Merna, Illinois Tornado
June 10, 1902
Bloomington, Ills., June 11.--Death
and destruction followed in the wake of the
worst tornado last night that has ever visited
central Illinois. The wind wrought ruin and woe
and the property loss will be tens of thousands
of dollars.
At Merna, a small village ten miles east of
here, a party of 250 young men and women were
attending a dance in the town hall, when the
tornado struck the building, which collapsed.
Three persons were killed and forty or fifty
other more or less injured, some seriously.
Dead:
MISS LENA JAHAGAN.
MRS. EDWARD MARTIN.
MISS ANNA DALLY.
All were daughters of prominent farmers in the
vicinity.
Many of the finest houses and barns in Merna
were destroyed.
The saddest feature of the storm was the killing
of three young women at the dance at Merna. The
victims, with 200 other young men and women,
were engaged in dancing when the storm struck
the village, a small place of 300 people,
located ten miles east of Bloomington. The hall
was formerly used as a Catholic church, and was
little better than a shell. The ball was under
the auspices of the Modern Woodman society of
the village, and guests were present from
Bloomington and many of the surrounding towns.
When the structure commenced to sway with the
force of the wind a wild scramble ensued for
egress, and, although many opposed the action,
nearly all succeeded in getting out. A vestibule
which prevented the fall of the front of the
structure, saved many lives. Had it fallen with
the rest of the building those at the door would
have been crushed like the three young women at
the other end. Their death was instantaneous.
In addition to the destruction of the town hall
in Merna, several of the principal stores,
including the Kinsella
implement building, were
wrecked. The farm houses of the vicinity were
razed and a trail of destruction marked the
passage of the storm across McLean county, The
path of the tornado was fully 100 miles wide,
extending as far north as Chenon McLean county,
as far south as Springfield,. It moved
southeasterly and struck central Illinois about
11 o’clock. From every township comes reports of
damage. Dozens of fine farm houses were blown
over and wrecked. All kinds of farm property
suffered and the injury to growing crops is very
heavy.
The Daily Review, Decatur, IL 12 Jun 1902
Transcribed by Audrey. Thank you,
Audrey!
The heaviest loss in proportion to population
fell upon Merna, a village ten miles east of
Bloomington, where the town hall, which was
being used by a party of 250 for a dance, was
destroyed, three of the women dancers being
instantly killed by falling timbers.
They were:
MRS. EDWARD MARTIN,
aged 26, wife of a well-to-do farmer, residing
six miles east of Leroy, this county.
MISS LENA GAHAGAN, sister of Mrs.
Martin, residing east of Leroy, aged 23.
MISS ANNA KELLY, residing with her
widowed mother two miles north of Merna.
When the storm struck the building, its swaying
alarmed the party of merrymakers. All made a
rush for the exists [sic] and a fierce struggle
ensued.
Three women were left behind and were killed
instantly by falling timbers. Two sisters were
found locked in each other’s arms.
Miss Kelly
was being pulled through an open window by
Clement SPENCER,
and in another moment she would have been saved.
Spencer was hurt internally and may die.
Others seriously hurt are
Thomas GAHAGAN, cousin of the two
sisters killed, and
John KELLY, brother of
Miss Kelly, one of the victims.
Fully fifty others were painfully injured, and
all were taken to residences and farm houses.
Many surgeons from Bloomington were summoned to
dress the wounds and were kept busy during the
entire day.
At Merna, in addition to the town hall, the
Kinsella implement house was leveled
and many other structures destroyed.
Des Moines Daily Leader, Des Moines, IA 12
Jun 1902
Transcribed by Rosemarie Thank you,
Rosemarie!
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