Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-06-16
FURIOUS
STORMS
Terrible Damage Wrought
by Tornado in
., Illinois
,..I>>
). Many Lives Lost and Mil
lion in Property
-. ..@y&t
" Destroyed
Greatest Devastation in
State in Half
Century

Bloomington, H., June 12.-SIretch-
ing across a pathway OF hundred
miles in width and devastating a terri
tory 200 miles long, extending from
Livingston county on the north to Nc
COupin county on the south and cav
ing it's mark clear across the face Oh
central illinois, tornado Tuesday
night inflicted a property loss which
will aggregate $1,OOO,OOO and cost "a
dozen lives. The brunt of the storm
tell upon Mclean and adjoining coun-
ties. The lightning was incessant for
two hours, but marked by absence OF
thunder Chaps. The wind reached a
velocity OF 100 miles an hour and in
its track left destruction and death.
The almost complete prOstratiOn OF
telegraph, and telephone. lines for
twelve Aours made it impossible to Sc
cure flu details of. the disaster. While
there is but three fatalities in Mclean
county, scores of persons were serious
ly injured and hundreds of narrow
escapes from death are reported.
Not a village near the this city in
Mclean county escaped, every district
reporting Destroyed buildings, injury
to growing crops and RACED fruit and
shade trees. Ihe aggregate loss in
Mclean county is estimated at over
100000 The heaviest loss in proper
ton to population fell upon Merna, a
village ten miles east OF Bloomington,
Wnere the town hall used by a party OF
$50 for dance was destroyed, three
women DANGERS being instantly killed
by falling tImbers. They are: Mrs
- Edward Martin, wife of a well-to-do
farmer residing six miles east of LIE
roy; hen sister Lena Gahagan,> aged
,23, Anna Nelly, who lived with his
widowed mother two miles north OF
Merna: Miss Kelly was being pulled
ShrOugh an open window by Clement
Spencer. when killed. Spencer was
hurt ,4terna44y and. may, die. Others
seriously injured are Thomas Gala
gan, "a cousin Of the two sisters killer;
John Kelly, brother of Miss Kelly
Fifty o.ners were painfully injured.
At I4erna in addition to the town
hall, the Kinsella implement huse was
leVelled and many other Structures
destroyed at a loss of $1O,vU0 Wes-
leyan university lost its 1roof and
cupola, with a $3.50 loss. Street car
service in Bloomington was resumed
last evening but it will be a week be-
fore. the electric light plant will have
it's wires mp. Buildings at the power
house were unroOfed and the loss to
the municipality may be many thou
sands.
The greatest loss in Bloomington
was the destruction of thousands of
shade trees. The losses through de-
struction of fruit, trees will also reach
large proportions, many orchards be-
ing entirely levelled. Farmers report
that corn will receive a bad setback
and that oats will suffer most heavily.
Farmers, with scarcely an exception,
lost stock. barns or windmills. MI
merOus residences were moved from
tLeir foundations and wrecked. Many
brickyards at the cage of the city were
destroyed. This is the height of the
brick-making season and the loss to-
this industry will be serious. An inch
and a half of rain fell in half an hour,
the heaviest ever known in Central
illinois in that length of time. Bloom
ingtOn's pleasure resort, Miller PARK,
is a dreary waste, all paviliOns being
demolished and trees blown down. At
Ell PasO, twenty miles north, the town
hall, containing all the fire department
apparatus, was destroyed with con
tents. The tower on the building,
eighty feet high, was blown OFF and
carried 100 feet.
The storm was general throughout