Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-06-12
Ewseps Area Two Hundred Miles Long and
One Hundred in Width.
BLOOMINGTON AND PEORIA SUFFER- MOST
Citizens in Both Places Lose Lives and
Millions in Property Destroyed.
MOST SEVERE STORM IN SIXTY YEARS
Several Smaller Towns struck, Two
Being Ruined, Orchards and Corn
heIda DevRsted and Many
Buildings Demolished.

BLOOMINGTON, ILL.,, June 11.-sweeping
over a stretch OF country 100 miles in width
and devastating territory fully 200 miles
long extending from Livingston county on
the north and McCoupin county on the
south, and leaving its mark clear across
the face Of central Illinois, a tornado last
night inflicted property loss which will ag-
lgregate S10OOO00 and cost dozen lives.
The brunt OF the storm fell upon Mclean
and adjoining counties. Lightning was in
cessant for two hours, but was marked by
and absence of thunder claps. The wind
reached a velocity OF 100 miles hour
and the visitation was the worst ever re-
corded In the history of central Illinois.
Almost complete idleness Of telegraph and
Telephone lines for twelve hours made II
impossible to secure the full details Of
the disaster. 1t Is now known that while
the fatalities in Mclean county were but
three in number scores OF persons were
seriously injured and hundreds Of narrow
escapes from death were reported.
Not a village or city Of Mclean county
escaped and from every district somes the
same report OF destroyed buildings, injury
to growing crops and razed fruit and shade
trees Three lives we're lost in Mclean
county at Merna. The aggregate property
loss in the county. not including the thous-
ands upon thousands Of shade trees and
fruit trees that we're levelled, will be be-
tween 100000 and 100000 by rough esti-
mates.
Insurance Men Exit.
Claims for tornado insurance up to this
evening aggregate, local agents say. $780,
900, and 1t is believed that this sum will be
doubled. This amount only represents the
loss in the farming districts. The heaviest
loss in proportion to population fell upon
Merna, a village ten miles east OF Bloom
ington, where the town hall, used by a
dancing party OF $50, was destroyed. three
OF the owmen dancers being instantly killed
by falling tlmbers. They were:
MRS. EDWARD MARTIN, aged 26, wife
pf O farmer.
MISS LENA GAHAHN sister OF the
above. residing east Of Leroy, aged 20.
MISS ANNA KELLY, residing with a
widowed mother two miles north of Merna.
When the storm struck the building its
Bwaying alarmed the party OF merrymakers
All Joined In a rush for the exits and a
fierce struggle ensued. The three women
were left behind and we're killed instantly
by falling timbers. The two sisters were
found locked in each others arms. Miss
Kelly was being pulled through an open
window by Clement Spencer when the
structure collapsed. Spencer was hurt in
ternally and may die. Others seriously in
jured are Thomas Gahahn, cousin OF the
two sisters killed, and John Kelly. brother
OF Miss Kelly, one Of the victims.
Forty Others Injured.
Fully fifty others were painfully injured
and taken to residences nearby. Many
surgeons from Bloomington were summoned
to dress their wounds and were kept busy
during the entire day.
At Merna. in addition to the town hall,
the Kinsella implement house was leveled
and many other structures destroyed. The
new Methodist church at living Drive was
demolished. involving a los Of $4,000.
Wesleyan university lost its roof and
cupola, aggregatlng $4,000 loss.
Street car service in Bloomington was
resumed this evening but It will be week
before the electric light plant will have
1ts wires up. The power house was un-
rooted and the loss to the municipality will
be many thousands of dollars.
The greatest loss in Bloomington the
destruction OF thousands of shade trees
The streets today are in many cases i'm
passable by reason OF fallen trees.
The loss through the destruction OF fruit
trees will also reach large proportions,
many orchards being entirely leveled
Farmers report that corn will receive
bad setback, but that oats will suffer most
ception, lost stock, barns or windmills.
The government observer reports that be-
tween II p m. and l1:S0 p. m. last night
an inch and half OF rain FELL the heaviest
ever known in central Illinois in that
length OF time. Bloomlngton's pleasure re-
sort, Miller park, is a dreary waste. all
Its pavilons being demolished and the
trees blown down
At Stanford. ten miles east OF Blooming
ton, boxcar on a sidetrack was lifted
from Its trucks and carried 800 feet. At
El Paso twenty miles north, the town hall,
containing all the hredepartment appar-
Stus, was destroyed. with its contents. The
tower on the building, eighty feet high,
was clown on and carried 100 feet.
Trains were all seriously delayed BY
Washouts, but the service on all roads is
gradually being resumed tonight
Double storm at Peoria.
PEORIA, Ill. June 1.-THE double storm
that struck Peoria at 10 o'clock last night.
and again at o'clock this morning was
the worst that central Illinois has expert
eneed since lS43 Rain fell In torrents and
the damage caused by the high winds is
inestimable at this time. Probably the
worst damage in proportion to the size OF
the town was at Kingston Mines, a small
mining town twenty miles below Peoria
There three persons we're killed outright
and ten were injured. three fatally.
The dead:
MRS. THOMAS MURRAY.
INFANT CHILD OF Mrs. Murray.
MRS. ROBERT MELwEE.
The fatally injured:
Infant child Of Mrs. McElwee.
Robert McElwee.
Thomas Murray.
The others injured:
Mrs. Mocha.
Roy Bittner.
Jud Marsh.
Cora Rosebottom-
James Lacock.
Mrs. Frank Brazena.