Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 April 1912 — CYCLONE CAUSES DEATH AND DAMAGE IN UNION TP. [ARTICLE]

CYCLONE CAUSES DEATH AND DAMAGE IN UNION TP.

Several Other Persons Seriously Injured In Worst Wind Storm Ever Known In lasper County. TEN ARE KILLED XT AND NEAR MOROCCO

Where Great Damage Was Done.— Ixnvell Also in Storm Path and Several Were Injure! and Much Damage Done.—Several Illinois Towns Hit by the Cyclone.

The most destructive storm that ever visited Jasper county occurred Sunday evening in Union tp., and left death and destruction in its wake. The greatest damage was in the Schultz neighborhood some ten miles north and two miles west of Rensselaer, where the German Lutheran church was completely demolished, houses and barns wrecked and Robert Schultz, the 13-year-old eon of August C. Schultz was so badly injured that he died a few hours later. Tite storm came up about seven o’clock from the southwest and some hail fell. The clouds looked very threatening, and at August C. Schultz’s the family were preparing to run to the cellar when the cyclone struck them, breaking in the windows amd demolishing the house. When they begun picking themselves out of the wreckage it was found that Schultz’s jaw was broken, Mr. Schultz was badly bruised but otherwise unhurt, and a thirteen-year-old son Jiad the left side of his head caved in and was in a critical condition. He died from his injuries at 2 a. in., Monday at a neighbor’s, where the family w.ent after the storm. Tne house, barn and outbuildings were demolished.

At Paul Makua’ all outbuildings were torn to pieces and the roof taken off an addition to the house. Mr. Makus’ cows were in the cow barn, all of which was carried away except the stanchons where the cows vere confined. At Denm.is HCaly’s, near by, the house, barn and everything was picked up by tlhe cyclone and carried completely away. Mr. and Mrs. Healy were both considerably hurt by the glass and flying debris, and were taken to James K. Garriott’s, a near neighbor, who suffered lesser damage. Mr. Garriott’s large barn was partly turned around off its foundation and some other outbuildings partly wrecked. At Barney Comer’s, a mile east, several apple trees were uprooted, strips of shingles on the roof of the house torn off, windmill ed and milkhouse blown ove'r and wrecked. , Fred - Schultz’s, just across the road east Dorn, 0 Mr. Comer’s, several windows were blown in, including the two large ones, one on the south and one on t'he west, stripes of shingles torn from the house, a tool shed moved off its foundation and wlhdmill wrecked. ,

Just north of Comer’s perhaps a % mile, - the German Lutheran church, a targe and substantial building, was twisted all tp pieces and not a timber left standing. The large church bell was lodged in 9. tree abopt 25 feet above the' ground at the northwest corner of Oho church and was still there! when the writer’ visited the scene .Monday forenoon. Trees near the! church were also badly broken and demolished. The church organ was left standing on the floor and unharmed. ■'.■.'l/.. t In the timber east of the church and in the line of the cyclone, which seems to have been about a half mile in width, scores of large trees were twisted off and broken down, and lay all directions, which proves that the cyclone was a regular twister and not simply a severe wind. The demolished church also discloses this, as the building was scattered all around and< did not

lie in one direction as would have been the case with a hard wind. At Michael Schultz's, just north cf the church, has large barn was moved tour feet east and two feet south off Its foundation, and badly bent and twisted, but not torn down. A corn crib was blown several feet and tipped on its aide. The Schultz lad who died from his injuries, was taken to Michael .Sdhultz s Monday morning, together with his parents, and it was a sad household that we met there. Mr. and Mrs. Schultz' have kix other children, Mrs. F. \V. Schwanke of I.owell, is a married daughter of theirs. On east George Casey’s big barn was destroyed and other minor damage done. Some of tiio debris from the church and from the Healy farmhouse was carried over on Aug. R. Schultz’s east eighty, a mile from the church and nearly two miles from the Healy s.

There was some little hail about the time of the cyclone struck that locality, and a fierce rain thereafter, almost a cloudburst. The rain seemed heavier, however, about a mile south and from there to the north corimration line of Rensselaer It must have been one of the heaviest downytours ever seen. The. entire country was practically flooded, water being over the grade at both the Burk and Pulllna bridges and both grades washed out so that neither were passable. A!cng the road west by Xoali Zeigler’s tho water had filled both ditches and run across the grade. - The water in the river, at Rensselaer was the highest Monday no<m it has ever been since the dredge was put through, but in town we got scarcely enough rain to notice it at all.

At the Thompson ranch north of I arr at* the ranch house proper, a big corn crib was demolished and a buggy blown over and wrecked, and a hog weighing about 160 pounds was killed by some flying debris. The storm proceeded from ‘ the ranch house north to a barn on the ranch, and ripped off the shingles and did other minor damage. Then il passed on east to the farm owned by Simon P. Thompson, Jr., where Dennis Healy lives, and seemings-y had gained in violence, for of the house, summer kitchen, chicken house, barn and granary, no trace could be found of the buildings, except the granary, which was picked up bodily and carried to the south about 20 feet, the rest of the buildings being completely carried off by the storm. Next the storm made a cut to' the northeast, completely demolishing the house, barn, and outbuildings on the August C. Schultz place, then turned to the southeast striking the Wild Lilly school house, laying waste to the outbuildings and dcing more or less darpage to the school house Just across the road at the farm of Paul Makus, directly in the path of the storing the dwelling was nnroofed and damaged considerably. Then northeast, at August Krueger’s, it ccmimitted one of its most freakest act', demolishing completely all of the buildings, and leaving alone an addition to the house about 12x14 feet, carrying away the rest of the dwelling.

In Walker tp., the roof was torn off Wm. Hershman’s large cattle barn, and a very large amount of water fell. , The property loss in Jasp*n: is perhaps 05,000. Just west of Morocco Mr. and Mts. Charles Rice and four children

and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rice are reported killed and Miss Cassie Smart and an infant sister were killed in Morocco. The report from Morocco says the storm first struck the house of Charles .Rice, several miles west of Morocco, killing every member of the family except Rice, and he was so badly injured he died Monday.

The Rice home is a mass of ruins, but the exact manner in which the members of the family met their death may never be known. When thp storm struck Morocco many houses were unroo'ited and outbuildings blown down. When their homes began' to show signs of giving way before the onslaught of the storm Mrs. Charles Smart rushed into the cellar, closely followed by her daughter Cassie, who was carrying the six-months-old baby. Wlhen the girl had descended several steps the house was lifted from its foundation and turned over, crushing her and the- baby to death. The father was only a few steps behind toern. but he-escaped with might injuries and the mot.ier was p:: harmed. * Tito bare of Jack Bcwvrs. two •miles west of Mercrco, was , -.pashed. Mv. and Jit 3. Ecwsrs and four children were in the house, and all were saved under the wreckage. The Frank Pcits home and all barns and outbuildings were carried entirely off the place. Visitors' to the farm this morning could find nothing but an old hem. A number of tarns and cribs on the farms were demolished, killing about sixty head of cattle and horses. Whole orchards were uprooted. The-elec-tric light plant at Morocco was entirely ruined by lightning, it is said. Many persons who were on the

streets here were struck by {lying missiles and mere cr less seriou-ly injured. • , 1 Hanger and Johnson, with Miss C onn and Miss Haiyjtnel!, were enjoying a carriage rile when they were caught in the storm. Their cei’i icig© was ovel'turn&d and.’] all wgfg injured when the horses ran away. At the time a; the accident they were trying to reach the home of Miss Cccoi to seek shelter from the torm. The Comi residence is practically new and it was damaged to the extent of several hundred dollars hy the wind. ■ , While the path of the storm was limited to a: comparatively small area, the wind was of such violence that it damaged many buildI ings hundreds of yards from its ; center. Telegraph and telephone i wires were blown down, and for this reason considerable delay was ceca toned befpre the true extent of the destruction was deteflflfried. It is estimated that between- twenty and forty homes in Newton county have been destroyed. The center of the violence was confined to a path probably three hundred feet in width. As it swept through Morocco and onward into the center of Newton county the tornado uprooted scores of houses' tore barns and sheds from their' foundations* and killed much live stock. At Lowell a swath two hundred feet wide is said to have been cut through the residence section. Ten 1

.people were hurt, but none fatally. The; worst injured are: Mrs. William Jones, internally, when her house was struck by lightning; William Jones, her husband, burned by electric bolt: Mrs. David Brickman, arms broken; John Brickman, her son. head badly hurt; Mary Prickman, her daughter, spine hurt: Charles Stephens, leg frac-' Hires. Thousands of dollars dam-* age was done property and live' stock was killed. Two funnel shaped clouds broke out of a clear sky, just after a 1 heavy hail and storm, i The house of William Jones was struck by lightning, set on fire and! then- lifted by the wind. The Brick- 1 man home was bowled over and its inmates buried under debris. The houses of Charles Taylor, Frank small and William McCarthy were carried off their foundations, but no one was injured. Trees were snapped off and telegraph and telephone poles were pulled out cf the ground. Fifty buildings were lifted off their foundations. At Bush. Murfreesboro. Marion, Willisville, Grant Park, Campus, Reddick and other places in Illinois several people were killed and thousands oi dollars damage done. The total number of deaths, it was stated in yesterday's papers was upwards of 75. -i Much damage is also reported at Hebron, South Wanatah and Lar porte.