Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-06-16
A Remarkable Cyclone.


A MOST remarkable tornado occurred in
Mason County, near Mason City, last FRI
day morning. The first indications were
that of dark cloud gathering near the
earth, about six miles west of the city, but
ere long 1t assumed the shape of a huge
boat, having three distinct smoke-stacks,
or columns, extending upward, and con.
nected with the clouds. This wonderful
phenomenon was fully charged with cleo
tricity, and from these columns sparks
were constantly issuing, and making q
noise and cracking similar TO the regular
firing of a thousand muskets. Although
the rotary motion of this fearful apparition
was such as to tear up by roots all veg
citation that lay in its path, its progressive
motion was not more than five miles an
hour, and was watched with fearful anxiety
by the terror stricken inhabitants. Its
path was from 20 to 80 feet in width, and
about three miles in length, and upon this
space nothing was left alive. Hedging was
burnt to a crisp, green wheat and corn
was turned yellow, and prairie grass pre-
sented the appearance of having been
pulled up and dried in two weeks Au-
gust sun Just previous TO the appearance
of the tornado, the air was very sultry,
and its origin may probably be attributed
to electrical influences; for, besides the
heat and sparks which it exhibited, 1t had
all the appearance of water-spouts on the
ocean. The scene of its destruction is be.
ing visited by hundreds, and it will at least
furnish grand subject for scientific in
vestigation and religious terror.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The first trace of the tornado is found
some six miles west Of Mason City. On
Friday morning, while the air was in
tensely sultry, and to the west and
southwest of Mason City light clouds
we're visible, and to the northwest
a rain cloud was seen, an inky- y-hued cloud
or smoke-like column was observed by cit
liens of Mason City, gathering near the
earth's surface about six miles distant, on
wide, extended prairie. Gradually the
| terrible looking column increased in
breadth and in height, and seemed to be
moving slowly and directly toward Mason
| City.
Soon from this great black, smoky
| looking column, the base of which rested
on the earth, shot up three distinct and
we'll defined, but narrower and spire-like
cloud Columns, which continued to ascend
rapidly until they reached and seemed to
attach themselves closely to q passing
cloud above. The frightful spectacle con.
tinued to move eastward slowly, but con.
stantly, for some fifteen minutes; then
changed its course slightly to the south
eastward, greatly to the relief of the peo.
pie of Mason, who were expecting to see
their town torn to pieces by the angry ele,
ments.
For some fifteen minutes longer the
dreadful apparition moved slowly on
changing its shape considerably as it pro
gressed. The two outer spire-like columns
soon disappeared leaving none but the
inner column resting upon the great base
cloud below, and still attaching itself to
the cloud above.
Suddenly the awful apparition disap.
peared, as if it had been but vision or a
dream, and not fearful reality.
While the black column was moving, a
cold current of air coming from the west
was most sensibly felt at Mason City, and
a mile away from its track an odor much
like that OF burning sulphur was inhaled
by several persons. A gentleman who
had been a soldier and was in many bat
ties, stood but a hundred yards from the
tornado when it passed, and he says that
small flashes of electricity were constantly
visible in the storm-column, passing from
the earth to the cloud above, and that
rapid popping, cracking reports were heard,
reminding him most fOrcibly of an infant.
ry regiment in battle firing their muskets
as fast as possible.
AS fearful as was the appearance of this
column, or columns, resting upon the
earth and reaching to and taking last hold
on the clouds of heaven, more marvellous,
if possible, was its destructive work upon
the earth in its pathway, which was near
three miles in length, and varying in
width from twenty to eighty feet. Not a
spear of grass; not a stalk of corn or
wheat; not shrub; not a particle OF
green vegetation, was left alive. Hal the
fires descended from heaven and fallen in
the pathway of this tornado, as they did
on Sodom, the destruction of every living
thing of the animal kingdom could not
have been more complete. For some dis
tance in its path the earth was literally
plowed up to the depth Of six inches. In
passing over the unbroken prairie, so in
conceivably rapid must have been the ro-
tary motion of the wind of the tornado,
that the earth was gathered Up from the
deep roots of the prairie grass, and the
turf, with its bare roots as clean as if they
had been washed, was lifted from the
earth and left strewn in the storms path
way. Where the course of the tornado
led through wheat field, every stalk OF
wheat standing in its path was torn down
and twisted into every conceivable shape
and where an Usage hedge lay across its
way for the width of its path, the hedge.
bushes were torn into shreds.
But the most wonderful of all pheno-
mena connected with this tornado is that
the column of whirling air must have
been intensely hot, as is shown by the
TACT that every spear of grass, stalk of corn
and wheat, every green thing in its path,
were literally dried to a crisp. The
prairie grass along the storms track, which
was luXuriantly green before the tornado
passed, was lett as brown and dead as it is
found in mid winter. The leaves of the
hedge where the tornado passed across in
its way crumbled as do the dead, dry
leaves of the forest after the blasting
autumn frost has done its work. The
young corn which stood in its way is as
black as if a wilhering fire had passed
through it. Another feature of this tor.
nado was, that while its rotary motion
must have been of inconceivably great
velocity, its progressive motion was not
above the rate of six miles an hour. The
outlines of its pathway were so we'll de.
fined that five feet from the outer line OF
total destruction of vegetation of every
kind not a vestige of its effects could be
seen. In fact, the outlines of its path oi
destruction were almost as clearly marked
as that of a mowers swath through the
meadow, and its work more complete.
Fortunately, no house stood in the tor.
nado's line OF march. 1t passed between
farmhouse and barn, but escaped both
Its onward movement was so slow that q
man or beast, if in its way, could easily
escape. The progressive motion of the
tornado IS usually at the rate of thirty to
sixty miles an hour; the fact of this one
moving at the rate Of six miles per hour
was most singular The path of a tornado
is usually quarter or a half mile in
width this one was but twenty TO eighty
feet in width. This is another Unusual
feature.
We have here twlgs from the hedge
where the tornado passed, and tufts OF
grass taken from its path. They and
every living green thing in its course with,