The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-08-18
A Terrible Tornado in Indiana.

A terrible tornado passed OYER Por-
ton Sheffield township, in this county,
on Wednesday last, prostrating houses,
barns, trees, and sweeping of fences, hay,
and wheat-stacks, like feathers before the
wind. A lare amount of property vas
destroyed, but fortunately no lives we're
lost. nor was any one seriously injured
Mr.. o. j. Bull, who resides a short dis
tance from Day ton, within quarter of
mile of the track of the tornado, vas an
eve witness to its devastation, end de-
scribes it as the most terrible whirlwind
be ever witnessed. His attention was
Grst direrted to singular coWmotion "a
mong the clouds, which, moving from the
north and south, met and CON mingled "a
bout the middle of the Wild Cat Prairie,
and seemed drifting scarce one hundred
feet from the ground.
The concussion sounded like the roar
of artillery in the distance, and the clouds,
in dark, heavy masses, were piled over
and under each other, and, sfter spiral
movement, which brought the clouds still
nearer to the earth, the tornado descend
ed. It's approach sounded like the clat-
tering of railway train. ln less than
two minutes it had passed to the eastward,
leaving ruin and devastation in its course.
The largest forest trees were twisted to
splinters, and every movable thing bore
evidence of its fury. A dwelling house
occupied BY James foresman, and owned
We believe, by Thomas Royal, was caught
up BY the wLirlwind. lifted from it's foun-
dation, and completely demolished. The
fur rniture, beds, carpets, aud cooking u
tensils were literally scattered to the winds
All the out-h houses, hay and wheat stacks
were caught up and swept off. Not the
most remote suspicion of a fence remain
ed upon the premises. Happily Mr. Fores-
IN an and his family were absent from home
Had they been in the house, they must
inevitably have been crushed to death.
Next in the direct course of the furi
Gus whirlwind was the house of Mr. Rye
craft, well known farmer. Nearly cv.
cry member of bis family was sick in bed
bat as if by providential interposition
the tornado swerved from a direct line
and passed withing twenty feet of the rear
door yard. A smoke house was demol.
ished. all the fences prostrated. and every
movable article carried off. 1t is sin,
gular fact, that the large dam in Wildca,
Greek, near the residence of Mr. Rye
craft, and directly in the course of the
tornado, was boaded almost dry. Mr.. Bul
voucbes that large turtle was found the
same evening nearly mile from The
creek. The next house encountered wa
that of Wu. Rizer, on the eat bank o.
Wild Cat. 1t was substantial Gramt
structure, but the fury Of the storm shiv-
cred it to fragments in the twinklug o.
an eye. Warned by the rumtling Doi>,
which preceded the whirlwind, the entire
family by common impulse sought ref
uge in tue cellar, and escaped uDiDjured
Mr.. Rizers loss will not fall short of S :,
500. His fine orchard was almost entire
ly destroyed.
Fruit trees, twelve to sixteen inches il
diameter. were taken up by the roots and
OESl tNO Hk
Browning heirs. Vincent Dye, Cbas Stcr
ritt, Wn. Snoddy, Mrs. Brand, and j
Il. Peters, sustained more or less dam
age. The wirlwind cut clean swatl
through beautiful grove of timber be
longing to Mrs. Suoddy. The strip o
country laid waste is about two hundred
yards in width and three miles 10 length
The tornado bad spent its force befor'
reaching the county line of CLIFTON, ans
did no further damage. Mrs. Peters anc
Mrs. Brand were the only persous injured
and they but slightly. This was the frs
tornado experienced in this section o
country within the memory of the oldes
inhabitant, and considering its exteu
and duration, was perhaps more destruc
tive to property than any on record in th
West.
From The Indianapolis Journal.
The approach of the tornado was mark