Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-06-01
Curious Incidents OF the Recent Wind.
Storms.
AT RACINE. WIS.

AT RACINE, WIS.
Many of the people living near the center
of the city knew nothing of the awful havoc
created in the outskirts by Fridays blow
until the following morning. No fear,
had been entertained of cyclone, for it was
generally known that Prof. Gray had de-
monstrated that such thing was out of the
question near large body of water. But
when the people heard the noise like "the
rumblng of a million railroad trains" as
one man described it, some became alarmed
| The noise ceased in a minute, and then
men and women came to the doors of their
houses to see what was going on. The mud
dy cloud had gone, and white one was
coming toward the city with astonishing We
locity. 1t appeared to pass over the north
end within two minutes, and when it
reached the lake hundreds of people rushed
| to the shore to see the effect. Immense
masses of water were apparently drawn up
by the cloud as it travelled along, and the
| sight is said to have been very beautiful
| one. When the cloud disappeared in the
distance everybody on the south side of the
river believed the storm was over, and they
went to bed without knowing what had TAX
Ell place on the outskirts of the city a mile
] or so distant.
The next morning, around every spot
where there had been dwelling were the
former occupants, who were gathering what
remained. of their household goods, though
| few found any article of value. A singular
thing noticed was that in almost every in
stance the bedding was in good condition,
while stoves, beds and chairs had disap-
| ma rod nra @.>l-.,
wheelbarrow full of Quilts-all that was left
of his effects except cow, one of whose
horns had been Knocked off. Another FAM
lily found only clock, vinegar jug and a
cup and saucer. A few lost absolutely
everything they possessed.
The triplets and their parents, Mr. and
Mrs. John Sabin, who lived on Hegaer
street, escaped with some slight bruises.
This was good news to the people of Racine,
who had taken great interest in the chill
dren. Sabin's house was struck, but only
the front wall was torn away. One of the
| tripletS was in a front room in its cradle
and the mother grabbed it and ran ont,
while the father looked after the other two.
Mr.. Sabin was struck on the nose and hand
by flying pieces of timber, but he didn't
mind his hurts, being happy over the preser-
walton of his progeny.
AT SPRINGFIELD, ILL.
The vagarieS of the cyclone defy enumera-
ton or description. Preserving one general
course from northwest to southeast it wab-
bled and twisted in every conceivable way.
With penchant for high ground it was
not too proud to travel along the lowlands,
uprootmg, twisting, shivering and splinter
| ing massive oaks and Stalwait hickories
scattering fence-rails in every direction, and
playing with telegraph and telephone poles
as though they had been match-sticks and
the wires slender threads.
Not satisfied with running homes, it scat
tered their c0ntentS-SOmetimeS the most
tritling-On every hand. A large mirror in
the English residence was broken into
thousand pieces, and relic-hunters picked
them up to-day. A teapot landed in the
boughs OF young sapling, where it was
caught and held, While pieces of a lady's
necklace were found in the hedge fence,
under careened stoves, and in various out-of-
the-way places In short the cyclone
seemed to have no regular programme, but
to take pretty much everything that came
in its way and do with it what it pleased.
Some of the escapes and incidents at the
other places were peculiarly interesting.
Seven people rushed into Bolivar Turkeys
cellar and escaped, though baby was
slightly hurt about the head; and cat
which had found its way there was killed.
Twelve persons at uenry Turkeys also took
refuge in the cellar and escaped while one
OF Turkeys six horses was safe and sound
with halter and a broken piece of the
manager around his neck half a mile distant,
and the other five near the barn. The hedge
fence opposite Roy'S was coated with geese
feathers and every now and then orIlamented
with cump of cOrnStalkS. Sam Ashton
found his vest half mile away. but the
thirty dollars he had left in one of the pock-
cts was missing.
AT HARVARD, I'LL.
The following reliable account OF the de-
scent of the cyclone Friday evening upon
this section is given by farmer living near
Chemung, two miles north of this place
1.-The sun was shining all day Friday" he
said, land there was stiff gale blowing
from the southwest About six o'clock |
noticed funnel-shaped cloud, with the small
end uppemost coming toward the village
from the northwest. At the same time
a heavy rolling cloud came toward us from
the southwest. Before the two clouds met
! the gale suddenly stopped, and there was q
dead calm. The clouds approached each
other almost mile from where | was, and
the counter-currents rolled over them upon
| one another backward and forward. The
funnel-shaped cloud tipped completely;over,
and its small end swept the ground There
Naao u ouilOOdlHlS Cdlli lOI IL lew
after the clouds collided. The collision
was marked by clap of thunder and glare
OF lightning Then came a roaring wind
and / saw the big cloud that had been
formed by the two sweep by. Its center
was of yellow sh color, but the top and the
sides were jet black. 1t slanted downward
toward pond, and could see it sweeping I'D
and carrying masses of mud and water 1t
lifted the fences straight into the air, and
they seemed to float in its bosom rather
than whrl around. l was about mile out
of the clouds course, but the strong wind
! struck Inc downward to the earth. In half
minute the cloud passed, and then the hot
! sun poured down upon us brighter than
! ever
To illustrate the force of the cyclone it is
noted that hickory trees from six to ten
inches in diameter were twisted and torn
! from their places like reeds. A heavy oak
! beam was found four miles east of its former
/ position. Near the Sugar Creek bridge two
| trees five feet in diamer were broken down
| five feet from their base. A horse was
/ taken from stable and carried about three
hundred yards into an adjacent field. When
found he was tied to part of his manager,
| which had been taken with him. He re-
ceived but few light bruises.
The cyclone presented peculiar character
/ istics. Where it assumed funnel shape it
sucked up trees, drew houses high into the
air, and when this funnel shape was absent
black, massive clouds seemed to come with
tremendous power and knock against what
ever stood in the way, hurting the object
along close to the earth's surface. When
/ the storm took up Mrs. Downs baby the
little one had clothes oil, but when the
friends rescued it 1t was as free from such
attire as it was on the day it was ushered
into existence. At the house of George
Wakely the cyclone found the family sitting
at supper. The roof went off, the sides fol-
lowed, the floor broke in two, and down all
hands went into the cellar.
Chicag0's Beauty Contest.