The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-06-12

IrIIcn 81 SIS w1n ana r
n Leafs
iat telegraph has gwen reports 81 s tEf-
Ii1c storm in WashnEtlr and keokos
counties lows. hnt has ilen able 70 cone
KEY hrt iiitleidea of the rcnelhof TIE tors
naslo' S tasy. AID ilie destruction ind terror
Whici ATTENDED lis course, lis track mas
well defined ~ wrecks Of forests and %
eheris and houses and dead bodies q mi
mals and men, women aud ciliidncN
e seemed like monster suddenly
born ~ the Hr and tortured into
rage by peltlpg haii and farled lighsring.
i was swift IS rife hailand gave no warn
ing - It's approach. save roar liSc heavy
tram rushing over a raiiroad bridge. Ihis
was It's first startling expression but the
people did not know what the sound meant
until they saw low, funnel-shapcd. black
cloud driving towards them. and then in-
stincttold them there. was danger IN the
wind. Those who could. took refuge In
their celiars, and many. from these retreats.
saw their houses lifted from over their
beads. and chewed up and swallowed by the
storm. Nothing could stand stand mp be-
fore II hut the everlasting hills. and these il
stripped Of their clothing Of trees. and Il
tore cut some oftheir rock ribs. II bounced
oil the hills into the Tar regions of-tllc at
lnospherc, but was 50 heavily Weighted
with ground, rocks and mud and other
solid materials whirlhl-ssts currents, tl,al II
swOoped down again and struck tho Garth
with TcdoUblcd fury. Il then made jumps
of from six 10 miles owe the heads IL tue
terror-stricken pcoplean, CON- ering animals,
only 10 strike the earth harder ~ the end Of
the leap.
suehan atmospheric monster as This does
incredible and incomprehensible things
when II reaches out its claws for man or any
of mans works. II does not recognize his
barriers, his roofs or walls or amy Of his safe
places, and 1t gives no iniimation or the
fury that Is in il until it strikes, brushes and
destroys. Such was The cyclone 4 at
swept destruction through iowa last Thurs
day. II 50 stunned the people Of the see
ton through which II passed, that they
could az first give no intelligent account OF
what happened to them. Many were killed.
many more seriously wounded, and some
disappeared in the hollow chasm Of the
whirlwind, and have not been seen since.
Human limbs have been found in its track.
and no one knows to whom they belonged.
Nothing that stood was left standing MS it
was before. Trees eighteen inches 10 two
feet through were either cut of almost as
smoothly as a saw could 90 it or dragged
up by the roots and whirled away like chaff
and feathers The track OF the tornado
was from one hundred Yards 10 half lrile
wide, and we will recount some of tho
curious things that happened in that narrow
fnrrow of fate We have said moth
ing was left where if was before,
but some singular deposits were made
that were not there before. frees. and
pisfIts and beams we've stuck in
the ground, two or three feet deep, and IN
some places quite thick. Cattle we're
driven into the earth llcad-foremost. and
literally skinned by the fingers OF the storm.
Chickens were found cieanly plncked men
with their clothing stripped entirely off.
and one woman was cut in two. and half Of
her could not be found A threshine ma
chine was picked up and carried a mile or
two, but being an ugly thing tohold, it was
dropped without sustaining much injury.
Men and women were gathered in the arms
Of the storm, and hurled, quick rs lightning,
several hundred yards, and dropped; some
of them killed, some with slight bruises,
some uninjtred but very much astonished
OF course, farm buildings were demolished
On one farm, 800 head of cattle and horses
were killed. on another, sixty fat steers.
acme Of them weighing 400 pounds. were
carried over one hundred yards Houses
flew away like birds The cyclone found
school insession. It took the sehoolhouse
away, and the teacher and her twenty
scholars found themselves some distance of.
in a public road. without knowing how
they got there. The teacher and five or six
Of her charge were injured, some of them
severely, and one little girl eleven years
ri. 4 Il e.
with her clothing gone
Another schoolhouse, fill Of children
was picked up and carried several wards.
and set down again right side up. without
hurting any of the children badly. Another
one was struck by lightning but none Of
the children we're Rilled--some were stun
ned, but recovered.
The woman was found dead with one Of
n pair OF twins in her arms The
child died in few hours The other child
was, somehow, separated from It's mother,
and escaped uniniared. Somewhere on fhe
track, flock of I, 500 sheep were grazing
quietly when the cyclone came their way.
They gathered in a circle for mutual pro-
lection. IN eyewitness saw the Storm pick
them up and carry them up until they
looked like flock Of birds Nearly all 0f
them were Killed.
In some places torrents OF rain and bcarv
chunks Of ice fell Il was dangerous 70 40
hunting for hailstoncs bnt one was found
measuring ten inches in circumference and
weighing seven aud a half ounces Some
were round as a cannon bali, some obleng.
like an egg, and others Cat, ike door knobs.
One descriptive writer makes this general
picture Of the terror;
Fences were laid flat Houses were Of
no account. Men, womsn and children ard
all kinds Of animals were mingled IN The
moving mass of air at a height Of from
forty to sixty feet. Trees foot in Diane
ter were snapped in twain, and tho forests
seemed as if an immense seytlie, propelled
by an invisible giant, had cut all that dared
to be in its way The swath marked the
path of the destroyer. Nothing but the
eternal hills up which It swept aud Invested
Of their natural covering, could stand
against its mighty force Over Hill and
valley it moved, leaving woe in It's track.
At last accounts il had been ascertained
that thirteen persons were killed in the two
counties and twenty-four wounded This
elemehtal disturbance is supposed to have
arisen IN Washington county, and viii be
known as the Washington tornado. Il was
very similar to the Commando tornado,
which happened some years ago inthe same
State. Both levelled the largest, and pulled
the smallest things TO pieces skinned AMI
mals-plaeked chickens, aud played other
freaks IN common showing that they be-
longed 10 the same breed Of storms.
IL Cambridge Mass, recently. one
Young, professional jugglcr was brought
into court ON a charge Of passing counter
felt CON. L was testified that on searching
his lloung'sl house mould for making
half dollars was found bur. in explanation
Of hafing such IA article, Young said he
only kept il for making representative coin
to use in performing his tricks IN bar
room kept by one Charles 3IeGione. Young
had been amusing his friends IS producing
half dollars as i BY magic, and Mclslonc.
who was the complainant, had taken two OF