The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1876-07-06
IOWA TORNADO.
Incidents Of the Devastation In
Clinton County Last March.
Correspondence of the Lyons Mirror

CHARLOTTE, March Ii, 1876.
Editors Ni,ror:-Perhaps you
would like to have a few particulars
Of the tornado that passed through
this section on Friday, p. NJ, last.
had a good view of this storm cloud,
or whatever you may term it, having
been near enough to have mud thrown
in my face by it.
| first saw the cloud in the rear of
Charlotte, coming over the hill from
DeNoma's. 1t came in two columns,
which united about 200 rods in rear
Of the residence of Chas. Spellman.
and resembled mammoth balloon.
1t seemed to move from side to side
with an oseillating motion and whirl-
ing round and round with fearful ve-
locity; occasionally rising from the
ground for few rods and then drop
ping back. The column appeared to
be about goo feet high and 500 feet
at its greatest circumference. There
also appeared spiral arm reaching
from the ground to the top of this
column, which seemed to move with
gradually increased momentum
around the central cloud: this central
cloud was of an ashen gray hue,
while this arm encircling the cloud
was a purplish black, and looked like
huge serpent coiling around the
mass with head erect and swaying ito
tail in the air. The roar as this mon
ster passed was perfectly deafcning,
resembling the sound Of the blower
Of a locomotive, only intensified a
thousand fold, while there was GER
tain peculiar cracking as of fire
among cane brake.
The first article | saw it pick up
was an out house on the Seymour lot
across the road from Paul Engler's.
This was picked up and commenced
the circle of the cloud until it reached
the top, when with snap like a clap
of thunder it was torn into million
fragments and disappeared into the
vortex; this was repeated with the
buildings on the Engler place, and it
occupied less time than / am writing
this. As near as | could compute
the time it was not to exceed 20 sec.
onds in passing over the Engler
place.
TIE first account we have of the
tornado is OF its striking the place of
Mr.. O'Toole, where it destroyed his
stable and granary, killing one COW
and injured several fat hogs, necessi-
ta'ing their killing, and scattering
farming tools for half mile along its
track. 1t next struck the farm of
Joseph DeNoma, passing near enough
to unroof his carriage house, but do
ing no other injury.
Its course for the next mile and a
half was through the fields, and it
expended its force on the fences on
its track. Reaching the immediate
vicinity Of Charlotte it appeared to
travel in direct line for the town,
causing a general stampede among
those who had observed its approach.
It seemed for few moments that this
little hamlet was doomed 10 destruc-
tion, but in few seconds it ap-
peared to alter its course, passing
through the fields in the rear of the
main part of the town, and struck the
house and stables OF Paul Engler. At
this point, as at the previous ones,
the center of the tornado cloud did
not strike the dwelling, but the stable
and granary received the full force of
the shock. The stable was totally
demolished; sheds, fences, trees,
smoke house and contents (about 15
hams and nearly whole beef, out
houses and everything movable or
otherwise were torn up and totally
wrecked and scattered over the place
or carried away. The house received
considerable damage, but that was
comparatively small beside the other.
There were no other houses or
stables in its track until it reached
the farm Of Mr.. Thomas Watts, and
here it renewed its latent fury to it's
full extent. Mr.. Watts residence
and buildings occupied the slope of
hill facing the northeast. Imme-
diately in the rear Of his house, and
covering the slope and crest of the
hill, which here rises quite abruptly
to the height of perhaps forty feet
above the house, was his orchard and
grove of second growth timber.
Mr.. Watts and his housekeeper were
inside the house, while the two men
Taylor and Kirk we're in the stable,
building some 30x50 with stone
basement used for stable, and above
for store room for machinery and
grain, of which there was some hum
dred bushels Of wheat, oats and corn
in bins. The tornado was upon them
without moments warning; trees
we're twisted off like reeds or pulled
up by the roots and hurled hundreds
of feet into the air, or against the
buildings. The first sensation Of
those in the house was of its being