The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-04-19
The Wheat and Fruit Crops
Seriously Injured.
Wind Rain and Hail from
every Direction.
Miraculous Escapes Scenes
and Incidents.

tornado that ever visited this section
of Kansas. No sooner had the tears
been dried on the cheek of hundreds
of our people oyer the sudden anG
cragical death of Rev. o. j. Shannon
than the elements combined to deal
out to us new sorrow and to lay Low
many happy homes in our midst.
For twenty-one years Lyon county
has stood the storms, the wars, the
drouths, the grasshOppers, and all the
calamities that Providence has sent
upon US, but until Saturday has luckily
escaped the tornadoes which have Wis
tied every section of the State; but
the fates seem to have reserved their
furies for the one storm which wrought
such devastation on that day.
Our reporters, who went in every d.
rection Sunday, have gathered mass
OF information, from which we give
the particulars and incidents below:
The tornado first attracted attention
here about 4 80 p. m, when gen.
eral apprehension was excited by
the threatening appearance of the sky,
especially in the southwest, where a
gigantic, greenish colored cloud mass
ed up, swelling and writhing, and
steadily increasing in bulk and appar-
ent sOlidity until 1t looked like an i'm
mense avalanche ready to overwhelm
the earth beneath. To the east and
north of this terrible cloud the sky was
comparatively clear, the clouds there
seeming TO go northwest, from whence
rolled, along and across the western
horizon, a continuous volume of cloud
which entered into and was absorbed
by the growing mass in the southwest,
until 1t seemed as If everything in the
sky above US was being whirled toward
and sucked into that gloomy monster.
This impressive atmospherical display
went on for about fifteen minutes,
when a tremendous though distant roar
began to be heard. approaching nearer
every moment, and heavy dash of
wind and rain came from the south.
The storm had reached US, the rain
shutting out further view OF the sky.
This first wind and rain almost instant
ly swung round and came from the
east, and lasted about three minutes,
when a perfect lull of about two min
utes ensued. This lull was suddenly
broken by a tremendous blast
of wind, rain and very heavy
hail from the northwest and
north. This was the storm, In all
its strength, and it ragged with terrific
fury for a full half hour before it abat-
ed in the least, and then kept up a very
heavy rain and wind for another
half hour, the Iarter part coming
from east and south.
1t was truly terrible storm, even
to those whose houses stood without
injury-while to those whose houses
were blown to pieces, exposing them
to the full force OF the raging elements.
the experience of that hour can never
be forgotten. The rain was the heav-
lest our oldest settlers have known
coming down like e cataract, and
flooding the ground inches deep in a
few minutes. It penetrated roofs and
joints heretofore proof in all storms,
and as the heavy hail dashed in win
dows to the north, the water deluged
rooms In a few moments. The hail
stones were Immense In size and the
wind hurled them with tremendous
foroa- voOaf al 05oaS l., v,arfharv, vuiv
dows, unprotected by blinds, being
shattered.
Many of the hailstones that fell
south of the Cottonwood, where the tor
uado was more severe than in the city,
are said to haye been as large as goose
eggs, knocking holes through shingles
and siding large enough to put ones
fist through. The sufferings of the
numerous families whose houses were
so suddenly blown to pieces, leaving
thier inmates, men, women and
children entirely unprotected from
the fearful pelting of this enormous
hail as well as the flood of water and
the force of wind that threw them
from their feet to the soaked earth can
be imagined when we remember that
this storm kept up its full fury for
nearly an hour. The houses
destroyed were generally lifted up
into the air, carried plumber of feet
and then dashed roof or side first 20
the ground, SCATTERING them entirely
to pieces, scattering houses and contents
for hundreds of feet and in some cases
for more than q mile, and of course
destroying all the furniture and other
property within them. On Phenis
and Dry creeks, and along the South
bank Of the Cottonwood between these
creeks, very large trees were torn and
twisted to pieces and the prairie is
covered with fragments of houses, fur
Diture, barns, outbuildings, fences etc.
The gale was simply terrible
nothing seemed capable of Withstand
ing its awful power, and the only
wonder is that so few people were
killed by the falling of their dwellings
or that those who were exposed to the
ball were net beaten senseieSs 70 the
earth.
How women and children lived, as
many did, through this fearful hour,
with nothing to shield them from the
hail, is unaccountable. Two children
were, IN fact. killed In this way, and
all 30 exposed were badly bruised.
Orchards on Phenis and Dry creek:
were badly injured-the trees not torn
down being dennded OF blossoms. Fall
wheat was badly broken and driven
into the ground. and VIII Be much
injured.
The path Of the tornado where Il
Was strong enough g destroy honsee