Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1894 — HEATH IN THE WIND [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HEATH IN THE WIND

Awful Loss of Life Reported in lowa and Minnesota. TRAIL OF A TORNADO. Whole Towns Are Wiped Cut of Existence. Nombwr of Injured Said to Ron Into the Hundreds—Entire Counties Laid Waste by Wind and Hull-Several Villages Effaced from the Map—No Estimate of the Aggregate Property Lo« Is Made, but It Will Be Something Enormous.

fearful cyclone which swept over a portion of fcouthe.n rilfc Minnesota and Northern lowa Friday night is now known to have been the most disastrous -JcVCV of any storm which has visited the Northwest in many years. From best advices obtainable at the time this is —written seventyeight persons are

known to have boon killed outright, and at 'east a, many more were dangerously, several of them fatally, injured, and the number of those less seriously hurt will exceod 10U. The towns of Emmoisburgh, Britt, Cerro Gordo, and Algona. lowa, and Spring Valley and Leroy, Minn., were visited, and the country around them was laid waste. The telegraph wires are down so badly that full accounts of the awful disaster cannot yet be obtained, but t o dead, numerically, so far as is known, are as follows, Near Algona, lowa 26 In Mitchell County. lowaio North of Wesley, lowa 15 Near Osage, lowa. ’5 Cylinder, lowa 4 Cerro Gordo Conn tv. 10wa.5 Spring Valley, Minh 3 Leroy. Minn 4 Near Britt, lowa 7 Total7g Starting abcut ten miles southeast of Spencer in Northwestern lowa the storm of wind at 8 o’clock began its

work of destruction. Taking everything before it, it swept across the State just north of Emmetsburg and Algona, wiping out the tQyvn of Cylinder, bat mostly injuring the country districts. After passing Mason City and ruining the country northwest of Osage it bore off to the northeast, crossing the Minnesota line, and soon aftey ly o’clock wrecked the town of Leroy, where a bad. fire added to the destruction. Spring Valley was right in the path of the cyclone and suffered severely. Turning again to the east the towns of Homer and Lowther were badly damaged, and at one time reported completely wiped off the face of the earth. After crossing the Mississippi and doing considerable damage to farm buildings hear Marshland, Wis., the sto.m seemed to have spent its force. A smaller storm did some damage at Dodge Center, which was not in the path of the main cyclone. The path of the : torm was not wide, but it had all the characteristics of the deadly tornado and the dimensions of a cyclone. Country the Heaviest Loser. While the loss of life is great, it might have been much greater had there been many towns in the path of the storm. As it was only a few villages weie struck. The greatest destruction of life was in the vicinity of Mason City, Iowa; Wesley, Iowa; Fertile, Osage, and Britt. At Lowther, lowa, where the town was reduced to kindling, no fatalities are reported, but seventeen persons were injured, some ot whom will die. In Minnesota, the storm seemed to start at Le Boy, after traveling in the ail* for several miles. Five persons were killed at this place. At Chatfield, Minn., a dance was in progress in the opera-house when the storm descended upon the town. The building was bkwn down and many persons Were hurt. Sixty hou es in all were demolished and 10J persons were injured.

The cyclone appeared in lowa at about 8 o’clock in the evening, and was accompanied by violent lightning and thunder. Alter tho death-laden wind came a flooding rain, which rendered tho destruction more complete. There appeared to be three clouds, oce above the other, all whirling in opposite directions,and when they came in contact everything in their path was swept away. The storm was eccentric, as in many cases houses were completely demolished while structures directly adjoining were unscathed. The storm lasted about two hours, and traveled over a strip of territory 120 miles in length and from a quarter of a mile to ten miles wide. With the exception of a call from Thompson, lowa, for medical assistance to care for the wounded, there were no appea's for aid, and the more fortunate in the scourgod district announce that they will care for the survivors. The devastated district is visited by thousands of spectators from far’and near, who charter every conceivable conveyance in which to make the journey. The picture of desolation presented will never be forgotten by those who saw it. That the wind could do what has been done in the way of destruction would not be believe 1 were it not that the ocular proof is at hand. Forests of considerable area an 1 heavy growth have been leveled as completely a) though mown with a giant scythe. In some instances barbed wiie fences, that offer the least possible resistance to wind, were blown away as clearly as though a fence had never existed in the locality. Boards have been picked up in which grains of sand are so deeply and thickly embedded aS to give them the appearance of the sandpaper of commerce. In many instances the bodies of the dead have the akin so thoroughly penetrated by the flinty grains of sand as to be almost unrecognizable.

Every train into the district on Shitnrday took its quota of coffins to every station, and, as they were piled up awaiting transportation, a grewsome sight was presented. Sunday was a day of funerals throughout the devastated district*. In Kossuth county, lowa, alone there were nineteen. followed on Monday by nearly fifty. The money loss in that county will foot up *250,0 0, and scores of people there and elsewhere are left destitute. The same condition exists at Leroy and Spring Valley, Minn. Killed and Injured. Following is the list, as nearly correct as can be obtained, of those kited and injured by the tornado: Near Algona,la.—Killed: Robert Stevenson, chill of Charles Lee, Mrs. George W. Beavers, daughter of George W. Beavers, child of George Holman, Dingman, Sweeper, Mrs. Sweeper, infant child ci Swetper s, unknown man and wife, infant child of Clauseden. Injured: Mrs. Robert Stevenson, Carl Earryck, Mrs. Carl Barryck, Charles Lee, Mrs. Charles Lee, five Lee children. George W. Beavers, Mrs. Myron Schenck and child, Mrs. L. Schenck, Horace Schenck, George Holman, four children and wife. Near Wesley. lowa Killed: M. Ca*ler, Mrs. M. Casler. J. W. Dingman, infant of Mr. and Mrs. Eden, infant of Mr. and Mrs. Rockow, Fred French, M. Schweppe, two children of Fred French, two chi dren of Thomae Tweed, two children of M. Scheppe, Mrs. Tweed. Injured.—Joster Camp, Mrs. Joster Camp, four children of Joster Camp, Eden, Mrs. Eden, four children of Mr. and Mrs Eden, Thomas Tweed, Mrs. Thomas Tweed, Mrs. E. Tweed, three children of Thomas Tweed, four children of Mrs. E. Tweed. At Britt, la.—Killed: Jacobson, Griggs, Mrs. Similton,Mrs. Stuggart, child of Mrs. Similton, two children of Mrs. Stuggart Injured: Bingham, wife and three children, —— Dana, wife and three children, F. Eaughtman and wife, A. Dockman and wife, W. Foy and sister, Christ Hanson, Mutz, wife and child, R. P. Madson, Arteccourse and wife, Smith and three children, Similton and child. North Cerro Gordo, lowa. Killed: D. T. Haddon, Mrs. D. T. Haddon, Ellery McCercher, John Patterson, Peter Peterson. Injured: Miss Maggie Baker, Miss Edith Bentley, Alice McKercher, Harold McKercher, James O'Neill, Sr. Osage, lowa.—Killed: Mrs. Phil S. Herbert, Harry Herbert, Ruth Herbert, Mrs. Patrick Lonergan, Anna Perry. Injured: Jacob Finley, Benjamin Kestern, Mrs. Benjamin Kestern, Dennis Lonergan, Joseph Lonergan, Katie Lonergan, William Perry. Cylinder, lowa.—Killed: Alex-

ander Goulden, Mrs. A. Goulden, two children of Alex. Goulden. Spring Valley, Minn.—Killed: N. Dcdge, Mrs. jN. Dodge, child of Frank Mashek. The Injured: Mrs. William Bot-ee, Lucy Boree, Charles' Dodge, Mrs. Hamper, Jesse Harris, Harper, Clark King. Mr. and Mrs. C. G. King, John Ness, Mrs. John Nees, Jofin Ness (child', Mrs. Frank Mashek, Mrs. Louis Rose, Lenaßcse, Nellie Rumsey, Mrs. William Strong, Sallie Williams. Leroy, Minn.—Killed: Mrs. Dunton, Henry Finley, Gilbertson, Joe Nelson. Injured: Charles Blair, Carl Carson, Horace Chamberlain, Mrs. Horace Chamberlain. Henry Colton, Mrs. Henry Colton, Arthur Maxfield, Nels Weigan.

MAP SHOWING TOWNS VISI ED BY THE CYCLONE