Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-17
STORY OF AN OLD TIME STORM.
TClinton Herald. June g. 1861

IClintOn Herald, June y, lS6O.J
The storm, which occurred on Sun
day, June 8, will be remembered as
long as there is settler left Of that
date, as the great tornado. A strip
of land varying in W 9TH from twenty
rods to a mile ani. extending from
Cedar Rapids to Lake. Michigan, leav-
ing not fence, nor Tree, nor dwelling
house, nor scarcely IL living thing as
withstanding it's fury was the scene.
The storm had passed in Clinton al
tho far to the east the skies were
black and threatening. The air was
soft and balmy and The stars were be-
ginning to shine when horseman
dashed into the Main street and with
out scarcely drawing rein. cried:
"Camanche is destroyed by a torna-
da and half the int abitants are bur-
led in the ruins; send down all your
doctors and materials to dress the
wounded Immediately every vehi-
Gle in Clinton and Lyons was put In
use and all available cars in the rail-
road yards were filed with supplies
for the stricken people.
1t was with great difficulty that the
doctors could pick their way thru
the scattered debris, the cries of the
wounded, the lamentations of those
who were bereave6 adding horror to
the scene ALI night the work con-
tinued, the dead, twenty-six in num-
Der, being tenderly- laid at one side
and special care being given to the
wounded of whom there were more
than $50.
There were in the beginning two
storms starting west of the Cedar
River and about :welve miles apart.
Proceeding in separate and we'll de-
fined courses until they reached the
Wapsipinicon river they united 2S
miles west of the Mississippi and adj
vanced with great rapidity. To those
who watched it's on-coming 1t was at
first in appearance threatening
cloud which gradually assumed the
form of writhing serpent accom-
panied by a roar greater than of
mighty Niagara. Beginning just west
Of the Cedar river the work Of de-
struction spread over the farm house
and field and thru the towns of
Lisbon, Onion Grove, Louden, Wheat
land, Rogers Settlement, Mt. Vernon
and De Witt, the latter place be-
ing not three miles from the center
of the storm
Albany had at that time about 700
inhabitants and altho the loss of life
was smaller than at Camanche, nearly
every home was wrecked.
Instances of tile storm which lasted
but two or three minutes In one sec
ton, are replete with gruesome de-
tails for during that period a viii
lage of nearly twelve hundred inhab-
itants was Destroyed. All that re-
manned of the contents of many
houses could b., put into one room
twelve feet square, the rest Of the
furniture, clothes and bedding must
have been blown into the river. A
plank two inches thick effectually
closed the door Of Waldorf's new ho-
tel by being driven thru the door
and the floor of the building in a
slanting direction and sticking out,
one end thru the door, the other
thru the floor.
The first story of a building was
blown out and the second story set
down upon the foundation almost UNI
injured. Horses and cows were car
red thru the air at a height OF
twenty feet and for distance Of 200
rods.
A raft was passing down the river
with twenty-s persons upon 1T. But
three Of those survived and they
found themselves upon the Illinois
shore, not knowing how they reached
there. whether thru the air or the
water. Near l3ertram man was seen
carried in the vortex of the storm
and afterwards mutilated body was
found three miles and a half from
Bertram.
Foley's Kidney Cure makes kidneys