The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1854-02-28
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO AND SINGULAR PHI
L0S0PHY OF 1T.


HARRIsoN-a town northwest of Cincinnati
experienced an awful storm of wind and rail-
on Tuesday tho l4th
Rain preceded The wind few minutes
when most dcsolating tornado broke upor
tho town, leveing almost everything in III
track. The account says:
In one shop five men were at work, and The
building was entirely demolished yet they es
eaped, by craving under the building.
Rice and Thompsons carpenter shop was
N fino two story building. twas apparent
iy strong built shop, but tho wind (strangt
Is it may appoaT blew tho lower story from
under tho upper story, removing the former
somo distance, and tho latter falling nearly on
tho foundation. The roof entirely blown a.
way.
Abram l.. Clocks fine brick residence is on
tirely in ruins. the roof and second story of
and the balance cracked His family was in
the lower story and unhurt.
The Presbyterian Church, a now building jcs,
finished and the finest ornament to the town.
| The roof was torn off, and the gable ond blown
down. The fine steeple stands and is not
much injured. Those who saw tho storm say
that tho roof rose perpendicular and passed
off tho N. E. entirely over the s,eeple, and
was scattered over the neighboring lots and
houses.
pottery, ten or twelve barns, a tavern and
number of houses were destroyed or serious
ly injured, at least fifty buildings in ALL
The course of tho current of air was nearly
southwest to northeast, and tho width of it's
track about one hundred yards.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati CONNER
cidt writing the day after tho storm SAYS:
We have seen persons from the track of the
storm five miles west of Harrison In that di.
rection the tornado was about as wide as in
Harrison, 800 to 500 feet, and the same we
learn was the width northeast as far as Venice
In Dearborn county, Ind, fonr miles west of
Harrison, Nh Graham's house @ was entirely de-
m0lished, his furniture beds. &Sc.. blown awav
bis horses, hogs, and COWS killed. and his wife's
nose cut off Joseph Glarden close bv. had
his house, torn down and roof off. Widow
Owens house blown down, and most of the
material of which it was made was blown en-
tirely away, and her household furniture of
every description was scattered for miles,
Mr.. GrObb's heavy frame barn 20 by so feet.
filled with grain, hay, corn, &c, was moved
from its foundation. Mr.. Monroe. s. Cloud.
who lives near Logan Cross roads, lives in
now hewed log house One side was raised
up and one log blown out. and blown entirely
away, so that it could not be found. This
last item We do lot vouch for but Mr. Briggs
eed mind assured US that it is strictly true
East of Harrison the tornado was equally
destructive. 10 one place il blow down log
cabin, and as there was strong meat barrel
in tho room whore the family was, the timber
falling on that saved them from bcinr crushed
TO death. We heard Of other houses and b rms
being blown down and destroyed but il is use
less TO parlicularizc. 1t is enough to say that
it levelled everything in its track
PECULIAR FEATURE IN THE STORM -Wo do
not know that We are the first to have noticed
the fact we are about to assume, hut wo have
never seen it published IL is tIis. Most of
the damage to buildings is evidently caused
by vacuum which is created in the aimos-
phcre just in the wake of the mighty current:
or from some peculiar combination of the cns-
es, there is vacuum created in the air, and
the rushing in Of the heavy atmosphere, eau
ses the current of air which is so destructive.
Now let us to tho facts: From close inquiry
from those who were just on the edge of the
current, we learn that the wind, instead OF
blowing in the direction of the main current.
blew directly inward toward the centre And
the roofs of houses and fences along each side.
were thrown directly towards the centre of|
the track while those in the centre wero ear
ricd directly along with tho storm. Very few.
if any of the buildings wero stove IN 6y the
the wind. When they were bursted in. il
was by timbcrs in The air. But everything
indicate BURSTING oUT or an EXPLOSION of
the houses. The roofs appear to have been
raised up and then carried away. Nor were
they raised up by tho wind first breaking in
The windows and doors, for very few were
burst open. But there must haze been such a
racunm created IN the atmosphere, that he air
inside ct The buildings expanded so suddenly as
TO raise oGMe roofs.
In proof of this let US instance few proofs.
The roof of the Presbyterian Church was a n ia.
ken off. The windows were but slightly bro
ken, no doors 10 windward, and no way for tho
wind to get under the roof. Those who saw it
say that the roof rose directly up for go or 20 |
feet, and then passed entirely over the fine |
steeple of the church. The steeple is on the |
east end, but it is entirely uninjurcd. IL is |
evident to any one that wind that was strong
enough to tear up that roof without some IN
WARD expansion would have borne the stceple |
away as feather. But the strangest case we |
noticed was the destruction of Hill g. Thomp. |
sons carpenter shop, 40 by % feet. The |
posts OF the building run from the sills to the |
caves. Two men were at work in the upper |
story. Shortly aftor the storm commenced. |
the crashing without and the shaking of the |
building caused the workmen to attempt to |
'N ePPNi SsOiy' WcHt W llc GOOT |
and attempted 10 pull it open, notwithstanding
it was to the Toward. Becoming more fright
ened, they turned to go to window to get |
out. About this time they felt the building |
raise, and the roof went off, when they dodged |
under the benches for protection. In a few |
minutes they went to the door again and it |
opened easily, when TO their as,onishment thoy |
found that by power and process not easily
the lowor story had been swept
from under them, breaking Off all the posts
Just below the joice and carrying with the
over story all the benches lumber and tools
herein, and letting tho second story drop
iown easily and in good order, except rooness.
Ind without much harm, as the workmen were
inhurt How suddenly this lower story mus,
rave been torn out, not to have taken the up
,er story with il? Can any ono comprehend
he power of Him "who rides upon the whirl-
Wind, and directs the stormP But just before
no roof went off, il appears the workmen
'ould not open the door. Was not this the
expansion of tho air, caused by tho outward
oume! These facts, connected with the fact
# the inward rush of tho current at the edge