Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-06-19
ANOTHER TORNADO.
Worst Storm in Central Illinois
Since 1343.
A Number of Lives Lost-Tweuty-four
Engines I'm u Koundhouse Were
DcstrOyed - Peoria and
Bloomington Suffer
the Most.


Peoria, ILL.,, June 12.-The double
storm that struck Peoria at 10 o'clock
| Tuesday night and again at , o'clock
| Wednesday morning was the worst
| central Illinois has experienced since
| 1913. Rain fell in torrents and the
damage caused by the high winds can
| not be estimated. Proba .ly the
worst damage, in proportion to the
size of the town, was at Kingston
Mines, small mining town 20 miles
below Peoria. There three people
were killed outright and ten were in
| jured. three fatally.
George Reardon, an employe of the
electric company, was instantly killed
while repairing the storm damage at
Glen Oak Park. He was caught by
live wire and died instantly. George
! Ashlock, another lineman, was seri-
ously burned in attempting to eXtri-
cate Reardon from the wire.
The Peoria & Pekin r0undhouse
was blown down. In it were eight
men and all escaped without serious
| injury, excepting Sam Spence, an
| Iowa Central engineer, who was
caught by falling walls and received
serious injuries to his back. He is in
a very serious condition.
Thirteen locomotives owned by the
| Illinois Central, two w the Iowa Cen
tral, four by the Toledo, Peoria s.
Western and five by the Big -Four,
were almost totally wrecked.
The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
! train which left this city at 1925
o'clock Tuesday night for Chicago,
ran into a washout just above the
city. The engine is buried in sand
and mud and the baggage car turned
over. Robert Atkinson, the engineer,
was the only person injured.
Shortly after II o'clock a report
reached the police that the people liv-
| ing at Dry Run were in danger of
drowning, as they had been caught
! by the food. Rowboats were hauled
to the scene and the police took -
| people from their homes. They were
| standing on pianos, with the water
almost to their necks.
Bloomington, ILL.,, June 12.-Strctch-
ing across a pathway 100 miles in
width and devastating a territory
! fully 200 miles long, extending from
| Livingston county on the north to
Macoupin county on the south, and
! leaving its mark clear across the face
! of central Illinois, cyclone on Tues
day night inflicted "A property loss
which will aggregate millions of dol
| lars and cost a dozen lives. The
brunt of the storm fell upon Mclean
and adjoining counties. Lightning
was incessant for two hours, but was
marked by absence of thunder claps.
Wind reached velocity of 100 miles
an hour and in its track were left de-
struction and death.
While the fatalities in Mclean
county were but three in number,
scores of persons were seriously in
| jured and hundreds of narrow
escapes from death were reported.
Not Il village or city of Mclean coun-
ty escaped, and from every district
comes the same report of destroyed
buildings. injury to growing crops
and razed fruit and shade trees.
The heaviest loss in proportion to
the population fell upon Merna.
village ten miles east of Blooming
ton, where the town hall used by
party of 25O for a dance was de-
stroyed. three of the women dancers
being instantly killed by falling tim
bers.
The greatest loss in Bloomington
was the destruction of thousands of
shade trees. The streets are in many
cases impossible, by reason of fallen
trees 1t is estimated that one-third
of the trees in the city and vicinity
are ruined.
The loss through the destruction of
fruit trees Will also reach large pro-
portions. many orchards being entire
Iy leveled.
Many brick yards at the edge of
the city were destroyed, the long
rows of sheds offering easy marks for
the wind.
The government observer found
that between II p. m. and 1880 p. m.
an inch and half of rain fell, the
heaviest ever known in central Hi
nois in that length of time. Bloom
ington's pleasure resort, Miller park,
is Il dreary waste, all its pavilions be-
inc demolished and the trees blown
down.
At Stanford, ten miles west of
Bloomington. a box car on a side
track was lifted from its trucks and
carried 800 feet. At FL Paso. 20 miles
north. the town hail. containing all
the fire department apparatus, was
! DESTROYED with it's contents. The tow
er on the building, SO feet high. was
blown off and carried hundred feet.
Col. Lynch Is Arrested.
London. June 12-Col. Arthur
Lynch. who fought with the Beers in