Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-08-21
A Western WaterspOut.

A Bloomington Gil. paper says The
northern heavens were darkened by
rain clouds, whose appearance threatened
perfect deluge to the acres lying in
their shade. While weather watchers
were observing them, and speculating
upon the probable results of their ap-
proach, they were surprised to see, as it
were, q funnel let down from cloudland,
which seemed to gyrate in the air and
hover over the earth as if awaiting the
uprising of hand from each. 1t was
waterspout. Moving from west to east
with the wind, and constantly increasing
in ,size, it slowly traversed across the
northern sky. While the observer was
watching it several others appeared
following the same course, and in shape
and movement closely resembling the
first. In short time they had faded
from the range of the Thousands of eyes
that had watched them, and little later
the heavens were bright once more.
This was all that was positively known
of the waterspouts in the city that even
ing, but their presence has been attend
ed by disastrous results. A correspon-
dent writing from Dry Grove says
The most singular and fearful cyclone
L ever saw passed over the town of Dry
Grove. The wind, blowing from the
southeast, dipped down to the ground
on the farm of Esquire s. Fl. Brown,
and, forming terrific whirlwind in its
course, came in contact with q field of
growing corn. This it crossed, marking
out path of destruction several rods i'll
width, in which it twisted the cornstalks
in remarkable and fearful manner. Ii
then entered Mr.. Browns wheat field,
tearing loose the shocks and distributing
the bundles promiscuously, some alight
ing forty rods from where they had beer
picked up. The same thing happened
in the fields of Mr.. Browns neighbors
that camein the pathway of this aeria
demon. t p" .-.
Reports from Mclean state that that
village was perfectly deluged, and that
the water ran in deep currents in the
streets, while the wind was terrific. But
the elimination of the march of this
destructive agent took place in Norma
township, some two miles northwest o.
the village of Normal. Through the
farm of Mr.. J. r. Piper, of Blooming
ton, the cyclone went with a rush, ant
accompanied by terrific roaring tina
was heard for a long distance. Directl.
in its pathway stood small tenan
house, frame building, standing clos
by schoolhouse. The inmates, say
our Hudson correspondent, heard thu
strange visitor knocking on the door
and fled, leaving the structure to the fur,
of the storm. It tore the doors anC
windows from their frames, and deluge(
the house with water. A short distanc'
north of this German farmer had jus
completed stack of hay containing
some seven or eight tons. This wa
waited gently heavenward.
A gentleman of Bloomington, who wa
in that part of the country at the tim
of the storm, says When about noon
passed that way took dinner at tn
house, and few minutes later saw th
German stacking hay. When I returned
in the evening the stack was gone, ant
not even the rails left that it had stoo'
on, while the house that got dinner il
was total wreck. ..,... -a..r =,
, The same gentleman also confirms tn
statement Of our Hudson correspondent
: who says that the waterspout burst o.
the banks of the six-mile slough. III
says that short distance from where
demolished the hay stack it struck th
earth, and the revolving column burst
emptying an enormous quantity of wa
ter into the" run" At the point wher
this occurred great hole was excayate
in the soil by this aqueous auger, resem
bling the excavation for some large build
ing. An hour later, when he rodeacros
the slough at point mile or so distan
=, from this, the water was flowing in
swift stream across the road, filling til
entire bed of the stream and runnin
over