Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-07-29
DEATH RIDES A STORM
A FATAL BLAST SWEEPS OVER
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.
Five Killed at streator and Four nj
Mendota-NearIy a Hundred Persons
Meet with Serious Injury-FaIiinE
Buildings Crush Cut Lives.

A furious windstormg IN some places
taking on the character of a cyclone,
swept over central Illinois about 6 o'clock
Friday night. leaving death and destrus
1ion ia its wake. Five persons are J own
to have been killed at Streator, four at
Mendoza and one at Campus. while many
We're injured at each of these towns.
There were uneonfirmed 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 Ions Of 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 a furious storm.
Many were reported killed.
At Streafor, H., the tornado killed FIVE
persons, injured forty others and caused
a property loss of 100000. The storm,
which came from the southwest, was
about n quarter of q mile wide and in
It's path everything was swept. This in
oxides the Vulcan Western works, the
buildings being erected three years ago
at a cost exceeding S150.000; 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 a total loss.
The Diekermann school house. baseball
park and amphitheater, Electric park,
with all its buildings, numerous private
residences, Sehurmann'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
are a total wreck. This includes the
amphitheater, judges stand and the i'm
mense barns. 1t was here that the great
er number lost their lives, ali but m
of the dead being race horse men. Nine
trotting horses were killed.
West of W a couple Of miles, in the
dairy farm Of A. j. Daugherty, mis- wife
and three children and a man employed
on the farm were all dangerously hurt,
the residence being blown to atoms.
Damage aud 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 fa-
tally injured. At Campus enc man was
killed, while two others sustained in
juries which may prove fatal. The cy-
clone was accompanied by a terrific rain
storm, which washed out bridges, cui-
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 ycr- heavy.
The tornado struck the northwestern
part Of MENDOZA. ILL.,, killing four per
sons, seriously injuring ten others and
l~eveling 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 in the cellar on the approach of
the storm and the house fell in.
A cyclone passed through tue &9rthern
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 MiLsral and
passed south of New Bedford and Man
lius and on the northern outskirts of La
Noble. At the latter place numerous
small buildings were 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 and a 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.