Clinton, Iowa, May tS.--Over a score OF
| lives were lost and thousands OF dollars Of
property was destroyed by a tornado which
swept Clinton and jackson counties this
afternoon. The storm jumped into Western
| Illinois near SsvaTaak ANA IL was at that
point tina, the loss OF human life was great
est.
| Telegraph and telephone wires are par
alyssd tonight and the FUN exton, OF the
storm - yet 10 be learned. The dead are,
so far as reported:
| Al Preston. iawa,--CbarlcS Flora. AIRS.
| Charles Fio-a three ch,ldren OF the Fioras
At Quigley, Iowa--William oMeara,
child of John Clark.
| Al Riggs Station, lowa,--Marlon Chauu-
| cey, daughter Of Michael SCION
At Delmar Station, lowa,--o. A. Allison.
| 5. a. Clemensou.
At Savannah. Illinois. -Four persons,
| names unknown.
the storm which worked such devasta-
tion M the rich farming country along the
| eastern border OF Iowa and Wcst tllnols
started shortly after 3 o'clock. a mile
south of Sanwood. From Stanwood the
storm moved rapidly in nor,heasterly di-
| tectipn, passing over the Northern part OF
| Clinton county and then over the south
east part of Jackson county This section
OF the safe Ia thickly settled No towns
were In the patch Of the storm. but farm
houses and barns were torn to pieces.
The storr, was seen approaching by many
farmers and they sought refuge IN the
cellars. Al least twenty-five were, how
ever unable to find shelter AMI probably as
| many moro were seriously injured Ivy fly
ing tmbcts.
The path of the storm varied from forty
rods 10 eighty feet Trees ard outhouses
Mcre torn to pieces. Roofs of farm
houses were lifted ike strNws aud carried
In 81 nj "
aud then hurled against the walls Of the
big stock barns cutting them In two and
killing hundreds of cattlc which had token
shelter in the sheds from The storm. Halt
dozen school buildings are known 10 have
hecen destroyed but II is not thought any
of the pupils persisted most Of them lay
ing Just abou. reached home when the
storm broke.
Near Preston Iowa. more buildings were
destroyed than IL any other locality, leav-
ing scarcely a house standing Five per-
sons los, their lives here. Charles Flora
wife and three children had their home
torn TO pieces and were crushed under the
| falling walls
The cyclone crossed TO Illinois between
Savannah and Thompson. One family OF
four PERSONS was wiped out near Savannah.
| Passing 60 the east much damage was
done, but II was confined almost entirely
10 outbuildings, etc No lives were thought
| to have been lost anywhere in Illinois, oX
! cent those mentioned near Savannah.
Telegraph aud telephone wires are down
| IN all directions, but Il is believed that the
storm spent It's force shortly after passing
| over Savannah
Another tornado formed at Amboy, M
nois, shortly before dark this evening The
storm cloud formed about six miles south
Of Amboy. and took an castcrly course. II
trav led about twenty miles without
changing It's course. and destroyed every
thing In It's path Orchards. farm houses
ana barns were destroyed. hut no lives are
known to have been lost. Owing to the
peculiar atmospheric conditions prevailing
all afternoon tho inhabitants were on tho
lockout for just what happened st tho
first alarm they took TO the cellars aud
| many OF them were imprisoned for hours
by the tmhers OF their wrecked houses.
Livestock suffered greatly, and the loss TO
property generally viii amount to thous-
| ands Of dollars
Al Antigo, Wis. scores of houses were
I levtlod. many were unrOofcd. and n score
of re. PIE were injured The electric light
plant and water works were ra2sd. rho
storm was general in Wisconsin, and farm
property suffered great loss