Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-07-03
THE CYCLONES WORK
NEAR DREXEL, MO.
Letter From Mrs. Henry Irish Tells in
Detail of the Storms Terrible Work.
To the Editor of The Herald:

|
seven o'clock. the family of Henry
Irish while at supper had their atten
tion drawn outside by loud noise
that find it impossible to describe.
We witnessed cyclone in the meadow
back of the barn. and so near that if
one of the boys had stood in the south
door of the barn he could have thrown
rock in the edge of the whirling
storm. It reached from the ground
to the clouds above, black whirling,
tossing, boiling. tumbling mass of
blackness, covering six or Ell ght acres
of the field, and In the center grey
funnel or tail, tearing and slashing
everything to pieces that it touched.
In terror we watched it, ready to
make for the cellar if it started
| toward us. What seemed long time
but was only few minutes and we
held our breath at very turn it made,
| thinking of course our time WAS near,
when it took bound to the west and
then went south a mile and went up
! into the clouds. With thanks for
our safety we began to lock around
to find out what it had done and spied
a neighbor boy coming on the run.
We went to meet him and he said
go quickly to GalIoway's. - We
went and l could not tell you the
desolation of the scene. Where once
had stood fine buildings there was
nothing but mass of kindling wood
There was no one hurt here, but
everything blown away for miles
about. This is one ha If mile south Of
us, and remember the cloud came
here and turned south again. We
were there until nearly ten O'Clock
and of course did not hear anything
while there. Came home and tried
to hear of the house south of us, and
found them all right there, but just
east on farm SOU th of the cemetery
church and fine barn was destroyed
and some stock killed, and then came
streak Of timber, broken and twist
ed, and on a half mile or so another set
I of buildings and things blown for
miles. A pair of bed springs was go
twisted you could hardly tell what
they were, and galvanized tub was
blown up about twelve or fourteen
feet and bound about a tree trunk
more firmly than any man could
have bound it In this house was a
family of eight; they saw the cloud
and got ready to go to the cellar but
were too late the dear mother was
killed and in her arms she held her
eighteen months old babe and it was
alive; the others were bruised but
will live. Then west quarter of
a mile every tree was torn up
whole acres of orchards are gone
and many buildings simply swept
away, but no one hurt. as they all
got in the cellar; then just half
mile south of there lived an old
farmer and his invalid wife and two
sons; the mother has been helpless for
6v years and her e,1est son had just
came home with wife and three chill
dren to stay to visit with mother and
grandma had not been there an
hour when the storm struck them.
The house was whirled in the air and
sent dying to the east, and the last
words spoken in that house were
Mother l will stay with you, don t
be afraid" by the daughter in law
and they were found not six feet
apart, both dead. Her aunt was bad.
ly hurt, they think she will die; the
father has broken hand and many
bruises, one son has a limb cut go
every cord was severed: don't know
how it will be with him yet. One
grandchild was hurt badly too and
the awful slaughter Of stock hogs and
horses and cattle simply covered a
20 acre field about where the barn
stood. Not building left or a board
ten feet long. and the rain came down
! in streets. Oh how tenderly we care
for our loved ones when they are sick,
and how carefully we care for our
dead, and here lay those too who
were so loved, in the rain and no
place for shelter until help came and
went back mile and half to get
wagon to haul them to shelter.
Just across the road from that place
was another farm and this farm was
one of the best improved for miles
around. and every thing is now
gone but hog house. but no one
was hurt or killed; all were in the
cellar Just one-half mile south of
this place is James MagonigaI's farm
He was there alone in the house at
the time the storm struck. he said
he tried to get out but was too late.
The house is badly wrecked but
stands, SO he was not hurt but all
his out buildings are gone; he is in.
sured SO that will help him some and