New-York tribune., 1880-06-28
d LATE CYCLONE IN IOWA.

ARE WOODEN HOUSES AS SAFE AS sTONE--H0w JHx
CYCLONE AcTED-IEsTANcEs OF ITS TERRiBLE
POWER
To the Editor Of TAs Tribune.
SIR: An old subscriber to The TRIBUNe saw
the fret page Of your weekly issue of Jane 10 para
graph the subject OF tornadoes In ts West 1t was
suggested that the ght balloon frame bouss Is rutju
the thing for the region Of tornado action and shat
improvement would TO build Glow structures brick
stone. with heavy roofs fny fastened the waiIs
Offering no projections for the wind to seize upon.s
Wl THE TRIBUNE word from one Of many In this
section who knows something OF tornado aetaoB9
Ny house stands mile Of Lewis Cass County,
iowa. right In the centre Of the OF the late storm
to which you refer watched the storm cloud for an
hour before " reached aud listened 10 ITS steady roar
for long tiLe. received damage simply because
the cyclone took of ite jumps this vicinity and
went high In tie air heads ] saw 10 while
dong its fearful work just the line IN Poiawatome
County. / stood ON high divide where could sec
quit plainly.
Tho cyclone awful looking thing. It reached
across the sky from West TO East. nearly so. The
western end was the part which did the damage. In
color, 1t was Of puFpish black Sometimes could
the clear sky below 1t and again it would tcueh the
ground that conld II looked like a revolving
column revolving slowly at the top but faster toward
the lower end. Great cha vs. Of clout
would reach down aud around corkscrew Ike while the
lightning played necessarily down tho Sides The ress
OF the sky somewhat cloudy but the clouds seemed
TO start simultaneously from all quarters toward the
coming column The wind was then In the south where
was. but turned TO the. east blowing terribly
Then there was Sudden calm. Then the wind blow
moro terribly from tho southwest; and shortly after
ward squarey from the north. There was some rain and
a few halstOnes, about the size Of door-knobs
There no storm mile south of me- At Lewis
there only a slight rain AID q little wind though
ten miles north they had almost water spout
or course did not stay the divide Like any sens
ioIo Iowa man took my family into an underground
retreat huilt originally for miIR-house
Now know that there Is jusI as much difference he
tween windsfo.m and o cyclone between q rapids
in river aud whirlpool In the know that no
two stories hign, only one with OF without proiec.
tions, would stand any chance with cyclone II Is were
struck fairly and squarey. The only safety for man
Summer retreats. " Cave ceiiars" they are caIled
give you some idea OF the power Of cyclone by de-
scr5nE how lumber and farm wagons were treated By
State. They taken up and carried or and pieked
pieces The axes were broken short on close 10 The
spokes were broken OF close TO hub the Tires vera
twisted into fantastic shapes. II possible wa ougbt "a
have cyciOne-proof wagon waees. -
Horses and boys picked up out of tho uaxfnrr IN
these storms and carried to the township and hs
buried IN some corueld These things ore no exaraera
tons they terrible facts The stable Of WfiItaSs
HOpley, containing twelve horses, was lifted bodjly ino
the air and thrown down upon the spot Of ground from
which his corn.crins had Just been blown away aod
end Of the cyclone None Of the horses wsrs f,iIsd
either. The hogs Ia the basement were MANY a. th.c
being killed by the rock wall being Piled In On 10
hem.
You could not got me to stay In stone hsuse IN a
Cyclone There really less risk In good frame house.
air stone house seems 70 DO whTed into proms re ne
Le,eis. Cas- Co, IOTa. June "a. 1880