Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-08-27
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Augusta, Monday Morning, August 81.
The Last Tornado.

The Minnesota tornado adds another to
the many visitations of similar kind ex-
perienced in the West during the present
season. This last in some respects seems
to have been the most destructive of all.
The city of Rochester which it almost de-
stroyed. is the county-seat of Olmstead
county. and was regarded as one OF the
most beautiful cities in the West. A month
ago part Of the city was damaged by a
tornado, but the second storm swept
through more thickIy settled portion of
the city. demolishing strong and expen-
sive buildings. destroying old and beauti-
full shade trees. and making havoc with
life as well as with properly in general.
The day had been beautiful and warm I'M
til evening, when clouds began to gather.
The atmosphere was oppressive, heavy
and hot. About four o'clock it seemed as
though the sky would clear, but soon
heavy black clouds came from the north
after six o'clock the clouds assumed
greenish tint, accompanied by rumbling
noise, and in short time the wind in
creased in violence until the full force Of
q tornado was felt. and what was once a
well-populated portion of the city was q
scene of ruin.
In the places which have experinced
these tornadoes, unhappily every summer
multiplying IN number. the people live in
constant fear Of second one. The ter
ror inspired by one of these storms never
wholly subsidies. As the country becomes
more thickly settled, the destructiveness
of the wind storms prOportionately in
reases. If the experience of the last half
dozen years represents the normal condi
ton of things. and town leveling and
house upsetting are to become, through
repetition, familiar incidents in the tor
nado region, life in large portion of the
West will be as full of hazard as it is in
an earthquake region Immediately ada
cent to smoking volcano. We heard
little of tornadoes fifteen or twenty years
ago. We wish we had some ground for
believing that we will hear no more of
them fifteen and twenty years hence,
1t has been suggested that warning
might be given by telegraph of the APP
prOach of these destructive agents to cities
and towns, but how that could prevent the
destruction of property along their course
we are unable to understand. Persons
now escape to caves and cellars when
they can upon seeing signs of the coming
hours OF its visitation would afford no pro-
lection to houses. crops and other property
exposed to the pitiless blast of the cyclone.
The Boston Traveller has been making
q canvass of Massachusetts to discover
what change. if any, has taken place in
the sentiment of voters toward Butler
since he became Governor. The letters,
to which printed replies were made, were
sent mostly to republican citizens ofknown
standing in their respective localities,
many of them delegates to the last repub-
lican convention. Leading politicians
however, were avoided as a rule. The men
selected were clergymen, manufacturers.
store-keepers, mechanics, and, indeed,
men in all occupations. There is a very
striking agreement in large majority of
the answers, that Buffers course as Gov
ernor has so disguised the more respecta-
BILE classes of people in the State that his
defeat II he runs as gubernatoral candi-
date is a certainty.
The Boston Advertiser of Saturday says:
1.-The brutal assaults on the character of
the late President Garfield will make the