Clark County IL Archives News.....Cyclone in Village of Darwin 1904
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Devastated Was the Village of Darwin By a Real Cyclone Which
Occurred Last Friday Evening, August 19

24 August 1904, Clark County (IL) Herald

A cyclone swept through the village of Darwin, ten miles
southeast of Marshall, last Friday evening about 7 o'clock,
leaving desolation and ruin in its wake.

A small, coal-black cloud the shape of a pear, was seen coming
across the prairie from the southwest.  Those who saw it say it
was twisting and turning around at a rapid rate, but not
traveling much faster than other clouds.

It lowered as it neared the village, and first struck a string
of fence and shrubbery, laying them low.

Two barns were next, one on each side of the street, and both
were torn to pieces while a small house that stood between them
was not touched.

The Methodist church was then struck and torn flat, pieces of
it flying in all directions.

Will Coons' residence, his barn and another house on the same
block went next, followed by a house upon the opposite side of
the block.  The storm swept onward, across the schoolhouse
yard, tearing up giant trees by the roots and twisting them
into a shapeless mass.

The house of David Groves occupied by Wilburn Renshaw and
family had a large brick house occupied by Anthony Fuller and
family were the next to go down, then the roof and east end of
a large frame house to the north, after which the cloud raised
slightly, crossed the river and was lost to sight.

It is almost useless to attempt to describe the complete
destruction caused by the cyclone.  Houses, barns, adn other
buildings were utterly demolished, part of the timbers and
material not having been located yet.

The two barns first struck were small and the loss was not
great.

The church building was a substantial frame structure, 28 x 48.
It was dedicated in 1888 by Rev. J. Jay Dugan who was a
minister of this city at that time.  The ruins as viewed by the
writer on Sunday presented a sorry aspect.  The sides and floor
of the building are lying flat in the street.  Broken chairs,
pieces of organ and other fixtures are scattered in all
directions.  Even the large sandstones used in the foundation
were torn from the earth and rolled in all directions.  A large
section of the building was found on the bluff, a mile north of
the village, and some of the iron roof way beyond across the
river.  Two heavy timbers connected by inch and a half iron
bars were carried 100 yards due east and twisted as though by a
monster hand.  There was no insurance on the building and it
will probably never be rebuilt.  The loss was fully $1500.  The
members of the church and Sunday School have made arrangements
to hold their services in the old Masonic building.

The house of Wm. Coons across the street east from the church
was a two-story building.  The roof was carried away entirely.
A buggy was standing in front of this house and it was
scattered in all directions.  When the Coons barn was struck
there was a horse in it but the building was lifted high and
the horse escaped without a scratch.  The other dwelling house
on the lot has disappeared entirely.  Mr. Coons' loss is about
$700 with no insurance.  On the same block of ground was a
house and new barn belonging to Henry Baesch and occupied by
Wm. Morris.  The barn was demolished and part of the house was
blown away.  The house was picked up and turned around till it
faced another direction from which it was built, then dropped
to the ground again.  A new buggy that was at this place was
not scratched about the top, but every spoke out of the two
front wheels are gone.  Another buggy was torn to small pieces.

There were several large trees in the school yard and they were
twisted to pieces.  The school building does not appear to be
much damaged in looks, but inside can be seen that the brick
flue is out of position and the building is somewhat twisted.

Anthony Fuller and wife, who occupied a two story brick
building owned by Otho Tibbs of this city, had a narrow escape
from death.  They did not know of the approach of the storm
until Mrs. Fuller saw the church go down.  Mr. Fuller was
standing in a dorway between two rooms and he quickly drew his
wife into the doorway with him and none too soon either for at
the same instant the house collapsed.  The heavy timbers from
which the door frame was made no doubt saved their lives for it
stood the strain and protected them when the upper floors and
roof came tumbling in.  They were both slightly bruised and
scratched and were lucky indeed to escape with their lives.
They were soon assisted out of the wreckage by the neighbors.
Some curious things happened here.  Three trees stood by the
house.  One of them was blown about 150 feet to the north, one
out in to the stret and one across the street west.  A wagon
which was standing in front of the house was turned upside down
and set back in the same place from which it was taken.  A lot
of potatoes was growing in the garden just north of the house
and they were all on top of the ground after the storm was
over.  The vines were jerked from the ground bringing the
potatoes with them and they dropped off.  Mr. Fuller's loss was
almost total as nothing but their beding was saved.  Every
piece of furniture in the house was broken to pieces.

Wilburn Renshaw and family, who occupied the house owned by
David Groves of this city, had a harrowing experience.  The
evening being clouded and damp, they decided to retire early
and had just gone to bed when the cyclone struck their home.
Mrs. Renshaw was struck by a timber of some kind and stunned.
Their little girl was thrown from her bed to the floor and the
father was thrown so that he stook upon his hands and knees
just over her and at that instant a heavy timber fell upon him.
If he had not fallen across her the timber would no doubt have
killed the little girl.  Their little boy grabbed the baby into
his arms as he fell and here too was a miraculous escape, for
as the litle fellow went to the floor, a sofa upended from one
direction and a bed from another, their ends coming together in
the shape of a A with the children lying in the hollow beneath.
It looked much like the hand of Providence was protecting those
little ones.  Not only was the house crushed flat but the barn
was carried over and fell on top of the wreckage.  Mrs. Renshaw
was taken out unconscious and carried to a nearby house where
by prompt medical attention she was revived.  She was bruised
considerably and had some cuts on her head.  About the only
property saved from the Renshaw home was the bedding.  The
parents both stated to the writer that their greatest concern
at the time the house fell was for the welfare of their
children.  The children were scarcely scratched.

Just north of this stands a two-story frame house belonging to
Mrs. John Reynolds of Terre Haute.  It is occupied by Chas.
Broner.  The rood was of iron, put on over a shingl roof.  The
iron roof was ripped off but the shingles were hardly damaged.
Then the cyclone goes around the house and jerks the east side
out as clearly as though cut by a saw.  Bruner was out in the
yard and he hung onto a grapevine.  Some kind of a flying
timber struck him in the head but he was not seriously hurt.
The barn and summer kitchen at this place were also razed.

A flying brick went through the upper window of Jas. Paddock's
home breaking a chair.  His house was out of the cyclone's
path.

A barn owned by Robt. Riley and used by Chas. Berner as a feed
mill was blown away but the machinery remained unharmed.  On
wagon here was carried a hundred yards before alighting.

A barn belonging to Ollie Myles was the next and last building
to go.  It was torn all to pieces and lay flat on the ground,
but a team of mules which was in it was unharmed.

A scantling was hurled eastward and punctured the roof of the
old Masonic hall.

Hundreds of chickens were killed and a number of dead birds
were found.

Corn and all other kinds of vegetation fell toward the west
while the tornado was traveling northeastward.

A more desolate looking place than Darwin after the storm would
be hard to imagine.  Trees, timbers, pieces of furniture, tools
and implements were strewn over the ground in great profusion.

The people are of course sorry to lose their property but all
seemed to think they were lucky to escape without serious
injury.

Many queer things were seen.  At Wm. Coon's a banta hen was
setting on some eggs in a nest made on the ground.  The
wreckage of the church fell all around her and boards were
covering the ground, but on Sunday morning Mrs. Coons went out
and began clearing away some of the boards and found the little
hen on her nest without even an egg broken.

The only hosue damaged on which there was any windstorm
insurance was a large brick owned by Chas. Figg of this city.
It was only damaged to the extent of about $50.  A brick stable
at this place took advantage of time and caved in about four
hours before the cyclone.

It is doubtful if many buildings will be erected to take the
place of those destroyed as there will be no insurance money to
help pay for them and most of the buildings were occupied by
renters.

Darwin had a severe storm several years ago, but it was nothing
compared to this one.

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