Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-07-25

A tornado on the prairie Is well described by n
correspondent of the 50. Louis Democrat, who
writes from Colorado as follows:
While In the vicinity of New Jucsburg, "po-
king around (as sherman cnlls IT. for news, we
behold, for the first tine the tornado III all It's
glory, iis 1t swept down the gulches OF the Rocky
Mountains, sending Its ley chill To the very mar
row. A bright summers day underwent amag-
Ical mctamOrphosiS. and became IN an instant
dull and wintry. The clouds, like conflicting
srtundrons were tossed 10 and fro. 4 moaning
sound hlled the nir--n flmy vapor ovcrspread
the lower strata of the atmosphere The sandy
bluils became almost ol,scured from view, but
gradually, ms the sound In the air increased In
noise and volume, their gray, craggy peaks
seemed workcd up into frenzy, or reared Them
sailed to the sOuthward, their curling heads
darting each way nS IL angry, or ns the tornado
ed, fowery prairie bore the appearance of "a vast
waste of the most sOmbre hue. The animals ON
the plains sought their coverts; the timid ante
lope tremblngly darted beneath the friendly
shelter of an ovcrhanging rift of sand or nestled
In the dark recesses of u ravlne; the yellow CO.
vote crept into his den, the badger to his hole,
the prairie dog curlcd In its nest land the rattle
snake coiled Itself In folds, ohiVious of the
shrieking tempest Man at last condescended
To bow his head, seek his adobe cabin, and cs-
sayed shlvcringly over the fire to forget the ra-
ging Of the elements Through theapertures in
the ndobe wall we gaZcd fascinated at the sub
lime scene. We can see the waters of the Platte
churncd as with strong hand, its golden sands
torn up, and long yellow wnvss dashed into
spray on the southern banks. Vivid, lambent
strcaks of lightning iltupiines In u fierce glow
heaven, earth ana all narlre-tlle thunder rolls
and reverberntes aloud, ripping asunder the
cimmcrian canopy abovo-the hoOdgatcs OF
heaven are opened; rain and hailNtoneS, equal
ing In size and destructive force those OF EgS pts
plague, come gushing, hurling down. The green
grass of the prairie In borne down by the wing
| OF the unbridled tempest; sage and Wild thyme
bushes are uprooted and speed along the level
plain, chasing II In Its hcadlong irresistible ca
| recr. All the universe seems conVulScd, and
| puny man acknowledges JehovHh's omnipo-
| tence and terrible majesty. We have seen the
works Of the Almighty In mldwinter ON the
stormy Atlantic and on the azure Medlterrnne-
! an, when, without previous warming, the I'M
! petuous I.evanter was seen hearing down on the
| capped waves In Its train, ready to cngulf the
| iuckleSs ship and hapleSs mariner; but suci
sights ms these have u tendency to elevate nnt
| sublimato n human soul--,he slilor-boy cling,
to the rifted shrOud and gecmlly moclSs til,
wailing Of the storm. The tornado on land oI
| the naked sprnirie, with Its murSlsh shades, af
rights man, and solemn visions of the Judg
mcnt rise before him with Its indescribable par
| aphcrnRlin,
hut while we have been writing the tornad,
has plsScd away; the cloudy phalanNes have dis
appeared, the sandy billows lie bccaimed; iigh
| appcars, the glorious sun Is again rcinstaicd, ma
tufe is radiant with smiles; the antelope rise
| and stretches itself gazes admiringly and thank
| fully ON the renovated earth; the wolf hastily
leaves his den, his savage Instinct leading hun
quest ofprey; the prairie dog chirps antmutingl,
Ills squeaking note; the loathsome rattlesnalxI
revived by the genial warmth of the sun, glide
from his hole and llcks the honey from the will
clover; ana lastly, man stalks forth, the sam
such Ia a tornado on tho Mains.