The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1860-07-05
The Grea, Tornado.

~1hS$SS - mahOOs
The tornado ut the West, OF which We
nave gwen sonie account, appears 10 hav,
oe'n the most extensive and dc ;t,uctivr
tornado ever known to is country. Itex-
tended over range of some four or five
hundred miles, exhibiting power which
would seem to be hardly credible were no.
the facts testified 70 by 50 many witnesses
The papers of iowa and Illinois are Iliea
with details of the strange things done b,
the sior We quote few EXTRACTS:
From the Cedar Valley tIowa) Times, June 8
At about l.2 O'Clock, Last Sun.'ay eve
ing, occurred the most terrible storm which
this region ever experienced. The tornado
consisted Of two wings-onc sweeping io
the northward and the other 10 the south.
ward OF thi, city-in which the awful work
ing of the rosed elements could lie distinct
ly seen by us as they swept ON their mad
den.ng course. The noise wa, like a stu
pendous cataract. and all turned pale as they
listened. The formation of the wafer spout
or whirlwind which was in the south wig
OF the storm was witnessed by argc nun
her Of citizens, being first seen bellying ans
sur2ing down from the clouds, and twiStin.
aud writhing like huge worm ill it ina,ly
reached the earth and became an hour-ylas.
shaped column rushing viii ly onward with
the gale. The column looked to be about
| of mile high. and 4 or 5 rods through
the smallest part-an awfully sublime and
magnificent spectacle. The cloud which
passed over Cedar Rapids appeared to be a.
full of force as those at the sid g, but fortu
nately rose too highto do much damage.
directly overhead. the clouds were of q pur
pie hue, bordered on the van by pitchy
black, and the rear by gray and urd viii G
constantly Illuminated by IA. hes of tighten
my. The north wing OF the storm was
much more extensive than the other, an
comprised the real tornado so far as the eff
tects prove, and the a2pe rance of a noun.
tain mass Of heavy, inky-colorcd clouds
crushing almost the surface of the ground
10 the northeast, between Marion and Lis.
bon, the two wings corebined. aud the aw-
fnl force thus concentrated swooped around.
passing again near our city. then rushed
away to the eastward to deal death and de-
struction to the umsuspec.ins families who
happened IN the sto'm. 6ends path. The
course Of the storm, after leaving this Vi
cinity, was due east till it rached the Mis-
sissIppi. though verging out Of line iu some
places from five 10 ten miles
The Clinton (Iowa) HcroM is almost
filed with description of the works of the
tornado in that region. 1t says;
~ strip of land varying in width from
twenty rods to mile, and extending {. um
Cedar Rapils in Iowa 10 lake Mic Ian
has been swept ~ wi'h the resnm O. d,;
struc!"n. Not fence, not tree, not I.
n US, and scarcely living thin. in the
pathway Of the scourge. Was able to esear.
or withstand its fury mvyshs ialwa d
steadily but resistlessly. it deyiaiesl 3i,r 90
thin-. and spared nothin-. fiSkz3ssSSrt
ton almost annihil.tioI. marked tracE.
lhere were in the hcgi.rns twn Il Her
ent tornadces. starting west ii Cedar K ver
aoon- twelve miles apart. They Proceeded
wardiy III separate and we'll defined
courses, untii they .e!t the Wars pinnican
river twenty-three mil west o, the M.,sis-
step. when hey united aai advanced in a
s.n-Io column with iucrened force and ra
pidIty. The first made IL; Appearance
about seven mil ) nurtheast from .dar Isa,
lis aud a-out three mics vest OF the river
W Na-n hrst seen, it looked merely like a
threatening cloud; but II s,ou assume the
"ppe"rance OF huge serpent extending
/ um the c."uds h. the earth aud twisting,
and writhmg in III. Mating mo,icn, accom-.
pane ny Il roar mere terrible tAJu that of
the !htiest cataract.
The H'ran traces the course of what :,
N ntl his t..-n H., A - \
oni"n Grove, AMI says that 1t l., don boa.
tornAJo,s were visible, one about three
n,I.cS north, anu the other four miles sja; a
OF the village. At WhcatlanI, also. bolh
were visible.
81 lie unlon of the tornadoes took pla ~
ahou, three miles suutllwestcry ircin Dc.
Wit. The spectacle here presented as re
ported by eye-witncsses, was. .,aIs; suDiim.
ami ierrioie. The so Ithern turnaio &c scd il,
advance, enlarged It's dlmensiens until i,
extended from the earth 10 tteiieay, rs, a
large bl ok column. 1t remair Jsf;s,ationa-
ry apparently for minute Tfga6werine
clouds rushed to swell its bulk so AN enor.
NOUS size. When the northerr,a tprna,in
which approached from the northsast, had
IN thus way become fully absorbed, ttiS.aiiae
mass, now Deilylng out and swaylnafsse q
partially inflated balloon rose from taieseast
with terrific roar, passed over glove
wit ioit damaging it, aud then descending
again, swept Onward, rejoicing as u k.i.nr,
to run his course, with unparalleled WI.
ness and power.
The fury OF tie tornado may known
from the ia that it lasted at Camanche
only about two OF three minutes During
that bret period the village, clntsirinr
some twelve hundred inhabitants. was al.
most totally destroyed We c,ud ell a vol,
ume with strange freaks of the torna.io, aud
ITS resistless power, but shall conGne our.
selves to lew oBly One OF lis most sin.
gular features IS found in the entire alb
sence OF furniture among the wrecks. Here
and there the round or leg of chair, or so-
IA may be found, but that is about all.
Trunks, clothing, beds, carpet. aud all kinds