The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-12
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
 TRACK OF TORNADO
Many Killed and Loss of Property EnOrmOus---ScOreS of Per-
 sons Injured.

Bloomington, H., June 11.-Stretching
 across a, pathway 100 miles in width and devastating territory fully 200 miles long. extending from Livingston County on the north and Macoupin County on the south. and leaving it's mark across the face of Central Illinois. a tornado last night inflicted property loss which will aggregate $l.ooo,0oo and cost a dozen lives
 The brunt of the storm fell upon Mc- Lean and adjoining counties. Lightning
 was incessant for two hours but was
 marked by absence of thunder claps. The
 wind reached velocity of 100 miles an
 hour and left trail of destruction and
 death.
 The storm was the worst m the history
 of Central Illinois.
 An almost complete paralysis or teie-
 graph and telephone lines for tweive
 hours, made 1t impossible to secure fuil
 details of the disaster. It is now known
 that while the fatalities in Mclean Coun-
 tv were but three scores of persons were
 seriously injured and hundreds of marrow
 escapes from death were reported. Not a village or city of Mclean County es- caped, and from every district comes the
 same report of destroyed buildings injury to growing crops and razed fruit ana shade trees The aggregate loss in Mo Lean County, not including three lives at Merna, or thousands upon thousands of shade and fruit trees that were ievei- ed will be between sSoo. 900 and $ioo.ooo. Dancers are Killed.
 The heaviest loss in proportion to pop ulation fell upon Merna, village ten miles east of Bloomington, where the town hall. used by party Of 2o Tor dance. was destroyed three of the wo- men dancers being instantly Killed py falling timbers. They were: Mrs. Ea- ward Martin, aged 26, wife of well-to- do farmer of this County. her sister, MES Lena Gahagan, aged 2 ana Miss Anha Kelly, living near Merna. | When the storm struck the building us swayine alarmed the party Of merry makers and all made a rush for exits ana l a fierce struggle ensued. The three women whose names have been given were lefi behind and were killed by falhng tim. bers. The two sisters were found locked | in each others arms. Miss Kelly wat killed just as she was about to pc puiiec l through an open window by Ciemen, | Spencer. A moment more and sne woul' | have been SdVeu. opcbCtt WI" ternaIIy and may die Others serdousl, l injured are Thomas Gahagan. cousin o | the two sisters killed. and John, keiiy
 a brother of Miss Kelly, was one or the victims. Fully fifty others were injured. ! The new Methodist Church at Twin Grove was demolished. Wesleyan Insti- | tute lost its roof and cupoia-
 Street car service in Bloomington wai resumed this afternoon. but 1t will De 2 week before the electric light plant will have its wires up. The loss to the mu' nicipaiity will be many thousand dollars The greatest loss in Bloomington was ths destruction of thousands of shade trees
 The loss through the destruction of fruit | trees will also reach large proportions. | At Stanford. ten miles west of Bloom
 ington, box car on a side track wal lifted from its trucks and carried 3O' feet. At Fl Paso, twenty miles north, th' town hall containing all the fire depart ment apparatus. was destroyed with it! | contents The storm was general through
 out Mclean County. Trains were al seriously delayed by washouts.