The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-06-22
The Great Tornado.

tornado at the West covered space of onl,
about one hundred and fifty miles in length
and that it expended its fury on the waters
of Lake Michigan but later investigation
shows that it had a sweep much more exten.
sive. The tornado crossed the lake and com.
mitted extensive damage in Northern Michi.
gan. The course of the tornado is now
traced from Fort Dodge, Webster County
Iowa, more than two hundred miles west of
of the Mississippi river, to the Northeastern
corner Of Ottawa County, Michigan. 1t will
thus be seen that the storm-fend swept over
space of about four hundred and fifty
miles, without diminution of force, shifting
towns, farms, forests and everything ON the
surface of the earth, with the violence of a
battery of a thousand guns. The time oc-
cupied by The tempest in making the entire
/ distance cannot yet be correctly estimated
We know merely that it swept over Webster
County, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon, and Of
tawa County, Mich, Sunday night.
We have received copy of the Herald,
printed at Clinton, Iowa, issued on the 9th
SIX days after the tornado, which contains a
full page of very interesting matter descript-
i've of the tornado and its effects. We copy
the following:
"a strip of land varying in width from
twenty rods to mile, and extending from
Cedar Rapids in Iowa 20 Lake Michigan, has
been swept as with the besom of destruction.
Not fence, not tree, not a house, and
scarcely living thing in the pathway of :he
scourge, was able to escape or withstand its
fury. Moving onward steadily bu! resistless-
ly, 1t devlated for nothing and spared moth
lns. Death-dcstructio almost annihila.
ton. marked its track.
There were in the beginning two different
tornadoes, starting west of Cedar River, a.
bout twelve miles apart. They proceeded
eastwardly IN separate and we'll defined
courses. until they left the Wapsipinnican
river twentythree miles west of the Mississ.
ippl, when they united and advanced in q
single column with increased force and rapid.
hy. The first made its appearance abou,
seven miles northeast from Cedar Rapids
and about three miles west of the river
When first seen, it looked merely like q
threatening cloud !; but it soon assumed tn,
appearance ola huge serpent. extending fron
the clouds to the earth and twisting and wr
thing Iii undulatins motion, accompanied b,
roar more terrible than that of the might
est cataract"
The Ucrnld traces the course Of what il
calls the first tornado to Lisbon Station ant
Onion Grove, ard SAYS that at I.oulcn bo,l
tornadoes were visible. one about three mile,
North, and the other fsur miles South of tn,
village. At Whea,land, also, both were Wis
ible.
1.-The union Of the tornadoes took place a
bout three miles Southwesterly from Dewitt
he spectacle here presented. as reported b,
eye witnesses, was most sublime and terrible
The Southern tornado ceased its advance EN-
larged its dimensions until it extended from
the earth to the heavens. large black col
umn. 1t remained stationary apparently 70
minute. The lowering clouds rushed I,
swell It's bulk to an enormous size Whel
the Northern tornado, which approached
from the Northeast. had in this wav become
fully absorbed, the huge mass, now bellyin!
out and swayns like partially inflated bal
loon, rose from the East with terrific roar
passed over grove without damaging it,an'
then descending again, swept onward 'rejoc
ing as giant to run his course, with unpar
aleed swi!tness and power
The fury Of the tornado may be know
from the fact that it lasted at Camanche onl
about two or three minutes. During tina
brief,lme the village, containing some twelv
hundred inhabitants, was almost totally dt
stroyed. We could fill volume with instar
; ces OF the strange freaks of the tornado an
its resistless power, but shall contine oul
selves to few only. One of its most sing,
lar features is found in the entire absence Of
furniture among the wrecks. Here and ther
the round or leg of chair or sofa NAV b
found, but that is about all. Trunks, clo:l
ing, beds, carpets and all kinds of furnitur
seem entirely missing all that remains o
the contents of the many houses that we,
destroyed could be placed in room twel,
feet square. The rest must have gone in,
the river
t The lower story of a store on First sire,
t was cut away as smoothly as if sawed, an
blown into the river, when the upper sto1
d settled down in its place, almost uniriure,
e The front of frame house was blown ava
e in the upper part of the town, and the furn
y ture of it is left uninjured; and in Mr.. Park
v house the windows were blown in and all tt
# furniture crushed to pieces, and yet the hou
/, stood, only slightly injured. One man to-
e US his first realization of the storm consistt
in seeing horse come through the air a5or
e twenty feet from the ground, followed by
?, COW at about the same hight. The COW mu
have been carried twenty rods from whe
IS she was when the storm began. Mr.. Butl
l. saw his stable taken over the tops of son
n cherry trees, leaving his horses on the grour
/. (there was no floor to the stable) attached
l., the rack