Lake City Graphic July 1893Lake City Graphic SAD HAVOC MANY PEOPLE KILLLED TERRIBLE TALE OF DISASTER More Than Forty People Killed and a Hundred Badly Wounded--- A Lovely Calhoun County town Torn Up Completely ---Notes of the Storm The awful work of the Pomeroy cyclone of last Thursday evening continues to be the principal topic of conversation and newspaper comment through out Iowa and the continent. And well it may be for a more terrible example of the wonderful power of warring elements is seldom witnessed. Where stood, shortly before 7 o'clock in the evening of July 6, a hundred or more pleasant, comfortable, and some even luxurious, homes, a few minutes later was a wilderness of broken timbers and debris, with wounded, bleeding, dying and dead humanity upon every hand. No pen could ever picture the awful terror of that night. Strong men were pinned to the earth and forced to hear the shrieks and groans of the wounded and dying while unable to lend a helping hand. Fathers and mothers, husbands, brothers and sisters searched in vain amid the darkness and ruins for their loved ones, and children wept for their parents lying cold in death. Searching parties were organized as speedily as possible, but no lights were at hand and but comparatively little could be done toward securing the wounded until the welcome dawn appeared. Then the scene which met the eyes of the uninjured, must have made the strongest feel sick at heart. But willing hands soon conveyed the wounded and dead to some of the few buildings which remained standing in the town, and people poured in from the surrounding country and neighboring towns to render much needed assistance. Before noon Friday an organization had been effected and relief work was proceeding with considerable system. It was discovered that no less than thirty-eight people had been killed outright and more than a hundred injured, some of whom have since died and increased the death list of fifty-three at last accounts. CHARACTER OF THE STORM From the narratives of many who saw the storm cloud it appears that it was tornado of the compound sort-that is, it varied from the true balloon tornado in that it had four stems or funnels, instead of only one. At some places along the track of the storm it seems that one or more of these funnels simply touched the tops of the trees, while another, perhaps, would sweep the ground. The first damage was done in the vicinity of Cherokee, and from there the storm seemed to pass a short distance south of the Illinois Central railroad track until it reached Pomeroy, where it spent its force and performed its greatest work of destruction. As is known by most of our readers, Pomeroy was situated almost entirely south of the railroad track, the business houses being nearest the track and the residence part of town being still farther south. The main part of the storm struck the town almost in the center, north and south, and coming as it was from a north-westerly direction and then veering slightly northward after striking the town, it covered the residence portion of the town as completely as though it had been guided with that intent. A number of the business houses were also demolished, and nearly all more or less damaged, but the buildings along the railroad street, and some adjoining them on the south, were left standing. In the main track of the storm, which covers fifteen residence blocks, everything is broken up fine-hardly enough left of a piece of furniture or anything else to tell what it belonged to, and not enough lumber could be taken from the ruins to build a yard fence. The extent of the loss in dollars and cents is variously estimated at from $150,000 to $300,000. Gov. Boles was on the ground Friday afternoon and made a personal inspection and promptly issued an appeal for aid to the people of the state. (Newspaper is torn ) Next column reads THE LIST OF DEAD E. O. DAVY THE WOUNDED Mrs. Kate A. Kealy, injury to eye |