AWFUL CALAMITY. Terrible Tornado at Viroqua, Wiscon- sin—17 Persons Killed and 100 Wound- cd—Fifty Houses Demolished. From the La Crosse Republican, July 1. The terrible calamity that has fallen upon the people of Vernon County, Wisconsin, will appal the stoutest heart. In an instant fifty families were thrown from happiness and comfort into grief and adversity. About 4 o’clock in the afternoon of Thurs- day, June 29, two angry looking clouds approached each other fromthe north and south, and met ata short distance west of the village of Viroqua, Vernon County, Wisconsin. The people watched the threat- ening events with deep solicitude. When those two forces came in contact, they whirled off at a tangent and moved in an easterly direction and passed through the very heart of the beautiful village, carrying death, destruction and danger in their progress, In a mo- ment, about fifty buildings were demolished and ecattered to the winds, seventeen persons killed, and about one hundred men, women and children injur- ed. The hurricane continued castward in its course; and it is vet unknown where its havoc ceased.For several mics cast or yiroqua, 1t destroyed eve- rything in itscourse. The total destruction of prop- erty is estimated at two hundred thousand dollars, The citizens ot Viroqua and the surrounding country have done and are doing what they can to relieve the distressed; but it isan emergency that appeals to the prompt benevolence of the citizens of this und other places. Hon. D. B. Priest, District Attorney, and Jas. Loury, Esq., County Treasurer of Vernon County, are in La Crosse to-day, as delegates from the citizens’ meeting, over which Col, J. M. Rusk presided, solicit- ing aid trom this and other localities in behalf of the needy sufferers. We ere indebted to District Attorney Priest for the following particulars, which are given without exaggeration, and as the real facta of the case: THE KILLED AND WOUNDED AT VIROQUA. The following persons were killed and injured by the terrible hurricane at Viroqua on Thursday after- noon: J.G. Barstow and wife killed. Mr. Drake, the fa- ther of Mrs. Barstow, aged 84 years, and his wife, aged 76 years, are both fatally injured. Mrs, R. Dean and her daughter, Mrs. Moon, were killed, and Dr. Dean severely anc perhaps fatally injured. Mr. Weedon’schild killed, and Dr. and Mrs. Weedon and one child severely injured. Mrs. Lydia Gillett killed. Her husband is in the army. She was at the house of Cyrus Gillett, and was in the act of trying to shut the door, when a fragment of Mr. Graves’ building crushed in the door and killed her. The family of Cyrus Gillett, consisting of his wife and three children, escaped uninjured by taking refuge in the cellar, while the house was entirely car- ried away, John Gardner's wife and child badly injured. The large two-story frame building in which they were liv- ing was raised up bodily forty feet into the air, turned upside down, dashed into pieces, and the fragments entirely carried away. James Riley’s wife and one child injured. W. 8. Purdy’s hired girl fatally injured. Mrs, Pur- dy and her children escaped by running from the kitchen into the parlor. The house was raised from the flooring and carried away, and left her and her children sitiing on the floor in safety. Mrs. Buckley fatally injured, and her sister, Mrs. Allison, badly hurt. Mrs. Buckley was sick in bed at the time. She was thrown agzinst a large stone nearly three rods southward, and parts of her bedstead were found forty rods apart, southwest. John Dawson, badly hurt, and his wife considerably injured. Mr. Dawson was in the act of running from his store to his house to protect his family, when he wus knocked down by some fragment of a building. Mr. J. M. Bennett, wie and married daughter, Mrs. Toujee and two children, went into a cellar. Three horses and harnesses were blown into the cel- lar, and upon the family. Mr. Bennett was very se- riously injured, his leg broken and side bruised, Mrs. Toujee slightly wounded. Mrs, Bennett and child escaped without scrious harm. The vehicles to which the horses were attached have not been found. Miss Gardner was considerably injured while in the Post-office building. Register White’s wife and grand-daughter were fa- tally injured, and his daughter, Mrs. Davis, badly hurt. Mr. White being at his office in the Custom House, escaped unharmed,