Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-05-28
10000 DAMAGE
TOEARLV|LLE AND
Leland BY STORM
TWO TOWNS IN PATH OF SATUR.
DAYS TORNADO - HUNDRED
BARNS AND BUILDINGS ON
FARMS ARE BLOWN TO SPLlN-
TIERS.

Saturday afternoons storm that left
death. mystery and dcsolatiOn in many
parts Of the country, did not pass thru
La Sale county without leaving marks
of It's violence. While no deaths are
reported from two corners oi the coun'
" where the storm seemed to vent It's
fury in it's most violent form. it ,sI
estimated that losses vii! approximate
$780, C00 as a result OF the damage
done.
tar,ylle and Leland dul adjacent
farming communities We're hlr:e5t
hit In all il is estimated that fully
one hundred buildings were blown to
the ground and left piles of shattered
debris as the tornado moved on its
its campaign of destruction.
It Only Blew Here.
Ottawa was given only good hard
blow. with goodly quantity OF rain
and some hail as its share of the Tor
nado, but communities to The north
did not fare so well In Leland per
haps. the greatest damage was done
of any place nearby. a half hundred
barns sheds and other buildings were
RACED as tho they had been made Of
matchwood In Earlville only slight
damage was done to homes of resi-
dents of the city but in the country
lust outside OF town the path of the
storm is shown by the shattered struc
turcs, uprooted trees and blocked
! highways
1 Al telephcnic and tclegraphic
/ communication with the two towns Is
I cut OF the question Wires are down
! Tor miles and miles while those thai
/ were not torn from the poles 1re
! tangled with broken limbs and parts
! Of trees. making it impossible to g.t
/ in touch with residents ol either
/ town. Both Earlvlle and Leland have
/ been isolated since Sunday and rrOs-
/ poets are there will be no relief untIl
! Tuesday night at the earliest.
One Marrow Escape.
According to word reaching Ottawa
! brought here by people who were in
1 the tornado. there was nothing c}-
/ clcnic about he storm II covered a
path four miles in width AMI blew
i just b,ew and when il seemed 20 AXE
a minutes breath it came ba X with
/ renewed vengeance and blew harder
Barns crumbed under the force Of the
wind and many farmers who had TAX
en- refuge in various buildings N The
| path Of the tornado had to run Tor
their lives for other shelter Just as
the roofs and walls began to tonpla
over Whole orchards were uprootad
i only one narrow escape in which
death might have resulted has ooen
recorded. occurred two miles east Of
Earlvile. when Emil Meyer. 4 farm
hand. got out Of barn just before it
collapsed and made a run for the
house only TO he caught under large
maple that was uprooted but Othtr-
wise was not injured A half hour
later he was able to go about his
f. chores
8 Many Fine Barns Wrecked.
Several of the largest barns IN the
neiqhborhOod Of Leland were knocked
to the ground. Among them with The
amounts of the losses to the propert,
owners follows;
Andrew Klove, half dozen buildings
DESTROYED, 1880. House slightly
! damaged
. Joseph Antoine, new barn olowi
: down, damage, $2o0C.
!, George clapsaddIe. barn Sio'
Jerry Grover, big barn blown down
: 81 500
Jess kip barn $500
y 0, NJ Daniclson, roof off barn, fl0d
Q Newton Grover, roof off barn. $oo
Il Charles Seyery's monster barn
l. valued AT $4,000, was a total wre cb
II Samuel Sawyer damage to hous
L ord barns, $4,000
Samuel T. Jacobs, damage To fous
r, and barns, 5000,
c Joliet Hard Hit.
Joliet May 28-Carrying death am
destruction before IT, the most diSas
trous tornado in the history OF WI
I county swept path several mile
wide south of Joliet.
With information sitting In fror
sections where all wire connection
:. are destroyed, the known dead wer
10 three the injured close to score
a and property damaged estimated q
,o more than 81 100000
NJ Joliet practically escaped damage
te Trees and poles were blown dow
cd in the city but the damage was sligf
ID. compared to the destruction dea