Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-08-10
FROM MINNESOTA.
The Great Tornado Of July n
AS DESCRIBED lN QUAINT AND GRAPHIC ENdL1s
ny A NATIVE NORWEGIAN

southern part OF tho state II is so graphic as mar.
ratiye and at the same time 80 quaint aud charming
as DIT OF English that we are sure II will be read
with intereBt,-ED.l
To-day l have to bring you the sad tidngs
that our new chapel and my summer resi-
dence are swept away in the tornado that
struck this country on the 2tst of July. Now,
when the day of horror is over, can calmly
tell you all the details about it. We had
built two wings on the church, you know,
as a summer resort for me aud my family,
and we had just moved in. The church IT,
self was not yet finished the doors and win
dows not put in, and the carpenters and
joiners busy at their work, when the misfor-
tuno happened. Tho weather had been tur-
buent for many days, every night lightning
and thunder and violent showers 1t was in
the morning ON the 2lst. We had Just taken
our breakfast, and had gathered out on the
porch to look at the grand play of the ele-
ments performed before us. Round in the
horizon there flashed lightning on lightning,
and it thickened and darkencd more and
more. We foresaw violent tempest 1t
seemed as If the storm moved away from us
in the direction of New Ulm, and we won.
dered II that poor town should be drowned to
death for tho second time. 1t was swept
away by cyclone two years age, you remem.
Der. A cloud, black as the ravens wing, ap.
peared in the west. Suddenly it split, and
between the two black trains expanded the
most fearful, dismal sky l ever saw. The
color was green-gray- and it dark
ened the sun, so it became dim as in twi
light. The carpenters had by aud by gath
cred together with us on the porch This
must be hail.storm," one of them said :;
now we will pretty soon hear Of disasters 4"
Suddenly the cleft wdoned between the two
black cloudwnGs and the upper one came
with terrible speed hurrying toward u.s.
''Let us walk in, " l said. ut seems rs if we
too shall get taste of it," We went in and
our parlor looked quite dark. We had scarce
ly locked the door, before we heard the roar
ing Of the storm coming. In a moment we
were surrounded by u white cloud, and the
wind and rain lashed the house, which groan
ed and shivered all through. 1t was not rain,
it was furious torrents Of water mixed with
heavy halls, which poured down from heav-
en-. The storm tried to burst open the door,
might The wall seemed to give way and
stood in bow, the building shook as in con
vusions. felt like tightening of my heart
every time the house seemed to be lifted
from the ground aud dropped down again
Twice We had these terrible shocks, then in a
moment, house, men, furniture were hurled
through the air one hundred feet away.
do not remember anything before l found
myself on the ground crawling among the
debris of my new home. The first discov-
cred was my wife with child in each arm
lying at my side. Men and children were
scattered round among lumber and sdings,
whether alive or dead nobody could tell A
table and staircase came flying through the
air; some men met them and pushed them
away, so they did not kill my wife and chill
dren bits of wall and roof whirled round
US, here it was impossible to remain. We
cropt and crawled and ran for our lives down
to the forest As we found each other there,
we were only six a friend Of ours farmer,
had one of the small girls in his arms, my
wife another, and one of my sons clung to
me- But where were the rest Of the chill
drenI | bad myself seen one Of the carpen.
ters run with my third little girl-but the
eldest and youngest boy Killed, perhaps,
or lying mutiated among the ruins and i'm.
| possible to look for them. The hurricane
would have swept us away as soon as We had
moved from the wood The only thing to
| do was to press the children to us and give
them so much shelter as we could with our
broader backs. The rain and the hail lashed
u.s. the oak shrubs were blown fiat to the
ground and their limbs struck our heads and
shoulders like whips. We were obliged to
change place twice to get more shelter deeper
| into the brush. Four other men camc to ua
in the wood, They could tell that my eldest
son was seen following the man who carried
my little girl, but the youngest boy nobody
had seen. One of the men-it was tho con-
tractor of the building-said that he had
been out in the other wing of the church. the
kitchen, when the storm carried that wing
away, and he had just saved his life by jump
ing into the cellar From this his shelter he
had seen his pride-the church-been split
tered. 1t was lifted from the ground twice
aud sailed like ship down the hill, till the
roof burst, and then it was torn to pieces.
The lips of the children became quite blue,
and they shivered all through we must try
| to escape to the nearest farm down in the
larger forest. Two OF the men carrie the
two small girls, then followed l myself with
my son aud one of the carpenters, hand il
hand, and at last came my wife, supported
by two other men, We waded through the
grass and underbrush and mud, while the
wind howled, and the rain lashed and chilled
us. We saw at a distance the house of oul
nearest neighbor, the man who had made his
escape with my little girl it was moved
from Its ground but not tipped over, but il
was impossible to stop and investigate wheth
or the rest of the children were there or not
we must run all We could. shall never for
get the calm but pale face of my wife with
her hair whirling round her head in wet tat
ters, and with the water streaming from face
hands and dress, dragged along between th'
two men. As long as We had shelter in th
wood ii went on pretty well, but soon We haC
to pass shelterless road Then came
lightning aud a thunder crash, so that be
lieVed the heaven would crack, and bowe'
down did not dare to look back, whethe
my wife was struck or not. At last VI
reach ed tho farm. God be praised saved
and with unbroken limbs But the rest o
the children
AS soon as possible the men went out K
search for them. In less than half an hou
they came back with them all alive the,
were found on the neighbors farm. My lit
tie girl had got some slight wounds round tn,
eye from halls she had cried on her mothe
the whole time, and the man who saved he
was compelled to take her by the neck AM
keep her to the ground. The youngest bo
had laid down, grasped the grass and cried
81 shall die shall die !" As soon as pos
sible our neighbor had moved from his shel
ter among the shrubs and tried to reach hi
farm. He had not moved far away befor
the roof of the church came flying and droI
ped down just whero he had been with th