Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-07-24
DEATH RIDES A STORM
A FATAL BLAST SWEEPS OVER
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.
Five Killed at Streator and Four mt
Mendota-NearIy Hundred Persons
Meet with Serious Injury-Falling
Buildings Crush Out Lives.

A furious windStorm, In some pIaces
taking on the character of a cyclone,
swept over central Illinois about o'clock
Friday night, leaving death and destruc-
ton in its wake. Five persons are known
to have been killed at Streator, four at
Mendoza and one at Campus, while many
were injured at each of these towns.
There were unconirmed reports In the
early evening that the town of Gardner
had been destroyed and many people
killed. All wires leading to the town
were down and no definite information
could be secured.
The storm was general throughout Blu
reau, Mclean, Grundy, La Sale and
Kendall counties, but the greatest dam
age was done at the points above men
toned.
Reports from Indianapolis and other
cities in Indiana indicate that the north
western section Of the State was visited
early in the evening by furious storm.
Many were reported killed.
At Streator, H., the tornado killed five
persons, injured forty others and caused
n property loss of 100000. The storm,
which came from the southwest, was
about one-quarter of mile wide and In
it's path everything was swept. This in
cludes the Vulcan Western works, the
buildings being erected three years ago
at a cost exceeding $150,000; the Stauber
pants factory, where 100 employees had
left the building five minutes before it
was struck. The three-story building,
with all its machinery and stock on hand,
amounting to $4,000, is total loss.
The Dickermann school house, baseball
park and amphitheater, Electric park,
with all its buildings, numerous private
residences, Schurmann's big icehouses
and stock therein-all are down. The
splendid buildings of the Streator Rae
Ing Association and which would have
been completed within two or three days
pre- n total wreck. This includes the
nmphitheater judges stand and the inn
mense barns. 1t was here hat the great
err number lost their lives, all but one
of the dead being race horse men. Nine
trotting horses were killed
West of town a couple of miles, in the
dairy farm of A. J. Daugherty, his wife
and three children and man employed
on the farm were all dangerously hurt,
the residence being blown to atoms.
Damage and Death Elsewhere.
Emington and Campus, two small
towns on the Wabash Railroad, suffered
severely from the storm. At Ellington
several houses were utterly demolished
and four people were seriously if not ia
tally injured. At Campus one man was
killed, while two others sustained In
juries which may prove fatal. The cy-
clone was accompanied by n terrific rain
storm, which washed out bridges, cul-
verts and thousands of feet of railroad
track. Reports from these two towns
are to the effect that the loss to build
ings and crops is very heavy.
The tornado struck the northwestern
part of Mendoza, H., killing four per
sons, seriously injuring ten others and
leveling houses, barns and trees in its
path. The path of the storm was mar
row and about eight miles in length. Be
sides the dead five members of the Bots
dorf family were injured. They took
refuge ID the cellar on the approach of
the st Drm and the house fell in.
A cyclone passed through the northern
part of Bureau County, damaging crops,
farm buildings and residences. The resi-
dence of Henry Smith, six miles north
of Sheffield, was wrecked and Mr.. Smith
and his sister were both badly injured.
The storm originated near Mineral and
passed south of New Bedford and Man
Illus and on the northern outskirts of La
Noble At the latter place numerous
small buildings We're wrecked.
A severe storm swept through north
ern Indiana late Friday night, doing i'm
mense damage to life and property. -Four
lives are reported lost ard n score or
more injured north of Lafayette.
A terrific electric and rain storm pass
ed over southwestern Iowa at an early
hour Friday morning, doing great dam
age to the crop Of small grain which Is
just ready for the harvest Numerous
barns and other buildings were struck
by lightning and destroyed. No loss Of
life is reported.