The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-11-29
CAMANCHE STORM
SWEPT IN 1860
Old Clinton County Newspapers Tell
ing of Terrible Cyclone at Ca
nanche on June 8, 1860. ::
PEOPLE KILLED
Mrs. Belle Pritchard, a Review Sub
scriber at Woodbne, Sends
Clinton County Paper of 1860.


CONTINUED from Page Nine.)
| we dashed over the sandy road, now
washed hard and firm, and could no.
tice no signs of destruction on the way
we almost hoped we had been the
victims of some heartless joke. We
were, however, soon confirmed in our
apprehension. AS we approached a
house in the suburbs of the village, a
man rushed out and hailed us: Are
you the doctors?' We found here
three little children, who had been
brought with broken limbs from the
family that the doctors We're follow
ing, we pushed forward, ! with our
worst fears confirmed.
God save us from ever seeing again
such sight as that village presented.
To describe it would be impossible. No
conception could be formed of the
scene except by seeing it, and once
seeing it would haunt the memory for
ever. Although almost as familiar
there as in Clinton's streets, partic-
ular quarter Of town could not be
recognized:
at was with great difficulty that we
picked our: way over fragments OF
buildings, fences and loose materials
of all kinds, to the few shattered frag-
ments of houses that still remained
upon First street. Here were chiefly
gathered together the dead that We're
found, and the wounded who still
| lived. Parents were weeping for their
children and children for parents.
Here husband bent sobbing over his
dying wife, and here mother, with
frantic joy, pressed to her bosom the
child she thought was lost and found
to be alive. Many seemed blessed
with calmness from on nigh; many
were beside themselves; and many
were bewildered and overcome with
stupor Here we could not stay, we
could be of no service, SO we rushed on
las a relief to join the eager souls who
were toiling like giants, removing the
rubbish in search of other victims.
Hereafter, in lonely hours, in the still
watches of the night, and in feverish
dreams will come to many minds the
vivid recollections of that sorrowful
scene. The ruins strewed around, the
hideous distortions of the dead, the
lllduSlCu VI tutS AISlASop LIAC iA1uA.
titudes of eager, grimy workmen, the
peaceful summer night and the clear
moonlight overhead, form a grouping
never to be erased from the minds of
any who were present.
''All night the work continued. The
next day free special trains ran every
two hours loaded with persons to as
sist and attend the wounded, care for
the dead, and feed and ciothe the sur
vivors. From the country all about
teams poured in continual stream
for those same purposes. Early in
the day mass meeting of the citizens
Of the country was held and commit
tee, consisting of N. B. Baker, Milo
Smith, A. II. Cotton, Benjamin Lake,
and Horance Anthony, was appointed
for general purposes. Sub-cOmmit-
tees were appointed for special OBJ
jects and some degree of order sprang
from the chaos which had previously
reigned
by night it was ascertained that the |
following were among the dead: G.
c. Westphal, wife and child; Hannah |
Curran, Mary Greenleaf. A. rIoeft, |
Elizabeth Rathbore, D. Waggoncr. d.
Stolenburg, Mrs. Amelia Davis and
son, Philip PEPPER, Margaret and Mary |
Fass, ELI Millions, George Burnham.
and wife, Mrs. J. Stolenbnrg, Theo.
Arpe, H.. McKendrick, l.. ID. Bigelow,
Jacob Meyle, Augustus Meyle and a
Meyle child, Mary Knapp, a child of
G. w. Chase, child of w. White, a
Smith child and {, German girl known |
as Liza.
MANY others died afterwards of |
their wounds, and many more bear
on their bodies scars, and, in their
equally indelible memories Of
that awful evening.
"The funeral services over the Ca
manche dead on the Tuesday follow
ing were most solemn and impress.
i've. Over two thousand sympathizing
friends and neighbOrs we're present,
and frequent outbursts of grief amid
the deep hush that pervaded the as
at"ested thu profound grief
Of the stalWart men as well as tender
hearted women. The twenty-five COT
fins were ranged in front of NJ.
Cummings bank, where the services
were conducted by Revs. Freer. Ed
minston and Youngs, Of Camanche;
debard and Brindell, Of Clinton; Ky.
nett and White, of Lyons, and Gleason,
Of Low Moor. The immense con-
course then forming in procession,
moved to the old burial grounds where
the bodies were committed to the long
row OF graves prepared for hem,
there to slumber till awakened by a
more pervading and awful trumpet
blast than even that Of the fatal storm
III which they persisted, that of the