The Lincoln County herald., 1873-06-04

10 convey bat very little idea Of the
strength Of the tornsdo's fury, aud the
destruction aud terror which sttendcd its
course. Its track was we'll defined BY
wrecks Of forests, aud orchards, and
houses, and dead bodies Of animals aud
tne", women and children. II see ned
like q monster suddenly born Of the air,
tortured mt, rage by pelting hail and
forked lightning. II was as swift as a
rife ball, and gave no warning Of its ap
proach, save . roar like heavy train
rushing over . railrosi bridge. THIS
was its 6rst starting expression, but the
people did not know what the sound
meant until they saw a low, funnel sha ped,
black cloud dri,in towards them, aud
then instinct told them that there was
danger in the wind. Those who could.
took refuge 10 their cellars, and many,
from these retreak, saw their houses
lifted from over their heads, and chewed
up and swallowed By he torn. Moth
ing could stand up befo. tut the ever
lasting hills, and these aIqiripped Of
their clothing Of trees, an tore out
some OF their rock ribs. Il ounced of
the hills into the /ar regions Of the at.
inosphere, bat it was so heavily weighted
with ground, rocks, and mud and other
solid m,terials whirling in its currents,
that it swooped down again and struck
the earth with redoubled fury. 1t - 81
made jumps Of from six to ten .e. over
the heads of the ter stricken people
and covering animals, y to strike the
earth harder at the end ,'tte leap.
Such an atmospheric monster as this
does incredible and incomprehensiple
things when it reaches out its claws for
maa or any of mans works. 1t does not
recognize his barriers, his roofs or walls
or any of his safe places, and it gives no
intimatiou Of the fury that is in it until
It strikes, crushes and destroys. Such
was the cyclone that swept destruction
through Iowa last Thursday. 1t so
stunned the people of the section through
which it passed that they could ut hrst
give no intelligent account of what hap.
pened to them. Many we're killed, many
more serious wounded, an some dsnp
peared in the hollow chasm of the whirl.
wind aud have not been seen since.
Human limbs have been found in its
track. and no ons knows to whom they
belonged. Nothing that stood was lef,
standing as it was before. Trees Is
inches to two feet through were either
cut T almost as smoothly as saw could
do it or dragged up by the roots and
whirled awav like chaff and feathers
The track Of tho tornado was from one
hundred yards to half mile wide, anC
We will recount some of the curiou.
things that happened in that narrow
furrow of fate. We have sad tina
nothing vas left where it was before, bu
some singular deposits we're made tha
we're not there before. Trees and plant
aud beams we're stuck into tie groun,
two or three feet deep, aud in some place
quite thick. Cattle were driven in,o tn
earth head foremost and literally skinne
by the fingers Of the storm. Chicken
were found cleanly plucked men wit
their clothing stripped entirely off, an
one woman was cut in two, and half O
her could not BE- found A threshi,
machine was picked up aud carried a mi
or two, but being an ugly thing to hold
it was dropped without sustaining muc
injury. Men aud woven were gathere
in the arms of the storm and hurled
quick % lightning, several hundre
yards, and dropped (; some of them silet
some with slight bruises, come uninjuret
but very much astonished On one fart
300 head Of cattle and horses wer
killed on another, sixty fat steers, SON
Of them weighing 400 pounds. wer
carried over one hundred yards. House
few away like b,rds. The cyclone foun
y school in session: it took the schoo
house away, and the teacher and ht
twenty scholars found themselves SON
distance off, 10 q public road, withor
knowing how they got there. Th
teacher and five or six of her charge
we're injured. some or them severely, an
one little girl IL years old was foun
dead. a quarter Of a mile of, with hi
clothing gone.
Another school house full Of childre
was picked up and carried several yard
and set down again right side up witho,
hurting any of the children badly. A.
other one vas struck by lightning, b,
none of the children ere killed-sou
wero stunned, but recov red.
One woman was founa dead with OF
Of "a pair Of twins in her arms. Tt
ehilddied n few hour The oth'
child was, somehow. separated from i
mother, aud escaped uninjured, SOM
where on the track, a flock of 1 500 shea
were grazing quietly when the cyclor
came their way. They gathered IN
circle for mutual protection An ey'
witness saw the storm pick them up an
carry them up until they "looked like
fock Of 6s." Nearly all Of the
were killed.
In some plsces torrents of rain an
heavy ohanks Of ice fell. 1t was dan
gerous to- GO hunting for hailstones, b.
one was found measuring ten inches
circumference AMI weighing seven and
half ounces. Some we're round as can