The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-24
THE TORNADO AT ELLISON.

morrow,i IN hWerlca, IN tne apontion OF Slavery.
THE TORNADO AT ELLISON.
MONMOUTH, ILL, June IL, 1853.
To the Editor Of the National Era:
Principally from curiosity / visited the scene
of the storm that passed over the village of
Ellison, in Warren county, in this State but
having spent ten hours on the ground, came to
the conclusion that it would be worth WHILE as
q matter of interest to the scientific, to give
some of the facts to the public. These items
are set down as if at Ellison.
The day had been showery; in the afternoon
it cleared partially, and became very warm.
Between four and five o'clock, dense cloud
appeared in the south of west. and from this
hung small funnel-shaped cloud, which did
not then reach near to the ground. 1t was
probably twenty miles distant, and was seen
halt an hour, or more, before its arrival 1t
appeared to advance eastwardly, then more to.
wards the north, and afterwards northeast, and
east, until it was dissipated. AS it advanced,
the clouds were everywhere in great commo-
ton, and those near it were from all directions
rushing into it. The wind at the time was from
the southeast, and although it changed some
yet it does not appear to lave been at any time
in the direction of the course of the storm.
Frequent blasts of warm and of cool air passed
during this time. There were perhaps no ba
ronetrical observations, and | could learn
nothing concerning the density of the air.
The pendant cloud, as it advanced, extended
itself downward, and after while touched the
green in the centre; it waved about, and was
in fearful whirl
| After it started eastward the last time, it
came on with great rapidly. The air was or
dinarily calm until the tornado struck it last
ed about two minutes then there was a lull of
few minutes; it swept on east rose, and scat
tered, and vanished at the distance of few
| miles. Daring its passage, the air was very
dark, like night, which was caused, no doubt,
mainly by the mist enveloped in the wind.
There we're few drops of rain, little hail,
some heavy claps of thunder. The sound of the
storm was described as like that of freight cars
on the railroad. Several persons mentioned
their having perceived the smell of burning
birthstone after it passed. The air then be-
came oppressively sultry, but, after calm in
terval of q few minutes, was cooled by a heavy
fall of rain and hail from the northwest.
| The distance from where the storm entered
| the timber, which was in q rather northwardly
direction, to where it left the timber immed-
ately at Ellison, is about three miles, and its
course was northeast, then east. The ground
passed over is very uneven, and covered gene.
| rally with bushes and heavy timber. The width
of the storm, indicated by broken trees, was
about one mile, although the skirts of it ex-
tended further and the very severe part of it,
which stripped the leaves from the bushes, was
from five to ten rods wide. Toward the edges,
the wind was lighter, and it seems there 10
have skipped over some places, and lit down
with force on others. Indeed, the entire tor
nado appears to have struck more heavily on
some places than Oh others, although its width
was about the same all the time. The eur
rents of air upon the ground do not appear to
| have entirely corresponded with those which
blew down the trees, but in general they do,
| The motion of the wind, according to the in
dicatons, was about as follows on the right
(south) side, the wind was directly east al
though the outside broken trees lie little into
the track then it swept around towards the left,
and after forming arc of about 80 degrees,
| reached the centre generally at right angles
| with the line of advance, but sometimes wheel
| ing suddenly forwards, and sometimes continu-
| ing it's course round and back. On the left
side of the storm the wind was directly west !;
it then swept around in the same way as on
the right, only backward, and having turned
forward and completed almost half of circle,
swept on ahead, drawing in with it the edge of
the reverse right current; and this condensed
current of wind, about rod wide, rushed furi-
ously forward through the whole length of the
storm, bearing down the bushes, raking up the
leaves, and scraping up the very earth. The
indications on the ground are, that any particu-
lar spot was touched by wind in only one d.
rection-the storm passing along very swiftly,
and the current returning in its circuit, rising
rapidly.
| The course of the wind on the surface is very
| distinct that above is almost as much 80.
| There is confusion sometimes in the centre,
| where the two currents met /; but on the north,
or left, of the central line, the trees almost in
veriably lie east or southeast, and on the right
they lie north or northwest and in some
places they lie on either side parallel, but in
opposite directions.
Very few of the trees have been twisted, and
those that have been, have been twisted gene
rally in the direction opposite the general
course of the wind-thst is, from left to right.
Two trees, in the centre, in one place, were go
twisted, apparently by the meeting of the OPP
posing currents. On the ground there is no
evidence of circular motion in the centre
the motion there was straight forward.
1t seems as if the air, being drawn towards
the centre and condensed in the meeting of the
currents, wheeled round above its former level,
and went spreading away to the upper sky
but whether each circuit kept distinct, or
whether the two wound together into one great
circuit above, may only be conjectured. OBJ
jects were carried up to great height; the re-
mains of the village are scattered for more
than half a mile on each side of the track to
the eastward, and bale of goods is said to be
carried FIVE miles on. After leaving the vii
lsge, the cloud was described as divided into
two dangling whirls, and afterwards breaking
up.
tried upon the ground to apply the theory
of concentric circles, and that of centripetal
currents, in order to account for the state of
things there; but they did Rot seem to be sat
isfactory. And / give these facts, among
which, however, there may be mistakes, that
scientific knowledge may apply them. Whether
such phenomenon as double whirlwind has
ever been observed, or whether these data, ap.
parently anomalous, can be reconciled with re
ceived theories, do not know. One thing APP
pears verified, that "the wind goeth toward
the south, and turneth about unto the north !;
it whirleth about continually, and the wind re-
turneth again, according to his circuits"
A. A. RODGERS.
A gentleman who recently arrived here from
Mexico, says that near Yorktown, De Witt coun-
ty, Texas, between the coast and San Antonio,
party of fellows are having regular drills, pre-.
parstory to an Eruption into Northern Mexico,
by way of Laredo. The commandment at Fort
Mcintosh, near Laredo, was thought to favor
the project, which was to be put in execution
as soon as the number of flibusters reached
SEQ. 1t was suspected in Texas that the pre-
text which has summoned General Twiggs to
court martial was trumped up, in order to get
him out of the way. His substitute, Colonel
Wilson, does not concern himself about what
ia going on, and pains are taken that no