Merna, IL Tornado, Jun 1902 - Death at the Dance

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