Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-05-08
ABOvE THE UYCLONE.
A Lady Locks Down Upon the
Wind In its Wrath.
Anna R., in ohattanoOga Commercial.

The writer was one of a half dozen
persons who took refuge last Sunday
evening in the little observatory on
Lookout Point, during the fearful
storm. Ii was my first visit to that
historic height, and as | watched the
peaceful shadows chase the sunshine
Ger the battle fields of Mission
Ridge and Chiekamauga, 1 involuntsri-
ly contrasted the calm, inviting scene
with the dark aud bloody aspect Of
twenty years ago.
Looking eastward it seemed that
nature had collected hall of her en-
trancing wonders and spread them out
on the hills and valleys before us.
To look, and then to look again, was
but to repeat magnificent feast
from the menu of earth's phenomena;
which is more richly relished with
each repetition. The upper elements
were as silent as the shadows and
the soft spring zephyrs were freighted
with the sweet aroma of wild nouns
tain flowers. Everything seemed
to be in perfect harmony with the
gay and cheerful spirit which an
mated the party, and in this delight.
full accord we moved on in joyous
haste. until suddenly. yea, in the
twinkling OF an eye, grating thunder
blast rent the air just over US.
Shocked at the nearneas of the sound,
for it seemed only few feet above
us, we fastened to the observatory,
where we hoped to shelter from the
anticipated shower.
Upon reaching that place we dis
covered our fearful mistake. En-
tranced with the scenery east of the
mountain and part Of the time shut
off by the wooded summit from a
glance at the west, hideous storm
cloud had gathered unobserved by us,
and was rushing its frightful proper
tions toward our place of refuge. We
now stood for the first time in view OF
it. 1t was rolling on with awful
rapidly We could not retrace our
footsteps and escape-it was too latel
Already we were enveloped in deep
shadows, and mountains in sight were
being deluged and dashed with the
storms fury.
Our only hope for shelter was in the
observatory, We entered. just
think Of i'll Six persons seeking safe
ty from storm in a small 1920 frame
house which stands right on the verge
of a precipice two hundred feet high.
o, heavenl how | shuddered aud
shrunk down with horror when l
glanced at the coming tornado through
The window, then crossed the window
to another and looked down, down,
down, through the tops of trees to the
foot of that mighty precipice and con-
templated being overturned by the
raging elementsl The joy which
thrilled our hearts few moments
before had now given way to fear so
intense as to almost reach the point of
agony.
The shadows grew deuser, the angry
clouds lowered in whirling confusion,
the lightnings shot cratic in thou
sand directions from the bosom OF
sweeping chaos, rs it were, and the
thunder pealed terrific blast after
blast, until the huge rocks beneath
us seemed to culver at the grating
sound. In another moment
the cloud swept over the mountains
beyond and the valleys beneath, then
around the brow of Lookout, below
our refuge. like a vast unpent ocean.
The forests bowed before it. The
rumbling, crashing, roaring din sounds
ed like an avalanche of worlds.
For awhile We were literally above
the storm, but the clouds at length
gushed around the observatory, filling
our room full OF dense vapors through
a broken window, aud death to our
entire party seemed inevitable. The
wind howled about US and lashed our
frail refuge with brush, huge limbs,
sticks and other things which it hurled
uptrom the west side of the mountain
Gale after gale struck tho building,
and harder and harder each crashed,
uuNli ZIG OIOdkluS lluUbNb secueu W
pOrtend our early plunging, house and
all, two thousand feet down through
the mighty convulsed ocean of cloud
and air. All were silent and CHASTITY,
as if in secret prayer for security.
For half an hour we stood thus,
trembling between hope and de-
spair." At length there was a visible
break in the clouds near sunset, and
each countenanee was glowing with
thanksgiving joy. The fierce raging
storm gradually ceased, and just at
sunset, though the rain still poured
we started down to the city. For a
half mile along the mountain top we
drove through clouds which seemed
to us to be fairly melting into sheets
Of water. Reaching the descent we
soon got below the clouds and with
much difficulty arrived in your city
about 8 o'clock in the night.
l never spent an evening in a storm
cloud hafora and 7 rrov Hod that