A Terrible Tornado In Iowa

Cfik!ïo, Mirv 24. - A Tvlbiitie special dispatoh from Washiuton, lowa, dnted to-diiy, ;i vos f uu ciütuüs of the terrible cycioii" which swapt over a porüon of Washington r.il Keoltnk counties on Thur-dny. In the luie of the storm everythiiipr, exeept hero and there a mi le or two over which tho whirlwind seems to havojumpd,.isde8olate-lookinL. Scarcnly anouse, burn, sliod. or granary is left. All are -swoiit away as clean aa tho firR ■wipod out the north sido of Clicaro. - Tho exact starting point of the storm is Üplieyed f'1 have peen Kcokuk, probably r few miles west of Liriciistor, wHicIi ton-n, it is aid, vfas totally dèraoiishèd. It advïncevt in n northnastpvly direction, passing north of Tall"Vr:inrl ftbout tinoo mileS) and t-outh of Krot', through the Gierman Bettlement oalled Baden, appvoDolnng the HiTe of Washington County, -wlioro it jumped a dishmeo of abont eijrht mil'3s, alifriuiiis Eigftia obout six inilts northwest of Washington, on the farm of Frank Brown. i &&main?ng on the ground for six or piiihi. miles it pnsse;! np to Hihland ■Ècnvnsiiip, then leavins; the earth in tho inindle oí' tho tuwnsbip, whcre its force was spsnt, and it disappeajtid as suddenI3' p.s it nppeafid. Thoío who tlip commencpmont say they flrst notioed an immense black mass, which to sorne resembled a hnge hayetack in shape, and to others a balloon with the sniall end toward tho pround. They could not see beyond its bordera, but as it went they saw mud and boards flyiug in all directions. Housea were torn from their foundations as if they ■vrere chníF, broken and twisted into a wíl lio n of fragments, some of which vhl-th t'orand into the ground two or thrne ft. Oüttle wore lü'rcd up, oarried some disííinoe, and Lurled headlong to the eartli. The firpt farm visiled w8 tliftt of John G.' ('iiTinini!inm, whicli is abont nine railes nortb;íl of Washington. Neither tbo harn nor houso was visible. Thoy bad boen torn to pieces, and only a few fragmenta rémaiñed: Everything bad bern blown to pieeeS. Btmrds wen; stick ing out of the fields, soiihi of thein imbedded in the groimd two feot, and so tigbtly that tbcy eonld notbe pulled out. Dead stooK was visible everywhere, horses, cows, pi;s, and chickena. Hero and there ware pigs invpaled to the grouud, while iiciju.'ntly obioker.s were enoountered without i ■ foather on tbem. Three hun red heaiï of stock were killed outriLjht. In Ifeê 'ï-vollinir, when tbo tornado n;.']roiicl.üd, wcie Mrs.McOoy, daughtgr of Mr. Cunninghnm, Mrs. Cptringer, and two cbildren. They went into the cellar forshglter, but remained there only 11 short tftne, hcinp; liftr-d and carriixl 6n;ditatJe8 and tlu-own to the ground. M;s. ?icCüy had her liead cut and was b-id'y bruised. Mrs. Corringer was rende: ed insensible, but was not seriouslj' hurt. The chiMren were nninjured. - They were fdiuul hing in a heap beside the cellar wal i?. E;i.t of Uuuningliam's is tho farm of 5Ir. Daviason. His house and ba'n were destroyed and he hiicself killed. Mr. House] wlio was with him at the time was fatally injured, and ditd on Friday ïuorning. All of the latter's clothing was torn off his body. Korth from Cunningham's is the farm of John Babcook. His residence, -barns, outhouses, and granaries were demolished. His familv were fortunatelv absent, and ha himself escaped uninjured. The app!e orchard, ono of the largeat in the coimty, is Dow without trees ; they were torn iip l.y bhfe roots and hurried along. A grove oí' locuts was also cnrried away. Trees eightoeu inohes thick were 6tiapped as clay pipes eüti be. Some of tho Etunips rrmaining look as if a saw had been uséd, 6O tsinooth and oloan was the breuk. ïhis noxt farm was thut of David Concr. Here was the saie clpsolation as at the otnèr places, only less building material was observable. Of the houses, barns and sheds, scarcely a vestigo was left, üir. and Hrs. Coner and Alex Gibson were in the house, and sought siialtor in the cellar and esoaped with glight injuries. A short distance from Coner's 6tood the district school house, which shared the fate of ail others iu tho path of the oyclone. Miss Smith, the teacher, and twenty pupils were in the school-house when the storm strnok it and carried it way, leaving them iu the roadway, with the exception of a daughter of Henry Kathmcl, aged 11, who was taken up by the wind and carried a quarter of a mile, where her mangled and noarlynude body iR-Jis ufterwards found. Miss Smith and oix of tho scholars wero injured, severa! of them sericusly. The mud was blown pntinrri info the faceg of raany of the ehildren that it cannot be washed off. - Some of their faces look as if they had been tatlood with India ink or powder. Near the sshool-house stood the dwelling of Henry Walters. It was blown to fttoms find Airs Walters was instantly kiiled. When fonm'l she had one of a pair cf twins in her arras. The little fellow was bruisod and out and died the f olio wing morning. The othor one escaped, no one can teil how. Three other children of Mr. Walters were iu the sohool-house and wore serious'.y, two, it is thought, fatallv injured. A qua'rter of a mile south of the school is the farm and elegant house of Alex Gibson. None of the buildings are Btanding. His farming imploraents are gone, and his stock dead. Sixty fat steers, somo weighing 1,40(1 pounds each. were carried by the wind twenty rods into a slough. None ot' the occupants of the house, seven in number were killed, but some were seiiously injured. The housesof Thomas Wulters, William Caldwell and Geo. Gilchrist were all demolished. At Walters' house Mrs. Walters, the grandmother of the owner, was fatally injured boards. The cyclono eame within twenty feet of James K. Marbourg's house, bnt did it no injury. There was very little hail in Washington County, but specimens were exhibited here brought from beyond Kiola, near Lancaster. One pieco wetghed sev.en ounces and was nine luches in circumference. Several pieces still larger than this nre said to have been picked up. A flock of 150 sheep were grazing in a field when the cyclone appruached. In■tinctively the poor animáis huddled closely togethor, as if for mutual protection. The storm swooped down on them and bore them into tho air, where as an eye-witness saya they looked like a flock of immense birds whirling around and around. Thr-y were thus swtxit along a distance of half a mile, when they struck the earth, all bnt 40 mangled and torn aotually into fragments and scattered along the path of the storm. Very littie definite information bas been received of tho damagc to property and loss of Hfe in Keokuk County, but it is known that tlve persons, Mrs. Camp bell, Mre. Endledinger and child, a child of Peter Maroh and a child of Michael Fuch WL'ro killed, and ten other adults and children injured. The asgregato loss of property is variously ostimated at $100,000 to $200,000 ; but probably $S0 - 000 will cover the loases.