USA > Illinois > Lee County > History of Lee County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 46
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"The gyrating terror next entered the grove; its path here was from twenty to forty rods wide, in which trees were twisted off. pulled up and strewn about. Seventy to eighty rods from the J. R. & N. railroad, and about forty rods in the grove, stood the house of Peter Reams: it was no barrier to the progress of the
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storm, and was left a shapeless wreck. The storm passed on through the grove about one mile and a half, when it apparently became exhausted near James Harper's place, after tearing down his orchard. Mr. Reams and his wife were in their house; she in the second story. As he observed the storm's approach, he called to his wife to come down stairs at once, as a terrible storm was upon them; she hastened to get down, but cannot remember that she had taken more than a step or two down when she found herself on the lower floor, amidst the ruins of the house. News of the frightful disaster reached Paw Paw in a few minutes. and numbers of citizens hastened to the scene. Mrs. Peter Reams was found uninjured, groping in a dazed manner about the pile of wreckage; it was thought that her Imsband was buried in the debris. This was explored enough to ascertain that he was not there. A search was then made in the grove, where he was found about ten rods northeast of the house lying face down, under the boughs of a fallen tree, dead. It is thought that he was not killed by the branches that were over him as they were too small. A eat was found under his head.
"The Searey's were looked after by others, and the greater num- ber went directly to the site of the schoolhouse. The scene here was horrible beyond description and the excitement intense ; par- ents whose children were in the fatal schoolhouse were frantic with grief. The little brook near the schoolhouse was swollen by the heavy rain into a creek, and the water was two to four feet in depth. Men plunged into the stream and searched for the vic- tims. One by one, their mutilated forms were discovered, until all were found. The spectacle was shocking in the extreme. The bodies were nearly nude. What clothing remained on them was torn into shreds. A number of them were found in the water. They were ent and bruised and broken in ahnost every conceiv- able manner. The names of the dead are as follows: Miss Mag- gie McBride, teacher, Edna Hunt. Jennie Radley, Minnie Berry, Ada Rudolph, Lena Prentice, Robbie Oderkirk, Carry White, Jr., children of William Hunt, Arvin Radley, Isaac JJ. Berry, Jacob Rudolph. Asahel Prentice, Seaman Oderkirk and Carry JJ. White. The dead were removed to their homes as fast as found and pre- pared for burial. Five were buried Saturday, and four, including Peter Reams. Sunday. The schoolhouse stood two miles south of this place and the Reams and Searey places abont one mile southeast. The excitement in this neighborhood was intense: all business was suspended Saturday, and nothing was talked of but
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the storm. Owing to the exaggerated reports in the Saturday morning Chicago papers, people came from miles around to view the scene. All day Saturday, Sunday and Monday the track of the cyclone was thronged with visitors from the surrounding coun- try. An excursion train came from Rochelle, Sunday.
"It is impossible to give all the details. Eye witnesses differ in their evidence. No two agree in their accounts, and vet all may be truthful. A liberal allowance must be made for the excite- ment of the moment, and then it must be remembered that a cyclone cloud with its swift forward movement and rapid rotary motion, charged with trees, boards, timbers, and all manmer of debris, churning, grinding and revolving in one gigantic swirl, does not present the same spectacle two consecutive moments. Again, eye witnesses from the north and south and in front, or at different places along the line, cannot dispute such others' evidence, for it is impossible for any two of them to see any por- tion of the flying mixture in the same position.
"There are a thousand and one stories in circulation, most of them more or less exaggerated, but all, no doubt, containing more or less truth. The report that the schoolhouse was seen intact three hundred, two hundred or one Inindred feet in the air, rolling and tumbling about, is probably a mistake. There is no doubt that as a mile, buildings in the center of such a storm are raised from the foundation and moved off. This view is supported by the fact that in almost every instance where people have taken refuge in cellars, they have escaped death and injury. It is also supported by the declaration of persons who were in cellars, to avoid the storm. Their evidence is, that the building raised up and moved off, though none of them saw any building break in pieres. While this no doubt is true, it seems impossible that any building could retain its form ten seconds in a storm of such power as this one was. The appearance about the schoolhouse grounds, the location of different portions of the wreck, and the positions of the victims, all indicate that the house was ernshed near the ground, not far from the foundation.
"The report that the persons in George Palitsche's house were blown 140 rods into a pond, is untrue. Most of the victims were found in the vicinity of the pond, but the distance from the location of the house does not exceed ten rods. The trail of the storm presents many curious features. Trees were pulled up by the roots; some are twisted in two, leaving the stumps in the ground. Others have the bark pulled off. Osage hedges are torn
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up. Chickens and other fowl are found entirely denuded of their feathers. Dead cats, rats, dogs, hogs, horses and cattle, in various places. Articles of clothing, sheets and other things seen hang- ing in trees; boards, sticks, splinters and timber, sticking into the ground, hurled from the passing cyclone. Where buildings were destroyed everything was lost. Furniture was broken up; hardly a whole piece of furniture could be found anywhere.
"The trail varies from ten to forty rods in width-probably averages twenty rods. Preceding the tornado was an electric storm, with considerable rainfall. Immediately following was a tremendous downpour. On either side of the track a heavy rain with thunder and lightning, prevailed. The rain and mist were so thick that it was impossible to detect the savage character of the storm, one mile away. Some persons that distance off, and some a greater distance, heard what appeared like a muffled roar.
"William McMahan, whose house stands within sixty rods of the northwest line of destruction watched its approach and pas- sage. It was of the funnel shape, whirling and bounding along with a hissing or buzzing sound, swooping the earth and bounding from it alternately. He saw no manifestations of electricity in the rolling, boiling, steaming cloud. The portion nearest the earth was very dark; the upper portion lighter. He could see sticks and other articles on the outer side, flying about and drop- ping to the ground.
"Mr. James Blee, whose honse was destroyed, saw the storm at some distance, but could not make ont its character. He was satisfied that it was dangerous, and sent his family to the cellar. He remained in the cellar door which faced the coming demon, and anxiously watched its approach. So full of rain and fog was the atmosphere, not till within ten rods of him could he distin- guish its outlines and true character. At that distance it envel- oped some trees and apparently broke open, giving him a view of the inside. While the outside had the appearance of steam and smoke escaping from the engine, the opening showed great electric disturbance, which was indicated by a constant emission of sparks and flashes. Hemy Potter, who remained outside near the corn crib, corroborates Mr. Blee's statement. There was a strong sulphurons odor during and some time after the cyclone. It is a curious feature, that nowhere along the track is the grass or grain removed, nor do they at any place have the appearance of having been burned or scorched. Another strange feature is the fact that on neither side of the storm was there perceptible any
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greater agitation of the atmosphere than in ordinary thunder storms.
"It will be many a long year before the scenes of death and destruction in the wake of this terrifying phenomenon will be effaced from the memory of those who suffered from its fright- ful devastation, or those who assisted in the work of recovering the dead. But two sentiments seem to prevail in the community : mourning for the dead, and sympathy for the living. James Blee probably took a closer view of the cyclone than any other person on the line. He thinks there was a space four to four and one- half feet in diameter in the center of the funnel, a vacuum, around which the cloud revolved. In and across this pipe as it were, occurred the electric display. After the cloud had passed, he followed its path to ascertain if what appeared to be a fact was really true. He could trace in the center of the damage the dis- tinet mark of the suction pipe, where a hedge was crossed, and in many places on the ground. In some places the ground was torn up and in others the grass and grain were nipped off close to the center where the most energy was displayed, showed a width as above stated. He noticed, or thought he did, while the cloud was approaching, that everything in this center was going up, while around it everything was revolving. From this apparent condition, he concluded that the vacuum as above described acted as a suction pipe, and was the point of greatest energy and destruc- tion. His examination of the ground afterward seemed to verify this theory."
TORNADO OF 189S
(From Lee County Times, of Paw Paw, May 20th)
About 6 o'clock Wednesday evening, when a heavy shower had passed to the northward, and the western horizon was free from low clouds, a tornado was seen approaching from the west. The view was unobstructed, and the action of the tornado could be seen in all its peculiar gyrations.
The onlookers saw a heavy, nimbus cloud hovering along the course, torn by turmoil and traveling like a swift bird of prey. When first sighted by our excited citizens, the tornado was a little south of west, and for several minutes seemed to be making but slow progress, though it was afterwards learned that its move- ments were very swift. Being sighted at such a distance, and com-
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ing almost directly eastward, made the appearance of slowness de- ceptive. The tornado seemed to be transported by the heavy cloud mentioned. The action of the twisting tornado was very peculiar. At one time nothing would be seen but the terrific disturbance in the cloud, and immediately the tornado would drop with screwlike motion and sweep the earth for various distances, stirring up the earth in clouds of dust. The lowering and raising of the tornado looked like the tentacle of an octopus, reaching out for something to destroy. It would dart from the clouds towards the earth with lightning rapidity, sometimes reaching only part way down and at others making the whole distance. At the time these observations were made, not much damage was being done, as the tornado was not touching where buildings were located. Near West Brooklyn the direction was changed to a northeasterly course, and then it became apparent that the forward motion was very swift, and it went on with greater speed than an express train. When it had passed to a vicinity about northwest of town, the best observation was noted. Here the heavy, dark, menacing cloud spiraled to the earth and assumed the form of a cylindrical tube and showed plainly by the appearance of dust and disturbance in its wake that much damage was resulting. It was at its greatest strength at this view. The appearance of the tornado at this place could best be compared to an elephant's probosis, reaching about the ground for delicacies. The lower end switched about the ground like the cracker of a cattle whip.
At times the commotion was tremendous, the dark mass taking on a look like a fiercely boiling cauldron, scattering itself as if torn by an explosion, and then gathering to pass on for more destruction. When at a point almost directly north of town, the grand finale seemed to have taken place. It was a sight to inspire awe in any beholder. The same form had been maintained to the point mentioned, when. of a sudden, the tornado severed its con- nection with the overhanging cloud and in a fierce swoop, descended to the earth like a flash, pounding the ground it seemed, in one last supreme effort. The force developed in this striking action must have been equal to thousands of tons of pressure.
It has been asked, "Who can paint a rainbow ?" It might be asked with equal futility, "Who can describe the tornado ?" Description fails signally in portraying the awfulness of such a phenomenon. It is quite probable that a better view of a tornado was never witnessed than that seen by the people in this section of Lee county. The conditions for observation were perfect, and the Vol. I-33
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watchers saw its peculiar actions for about thirty minutes. It is calculated that the dissolution took place at a point in Willow Creek, for it was not seen afterwards by Lee county people, though Byron and Stillman Valley were visited and deaths occurred at both places, and points in Wisconsin were damaged. The scientific observances have always found that tornadoes in the Mississippi valley move in a northeasterly trend, and in case the one which passed here did the damage at Byron and Stillman Valley, its course would have been changed directly northwest. Such a trend has not been known before and it is improbable in this instance. The presumption is, that in this great cyclonic storm, local tor- nadoes originated in different portions of its diameter.
It is generally understood that a death-dealing storm of the nature described, is a cyelone. But this is a mistake. A cyclone is a great storm of from one hundred to five hundred miles diameter, the accompanying winds circulate in one direction in the northern part of the storm and in a reverse direction in the southern part, which canses a disturbance throughout the cyclone and accounts for the shifting of the wind before and after the storm has passed. During the presence of such a cyclone storm, tornadoes are apt to develop. The condition of the weather had not been sultry or of a nature which would lead one to expect the presence of a tornado. A heavy breeze was blowing all day from the south, but the atmos- phere was not oppressive.
IN THE WAKE
The evidence of the tornado's power was traced from a point west of Sublette to the home of the widow Peterson, in Willow Creek, and the direction was generally northeast, though at times, it bore almost directly east. There is some difference in opinions, as to the point where the storm crossed the C. B. and Q. tracks, but it was between Amboy and Shaws. From there it came east- ward for several miles until near West Brooklyn, where it veered to the northeast.
The damage reported up to this time will be described, com- meneing at Sublette, a house belonging to a farmer named Hall, was destroyed. Mrs. Hall is said to be seriously injured. After leaving that vicinity nothing of importance occurred until the tornado struck the Atkinson homestead, one mile west of the Old Berg. Mr. Lauer lives there. The barn and house are said to have been totally demolished, and Mr. Laner was considerably
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injured though not fatally. The next damage occurred at Frank Beemer's, about a mile north of Wesley Miller's place. His barn was overturned; his windmill and tower were blown down. Beem- er's barn contained a number of horses and cattle, but none were killed. George and Mrs. Farre, were the next persons to experi- ence the terror of being in the path of a destructive tornado. They were eating supper and had not observed the approach of the storm until the roar warned them. It was so close that they had not time to get into the cellar. This they attempted to do, but a suction of wind prevented them from opening the cellar door quickly, and in a flash the storm had passed. The tornado had seemed to have witnessed their efforts to escape to a place of safety, and wishing to give them a fair chance, con- tented itself with whisking off the kitchen, which was distributed over a large territory. The chicken house, full of poultry and a number of setting hens lost itself in the confusion and has not since been located. George also lost a number of rods of wire fence. His loss amounts to a considerable sum. His dog. which was chained outside, came back a short time afterwards looking like a war veteran. From his appearance George judged he had seen lively times. The worst devastation ocenrred on the old Jacob Miller farm. Right in this vicinity are four houses, all within a radins of a quarter of a mile : the Dwight Davenport, John Anderson, Arthur Wells and Holden Risetter houses, the three lat- ter belonging to Thomas Wells, Remington Warriner and Jacob Miller.
The tornado twisted about among this quartet without doing much damage except to the Jacob Miller house, which it razed in the twinkling of an eye. Here occurred the only death in the path of the storm. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Chichester were living there and did not notice the storm until it was right at hand. Mrs. Chi- chester took her two-year old child and they ran to the outside cellar door. Before they could reach it the blow descended and everything was chaos. The air was full of debris and for a moment Egyptian darkness prevailed. It all happened in a second. Mr. Chichester was buffeted and hurled about and finally dumped into the cellar. He was badly dazed for a time and did not fully under- stand the extent of the calamity when he was found by the neigh- bors. Mrs. Chichester and the child were discovered in the field, about twenty rods south of where the house stood. Many people from town started towards the path of the storm carly and J. W. Mayor and son and W. A. Pratt and others were there in a short
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time. Mrs. Chichester was dead, but the child was alive. They were removed to Mr. Harvey Johnson's house by the sympathetic friends. Mrs. Chichester was not badly bruised, but her jaw had been fractured.
Her sad death illustrates the uncertainty of life. She had vis- ited her mother, Mrs. Frank Hoag, at East Paw Paw that day and had been at home but fifteen or twenty minutes. She had been urged to stop with Mrs. William Barringer on her way home, for a short time, as the sky bore a very threatening aspect when she passed Mrs. Barringer's. It seemed that her fate had been marked ont. Her death has caused great sorrow and Mr. Chichester has the universal sympathy of our people in his unfortunate bereave- ment. Mr. Chichester's injuries are not serious, the principal one being a gash on the back part of his head, which causes him much pain. The child, though blown about amongst the flying timbers and objects, had a miraculous escape from death and appears but little harmed. Aside from the loss of his wife, Mr. Chichester lost all of his personal property, which was scattered to the four winds. The scene of the devastation has been visited by hundreds of peo- ple, eurious as to the freaks of the tornado, but with delicate feel- ings of commiseration for the unlucky victims. The scene is highly illustrative of the force of the rotating storm. The debris is strewn about for many rods in all directions, twisted and broken. Trees of venerable age and large proportions are now dismantled mon- archs, and reduced to kindling wood. Bed clothing and apparel are seen high in the branches of the trees left standing. It can only be described as a scene of desolation. Most of the neighbors retreated to their cellars on the approach of the storm, but Mr. Johnson's hired man saw the destruction from the road, where he was standing, undecided which way to flee. The wheel on Mr. Anderson's windmill was torn off, and Charley Davenport's side- walk was lifted out of its place and deposited in another part of the yard. No other damage was done in that vicinity. Mrs. Peter- son's barn, about one and one-half miles north of Chichester's, was blown to pieces, but no stock was killed. A short distance north of here was where the tornado snuffed itself out.
Following the path of the storm it would be found that it trav- eled between thirty and thirty-five miles in this county. This storm is reported to have killed two women at Ohio, a town a few miles southwest of Sublette.
That the loss of life was not greater, is certainly wonderful. It must be remembered however, that the tornado did not keep
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close to the ground all the time, in fact but a small part of the dis- tance. The course and action were observed by people all along the route, who rather enjoyed watching the unusual sight, but took good care to be near places of safety, into which they might dodge in case the course diverged in their direction, but being fearful for those who might be in its zig zag path. It was a sublime spectacle, but not one calculated for the amusement of a human being who would comprehend the probability of the frightful results.
Mrs. Chichester's funeral was held this afternoon in the church at East Paw Paw, at 2 o'clock, Reverend Dolliver preaching. The burial service was at South Side cemetery.
It has been learned that the barn on the Atkinson farm was not destroyed, though the roof was taken off.
In 1838 the township and range lines were surveyed, but the section lines were not run until the winter of 1842-43. So soon as the surveys were completed, preemptions were made promptly under the original act of 1841.
Prior to this time, title was held only by right of occupancy and an improvement made was held to be occupancy until the maker of it might return.
Many times a claimant had to go long distances to get work to subsist on, until he could go alone at his farming. In other instances the claimant desired to return to get married. In all such instances the claim was presumed to be respected. Of course once in a while a claim was jumped. David A. Towne's second claim north of the grove was jumped, but with his well known forcefulness, it needs no great imagination to see the trespasser removed rie et armis. as he was. This led to the various mutual protection societies, and be it said, they protected, invariably.
An instance is given by Charles Pierce of claim jumping in Wyoming. A settler gave employment to a lad until he could earn enough to start for himself. This lad jumped one of his employ- er's two forties. The committee came to the premises. The lad defied them in a set speech from the top of a barrel. The captain kicked the barrel from under him: others produced a rope. The youngster then begged for mercy and left the country. Ducking was employed at times. Floggings too, were used. They all were successful.
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The burial ground of the Indians in this vicinity was near the southeast corner of Paw Paw Grove; something less than an acre. The Indian method of burial there is interesting. Some twenty of the dead were thus buried : Each body was placed between two halves of a hollow log, which were supported above the ground upon posts. Other bodies were buried in the ground.
J. C. Heath was the first physician to come to Paw Paw, but George S. Hunt was the first resident physician. He came in the spring of 1844, and while residing at South Paw Paw, his practice extended to all the settlements. Henry Hudson and James Goble Boardman succeeded him there.
A. S. McIntyre, a name almost forgotten, was another very early physician.
George Ryon, undoubtedly was the leading physician of Wyo- ming. He located in Paw Paw in 1850. He was a learned phy- sician. There was one thing he could do thoroughly and that was practice medicine. He knew how to cure; he knew how to enter a sick room and his commanding presence almost drove away an illness. He was over six feet tall, but like many another, he thought he could do something else than his chosen profession, better.
Through a deadlock in a republican convention, his brother-in- law. William E. Ives of Amboy, got him the republican nomina- tion to fill a vacancy in the Legislature. He was elected. He grew intimate with Governor Yates and brought home with him the promise of a commission as colonel to raise the Seventy-fifth Regi- ment. He went to the war, and at the Perryville fight he was charged with sending his troops into the field without ammunition. A court martial was ordered and he was acquitted. He then resigned. In 1858 he was admitted to the bar and rather expected to practice law. After the war, he conceived the idea that he might grow very rich at coal mining. In this venture he lost heavily. He tried banking in Amboy, and after making some atrocious loans, quit. In all he had lost the competency he had amassed and with everything gone, he turned again to medicine. in Amboy. Practice came instantly and he was astonishingly successful. When he died he left a fine estate for that period.
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