History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Part 98

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1304

USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Wisconsin > Part 98

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Eighty rods northeast of Osmonson's stood a house belonging to Mrs. Ketchum. This house was on the south side of a hill. It was taken bodily from the foundation, up the hill north, and left in a little niche in the woods northwest from its starting-point fifteen rods. The family escaped by going to the cellar.

The storm bent to the north at this point. Its northern border struck the house of G. Gulickson, situated at the center of Section 9. This house was partially protected by standing timber, and was only slightly injured. A shed, rather slightly built, was torn away and carried directly west. Fifty rods south of the center of the west line of Section 10, the house of N. Byrge was totally destroyed. Byrge and his son were instantly killed. Their bodies, when

652

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

found, lay in a ravine about fifteen rods northeast of the house. The stove, and the larger part of the ruins of the house, were found near them. A barrel was carried directly east half a mile. Mrs. Byrge was injured to some extent. One man escaped by jumping into the cellar. Very nearly directly north from Byrge's, and one hundred rods distant, the barn, granary and hay-stacks of Mr. Hobbes, were blown down, the debris falling directly south. Between Byrge's and Hobbes' a marsh, some forty rods in width, fairly bristled with pieces of boards, timber and other debris that had come from the house on the south, and from the barn on the north.

Three-fourths of a mile further east, J. T. Chandler had upon one side of the road a house and three barns, and upon the other side stood a house and two barns belonging to R. B. Chand- ler. These buildings were utterly destroyed. It would be difficult to imagine a picture of greater desolation than was to be seen here after the storm. It was not over thirty rods from one extreme of this group of buildings to the other. The ruins were consequently strewn over a comparatively small space, and were correspondingly thick. The broken foundation walls, the debris of the buildings, fragments of tables, bedsteads, bureaus and chairs, shreds of bedding and clothing hanging upon bushes and trees, or lying upon the ground in a state which rendered it difficult to distinguish the garment from the mud, gave to the scene an indescribably saddening air of ruin and desolation.

The debris of these buildings was thrown east and northeast. One piece of timber, eight inches square and six feet long, was carried east one-fourth of a mile. The sills of one barn were twelve inches square. One of these was broken four times in two, and others twice. Very few whole timbers were left. The deed of J. T. Chandler's farm was found next day nearly ten miles distant, directly east. A portion of an organ from R. B. Chandler's house was found four and one-fourth miles directly north, while the boiler and some cooking utensils were carried east one mile. The family of J. T. Chandler escaped injury by going to the cellar. W. Osborne and family were living in R. B. Chandler's house. Mr. Osborne was slightly injured ; Mrs. Osborne had one leg broken twice, the knee of the other seriously injured, and was bruised all over by the hail. A daughter was so severely injured as not to be able to walk for three months. Seventeen pans of milk in the cellar were not disturbed by the storm.

One mile east of Mr. Chandler's, on the bank of Sugar River, R. Shepard's granary and log house were destroyed. The stove, a part of the furniture, and some of the logs of the house were blown into the river. A lady school-teacher, boarding at the house, was saved from the same fate by a log falling upon her and holding her down. Mrs. Shepard was somewhat hurt by falling hail. This house was on the northern border of the storm. One hundred rods directly south, upon the southern border, the house of O. S. Olson was unroofed. Chandler's buildings were in the center of the tornado's path, which there was only eighty rods in width. It had consequently widened about twenty rods, and curved slightly to the south between Chandler's and Shepard's. Near the center of the southwest quarter of Section 12, a log house was blown down, and Mrs. Galena killed by falling timber. With the exception of the destruction of timber and the blowing down of fences, little damage was done for the next four and a half miles, where the buildings of A. F. Clark, on Section 10, in the town of Montrose (Township 5 north, Range 8 east), situated one-fourth mile south of the village of Paoli, were struck. Clark's house was a stone structure, 35x40, about five rods within the northern limit of the storm. The roof of the house-a square hipped roof-was taken off. The one-fourth portion of the roof sloping to the south, struck the ground twelve rods distant in a southwesterly direction, then took a circular course to the eastward, and was found fifty rods nearly south from the house, a little beyond the center of the storm's path, lodged among trees, against which it had been blown from the west. The course of this portion of the wreck was easily traced by the furrows made in a field of oats, which showed by their depth and extent the great force that was impelling it forward. The cupola was found thirty-five rods from the house, south by east. Other portions of the roof were found three-fourths of a mile away, in a southeasterly direction. About one hundred bricks from a chimney were scattered over the area described by the course of the quarter of the roof above given, and a line connecting the point where the fragment was found and the house.

653

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

Windows upon the east side of the house were broken inward by the storm. Some of those upon the north side were broken by flying debris. A young child was sleeping in its crib in a room having a north window. When found, after the storm, the window was shattered to fragments, and a limb of a poplar tree, three inches in diameter and six feet in length, was lying across the crib, above the child. Trees, a few rods northwest of the house, were broken over to the south. Mr. Clark's baru, fifteen rods southeast of the house, was carried away to the foundation stones. The debris was thrown southwest, south and southeast. One beam, nineteen feet long, 6x8, was carried fifteen rods south and four rods west. A buggy, taken from the barn, was carried fifteen rods southwest, and broken beyond the possibility of repair. A man, standing in the west barn door watching the storm, was carried directly west across the road five rods, and lodged in a small tree. A sitting turkey was almost entirely deplumed, and so injured, apparently without anything having struck her, that she died.

One-fourth of a mile east of Clark's, V. S. Parkhurst's granary was torn to pieces and his large frame house moved off its foundation. The northeast corner of the house was moved three . feet southeast, and the west end moved around this corner as a pivot, eight feet from the orig- inal position. Half a mile further on, the log house and cattle sheds of J. Berg were blown down, the logs being carried northeast. In the southwest corner of Section 1, the house of M. Warner was torn to pieces, and everything above the foundation walls carried away. The debris was mostly carried southeast, some portions northeast, and one timber from the foundation went north. One child was carried eight rods south of east; when found, a carpet was wrapped around her and around a tree, and portions of the side of the house were resting against the tree. The carpet prevented the child from being blown away, while the tree prevented her from being crushed.

Warner's granary, fifteen rods northeast of the house, was moved eighteen inches southeast. This granary was upon the north border of the storm. Eighty rods southeast, near the southern border of the storm, the granary of R. W. Salisbury was carried off its foundation to the north- east. The barn of R. Taylor, sixty rods south of the northeast corner of Section 12, was par- tially destroyed. Taylor's house, situated further within the storm, was uninjured. The storm widened in the western part of the township of Oregon. Up to this point, the width has been quite uniformly from seventy to one hundred rods in width ; on Section 5, Oregon, it is fully one-half mile wide. The first damage of any importance in this township was a little east of the center of the south line of Section 6, where the dwelling of M. McCarthy was demolished. The bouse was carried northeast and north. Mrs. McCarthy and eight children were in the house, all of whom were slightly injured, the mother quite seriously. She was thrown ten rods, directly north. One sill, 9x9, fifteen feet long, was carried eight rods north, and another of the same dimensions fifteen rods northeast. Many chickens were killed, but not deplumed. J. Lavin's house, a little further east, was unroofed, and in the southwest corner of Section 5, the farm buildings of S. Cowdle were struck. One barn, 25x53, had its east end moved four feet north, the west end one foot in the same direction. Another barn, 26x16, had a wagon shed upon one side and a stable upon the other, each thirteen feet wide. The stable and wagon-shed were torn to pieces; the barn was moved its length (twenty-six feet) to the north, and turned slightly to the northwest. A thick grove of timber stood close to the latter barn on both the south and the southwest sides, which must have furnished a great degree of protection, and without which doubtless all the buildings would have been totally destroyed. Some of the debris of the barns was carried half a mile, a little east of north.

In the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section 5, the house of J. G. Fleming was unroofed and his log stables destroyed. In the southwest corner of the northeast quarter of the same section, J. G. Pierce's house was moved on its foundation, being carried fifteen inches to the southeast. The north and south fence in front of the house was blown to the west. A barrel and a tub, both full of water before the storm, were carried ten rods directly west, while other vessels standing near these were taken east. These two houses of Fleming's and Pierce's stood respectively at the southern and northern limits of the storm, which consequently must

654

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

have been at this point one-half a mile in width. Sixty rods east of Fleming's, another large barn, belonging to S. Cowdle, lost the south half and the west portion of the north half of its roof. The west end and a portion of the south side were blown in.

One hundred and fifty yards south of the center of Section 4, a barn belonging to G. W. Montanye was unroofed, the debris being carried east, northeast and north. A little less than one-fourth of a mile directly. north of this barn, the house and barn of J. Pierce were destroyed. The first gust of wind that struck the house blew a door open. A grown son of Mr. Pierce started to close the door, when immediately he was taken out of the house and carried over two fences about thirty rods south of east. He was unable to tell how he got into the field. He remembered starting to shut the door, and was conscious of trying at two or three different times to regain his feet and an upright position, but further than that he seemed not to know what happened or how he was transported. When the storm had passed and he had regained his feet, the house and barn were gone. The house was moved off its foundation to the east, then turned over to the north, and was literally torn to pieces. Mrs. Pierce was thrown upon the stove and held down so that she could not extricate herself. She died from her injuries two weeks later. Mr. Pierce was so badly injured that five months after he could scarcely walk with the assist- ance of crutches. The debris of both house and barn was mainly carried northeasterly. A pine plate of the barn, 9x10, thirty-six feet long, was carried eight rods directly north. One of the barn doors was taken northwest at least forty rods. The east-and-west fences on both the north and south lines of the farm were blown down. The south fence was carried north and the north fence south. At George Pierce's, forty rods further north, and on the north limit of the storm, a white oak tree about sixteen inches in diameter was blown over to the north- west. Two large limbs of another white oak were broken off and carried thirty paces to the north west.

East of Pierce's, the log houses of H. Underwood and of J. Underwood were unroofed, and the bedding, clothing, etc., from the chambers, were carried away. On the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 3, the outbuildings of H. Palmer were destroyed. Of 500 bushels of grain in his granaries, but about thirty bushels were ever found. Cattle and pigs were carried from one field to another. A horse was carried eighty rods, striking two or three times in the distance, and when found a few minutes later, was feeding as quietly as though nothing had happened. One man had a leg broken, and one horse was killed. Mr. Palmer's house, sit- uated about eight rods south of his stables, and within the track of the storm, was not materially injured. The chimneys were blown down and the upper half of a window upon the south side of the house was carried outward, the curtain of which was found one-quarter of a mile away northeasterly, the direction in which most of the ruins was carried. Mr. Rice's house, fifteen rods southeast of Palmer's, was moved off its foundation, turned over and then torn in pieces. The joists were 2x8 inches. A section of joists and floor 12x15 was carried ninety rods east. A part of the flooring was found at the cemetery one and one-half miles distant north of east, while blue base-boards, similar to those in this house, were picked up near First Lake, eight miles distant north of east. Mr. and Mrs. Rice were on the piazza watching the storm, and were car- ried very unceremoniously five rods northeasterly, and left in a clump of bushes, covered with mud, but not injured. The entire contents of the house were destroyed. The storm entered Section 2, on the farm of J. C. Kiser, passing north of his buildings. Perhaps no better illus- tration of the terribleness and the mighty force of the storm was to be seen in the whole course, than upon Mr. Kiser's premises. No adequate description can be given of the fury and destruct- ive power, the effects of which were here visible. The storm's course was partly over a piece of second-growth oak timber, and partly through a timber pasture which was bare of undergrowth, but in which the large timber was still standing. This timber was.torn up by the roots and broken in an indescribable manner. One green black oak, ten inches in diameter, was torn out by the roots and carried bodily twenty-five rods east. Another, two feet in diameter, was broken off and carried four rods southwest. Upon the very northern limit of the storm, an oak-tree two feet in diameter, was carried over to the west. Granite bowlders, a foot in diameter, were rolled ont of

655

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

their beds. Scarcely a square foot of sward could be found upon which the soil had not been torn up by some flying fragment, while the whole surface of the ground looked as if a rapid cur- rent of water a foot in depth had swept over it, washing along its course straw, twigs, stubble, and other light material, and which, after the storm, were lying against trees and brush in such a way as to indicate the subsidence of a flood. As the storm emerged from the timber into open fields, all fences were torn down, and posts left standing were coated with mud two inches thick, which, although heavy rains had since fallen, still remained on them a week after. On the farm of G. H. Fox, next east, two horses were carried from an adjoining field, and thrown against the railroad embankment with such force as to kill them. The high board fence on both sides of the railroad was blown away, and the fragments scattered over fields for three-fourths of a mile in an easterly direction. Straws were blown against the dry cedar telegraph posts with such force as to cause them to penetrate the wood. At the cemetery, a little farther east, several monuments were blown over, and a large number were broken off by boards, rails and other flying frag- ments.

The north border of the tornado entered the town of Fitchburg (Township 6 north, Range 9 east), one and three-fourths miles west of the southeast corner of the town. The southern limit entered the town but a few rods before reaching the east line. The only buildings struck in this town were those of E. Bement, situated seventy rods north of the southeast corner of Section 36. The house was partially unroofed, the barns and outbuildings destroyed, and many fine evergreens broken over and uprooted. Near the southwest corner of Section 30, town of Dunn (Township 6 north, Range 10 east), the house and stables of G. Geary were badly damaged, and Mr. Geary severely injured by a falling timber. From this point onward, the storm widens out, and is much less severe in its effects, still, however, remaining most severe in its central portion.

Near the line between the towns of Fitchburg and Dunn, the storm makes quite a sharp bend in its course, going to the more northward than at any previous point. On the west line of Section 29, the house of J. A. Nesbitt was unroofed, his cattle-sheds blown down, and his orchard partially destroyed. Half a mile northeast of Nesbitt's, a log house was unroofed, and one-fourth of a mile farther east, J. Keeley's house was unroofed. The buildings of R. Henry, one.fourth mile west of the center of Section 22, were very near the middle of the storm's path, but were not injured, although several apple-trees were torn up by the roots. The next house within the path of the tornado was that of C. Thompson, on the southeast quarter of Section 14, was unroofed. The tobacco barn of R. Everson, eighty rods east of Thompson's, was demolished, and his granary moved southeast two feet. The standing timber across the Catfish River, north of Thompson's and Everson's, was quite badly twisted and torn, but no further injury was done in this township.

In the town of Pleasant Springs (Township 6 north, Range 11 east), the first house injured was that of J. Ingebretson, on Section 7, which was partially unroofed. Near the northeast corner of Section 8, the house of J. Melos lost a roof, and across the road east, on Section 9, G. Kittleson's tobacco shed was blown over and his barn unroofed. On the line between Sec- tions 7 and 8, the greatest width of the storm was not over eighty rods, and the effects are not very severe. Near the center of the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 4, the house of L. Michelet was unroofed, his wind-mill broken, and his barn badly damaged. A portion of the debris was carried sixty rods in the line of the storm. On the western part of Section 3, the storm passed through a piece of standing timber. Passing down the east side of a hill, the timber was very badly prostrated, showing that at this point the storm was more severe than atany other place east of Geary's on the west side of the town of Dunn. When the storm had reached the east side of Section 3, it was only a severe wind, blowing down a few trees and scattering fences, and, after climbing Liberty Mound one-fourth the distance across Section2, left the earth entirely.

On the east part of Section 32, in the town of Christiana (Township 6 north, Range 12 east), another wind-storm moving in a direction north 75° east, struck the earth, blowing down trees

656

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

and fences, but doing little damage for the first three miles. The wind seems to have been increasing in force during this time, and when it reached the house of C. Helleckson, sixty rods north of the center of Section 26, it had assumed the characteristics of a tornado. This house, a small frame structure, was literally torn to pieces, the fragments being principally deposited from four to eight rods northeast. The stove was carried fifteen rods in the same direction. One window sash was carried twenty rods, east of north. Pictures were carried several miles nearly east, and a bed-quilt was found three-fourths of a mile distant north of east. The storm was thirty-five rods wide at this point, and was not severe enough to materially injure standing tim- ber. As it crossed the valley of Koshkonong Creek, it widened and increased in violence. Across the southwest quarter of Section 24, the timber was badly twisted and torn for a width of sev- enty-five rods. The tornado entered Jefferson County, near the southwest corner of Section 19, in the town of Oakland ; swept around almost due east, crossing Rock River on the line between Sections 26 and 27, in the town of Jefferson, and dissipated itself in a marsh on Section 29, in the town of Hebron. An offshoot struck the earth to the northeast, doing some damage, but soon spending its force.

Some time before the tornado came to the ground, there had been brilliant lightning, accompanied by heavy, rolling thunder, both of which increased in frequency and severity until the storm struck the earth. Some carpenters working near said " there was a great boiling in the clouds in that direction, for a long time before the storm came." An intelligent Welshman, in describing it, said, " I allowed that we had the lightning right down here with us." Many saw clouds from the north come in contact with clouds from the south, producing the tornado. But this phenomenon was witnessed by observers along the entire line of the storm. I can account for this appearance only by supposing that the same whirling motion in the clouds was seen even before the storm struck the earth, which others farther east saw as the storm ap- proached them.

The appearance of the storm-cloud while moving along over the surface of the earth, as given by different individuals, differs greatly. W. T. Henry, of Mineral Point, saw it when several miles distant, coming directly toward him, and described it as being much narrower at the base than above, or somewhat tunnel-shaped, composed of very dark, heavy-looking clouds. No other person spoke of its tunnel-shaped appearance. S. Terrell, of the town of Mineral Point, Iowa County, watched the storm as it was approaching his place, and described it as a column of black cloud reaching to the ground, shooting up and down, and whirling in indescribable con- fusion, filled with leaves, hay, straw, limbs of trees, and other debris.

Mr. Osborne, of Primrose, described it as a low, black cloud with bands or strips of cloud hanging to its under surface, and coming to the ground. Mr. Rice, of Oregon, saw it coming half a mile distant. The south part of the upper side of the cloud looked like a blaze of fire, the north portion was dark. Near the ground it was dense and dark, and the whole mass appeared as if rolling to the north. The dark color and opacity of the cloud near the earth were, to a great extent, due to the sand and mud with which the air was filled. Fences were covered with mud, often several inches in thickness, which was packed on so firmly, that in some cases it was still to be seen, four months afterward. The eyes, skin, and wearing apparel of those exposed to the storm were filled with mud and sand, and the faces of the dead were frequently so masked with mud as to make them unrecognizable.

The appearance of the cloud was certainly very unusual, as is shown by the large number - of persons who saw it approaching, and, fearing danger, sought places of safety for themselves and families. It has been a matter of surprise that so few who saw the storm, both of those who were in it and those who saw it passing by, could give an adequate description of it. Lightning and thunder seem to have begun about an hour before the advent of the tornado, and to have grown more frequent and violent until its approach, when they were almost continuous.

Very little rain fell with the tornado. But soon after it had passed, variously estimated from five to thirty minutes, rain fell in torrents, continuing for an hour. The amount of rain which fell directly in the line of the storm was recorded nowhere except at Milwaukee, where

657

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

it was 1.13 inches. But as the wind, lightning and thunder were much less violent for forty miles before reaching Milwaukee, the storm, as a whole, was doubtless being dissipated through- out that distance, and the rainfall was consequently less than farther west. At Madison, nine miles north of the path of the storm where it crossed the cemetery in Oregon, 1.48 inches of rain fell, from 4:10 to 5:45 P. M. Probably the amount in the vicinity of the storm was consid- erably greater. The appearance in the track of the tornado was that of a region which had been inundated.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Part 98

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1304

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1304