Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-09-03
rha rorpafo. near columbus.

G. j. Wilmot, writes to the Beaver Dam Citi-
ZEN the following account ofthe terrible tornado
which took place week before last, near Column
bus
| The spout was first seen as white cloud
and was noticed on account of its titful starts
and angry appearance Gas my informant says
as though it was in a rage, who was distant
about two miles from the scene of destruction al
the time.) 1t would dash toward the earth and
then retreat again. This it repeated several
times, and then, as though summoning all iii
fearful power, it plunged upon its fearful mis-
sion and began its frightful destruction Direct
y in its pathway stood two dwellings, both O
winch were occupied by families In the first
was also a man by the name OF Clark and his
| son. from Columbus, who were helping about
harvesting. This spout approached, caught
| the house, and raised it bodily to the height OF
four or five feet, and with fatal twist dashed
it to atoms. Mr.. Clark was instantly killed, his
son slightly injured; one of the ladies had her
nose wretchedly bruised, and another was so Sc.
riously injured, that her recovery is considered
doubtful. The father of the family in the Sec
ond house. was spectator of this frightful ruin,
and seeing its fatal effect upon this building,
turned to his family and babe them go down IN
the cellar as quick as possible, and then turned
and watched il until within about forty rods,
! when he also repaired to the cellar. His head
was barely below the floor when the building
was torn from its foundation; carried into the
air, taking his hat from his head with it, and the
whole structure was shivered into kindling wood.
OF this building did not see piece left as large
as fence post; but the family escaped unhurt.
The two buildings were about one hundred rods
apart, and the ground between them fifteen or
twenty rods wide, was literally strewn with frag-
ments of the building and furniture; saw two
sticks of the timber from the first building, six
by eight inches square and eighteen or twenty
feet long, laying at distance of fifty rods-as
near as | could judge-from where the building
stood, in the adjoining field; here also / found
pieces of the stove, fractions of bedsteads and
the remains of wagon, the rear Ak letree with
the wheel LETT sound and in its place, stood with
the opposite end plunged deep into the hard
soil; near by was two of the hubs of the other
wheels; the third one | could not find. Those
| two were entirely stripped of every vestige OF
| the rest of the wheels some of the spokes were
twisted off close to the hub, but most of them
were pulled out. leaving the mortise as clean
and square, as when it was first cut at the work
shop; the spokes were strewn i'll every direction
about the field, and little farther on was the
hounds with the wood work broken and spin.
| tered in pieces, and the iron portion twisted and
doubled into unwieldy shapes broken crockery,
and any quantity of fragments of something
| no living person could have told what, so per.
| lectly had the destroying power done its work
We're visible in every direction. After passing the
buildings it strobe over a knoll rail fences
across field of wheat, one of corn and one oats
from the knoll it turned the largest stones from
| their beds, tore up the fences. and hurled the
rails from one to fifty rods covering the field
with them. About one eighth of the wheat and
oat fields was left upright, the rest was matted
| to the ground and every head was sheled as per
| fectly as any machine could have done the work
the chat was left clinging to the stalk but the
kernels were entirely gone. The corn stalks
were stripped of almost every ear and leaf, ant
left 1attened to the ground with their tops point
ed to the northeast, like an Indian burial ground
thence it passed over the brink of hill, destroy
ed a reaper and vanished. 1t travelled a distance
of about two miles moving swath ten or ff
teen rods wide, and wherever or whatever il
touched did not escape unframed. There was
not in its whole course one single object thai
had the power to resist its terrible force.