Sharp County record., 1880-06-03

oil tornadoes. houses, both frame and
brick. were lifted from their fOunda-
tions the former generally carried
some distance, the latter hurled back
and crushed on their foundations. Like
elsewhere, wagons, buggies, carriages,
sewing.machines, everything with iron
about it, seemed to be the objects OF its
especial fury. Not metallic root OF
any kind is left in town. The Post
office, owned by Mr.. Smith, the most
substantial brick building in town and
covered with tin, was utterly demol-
ished, while the tornado to reach IL
nassed over two buildings covered with
Shingles. After demolishing several
other adjacent buildings, also covered
with tin, it leaped over brick house
covered with shingles, doing no harm,
pouncing upon the houses north, and
sweeping them and everything clean to
beyond the city limits. The High
School, covered with shingles, stood
three hundred yards from the nearest
point of the tornado's track. 1t was
intact, but, unfortunately, its tower was
covered with tin. The whole tower to
the square was torn down. The pow
der-house stood southwest OF the
scboOl-hOuse, not nearer than SIX nun
dred feet to the track of the tornado.
1t was newly built and covered with
tin. The roof was snatched OFT ana
hurled about eight hundred feet north
west into the center of the tornado
passing a two-story frame dwelling un.
harmed. A house two squares east OF
the Courthouse, and four hundred feet
bevond the eastern line of destruction,
covered with shingles nailed upon an
old tin roof, lost the greater part OF the
roof. The mill north of the town was
a quarter of mile from the track OF
the tornado, yet the iron smoke stack
was Snatched off and carried four miles
and lodged in tree-top. The susccpu,,
bility of metallic roofs being wrenched
off even when long distances outside OF
the track of tornadoes [ have observed
as a uniform occurrence elsewhere.
| have repeatedly called attention to
the fact that tornadoes begin or eX-
pend their greatest energy upon bodies
of water or railroads. In my lecture at
indianapolis l called attention to the
fact that the tornado which passed
through that city on the night OF the
4th Of March last began on White
River; leaped to Fall Creek, then upon
the car stables at the end of the Indiana
Avenue Horse Railroad, then upon the
canal skirted by the Lafayette Railroad
then upon two other horse railroads,
and finally leaving the city on the Peru
Railroad. doing all its damage and
manifesting its most terrific energy at
these points. -
The tornado of Sunday drank up all
the ponds and rivers on its track from
Arkansas to Marshfeld. 1t in all cases
manifested its most intense energy at
these points. Take, for instance, the
junction of James and Findley Rivers,
both of which it drank up, where it fell
with its most destructive fury upon the
adjacent settlement, which it utterly
devastated, the destruction of which IS
unparalleled in the history OF torna-
does.
The phenomenon that attracted most
attention and gave rise to the greatest
diversity of opinions was the denuda-
ton of trees, saplings, hedges, shrub
berry, ETC.. of their bark, either partial
ly or totally. The side facing the dl-
rection the storm came was generally
dlvested of bark. while the whole tree
or shrub was not generally denuded.
AS most of the area swept by the tor
nado was stream or perfect avalanche
of matter, consisting of dust, sand,
gravel, stones, brick, lumber, debris OF
wrecked houses, in fact everything
movable in its path hence there was no
lack of evidence that trees, shrubbery,
bushes, ETC., were hit with flying mis-
siles In fact they were completely
peppered with them. The conclusion
was therefore jumped at that all the
denudation of bark was the sole effect
of hurled missiles assisted by the
wind. 1t hence became a desidera-
tum to find a locality where no
missiles were flying and where
the barking Of the trees was not on the
side facing the direction-from the
southwest--tha the storm was moving,
but in the direction the tornado was at
the time. Such locality | found on
the point between two ravines, on the
declivity OF the hill on which had stood
Judge Barnes house, totally wrecked
by the tornado. 1t is about one hun
dred yards south of where the road
coming from town, following one ra-
vine north, crosses the ravine coming
from the southeast, about two hundred
wards above the mill. There is pile of
wagons and wheels at the crossing. The
tornado, after destroying Barnes house,
for few moments stood still at the
base of the hill and then leaped upon
the hill east. While standing still its
center was about one hundred and fifty
yards southeast of the point to which |