Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-09-13
RAMBLER'S NOTE BOOK
REMiNISCENGEs or THE SPRING
FIELD CYCLOYE or 80.

In the midst OF the universal discussion o
every incident connected with the Washing
ton Q. II. tornado, it is only the older gen
GRAFTON Of Springfield citizens who remember
that Springfield once figured in conflict will
the business end of cyclone. had th,
good fortune TO corner one OF Springfield
"oldest inhabitants and pioneer resident
with a memory like a camera, yesterday.
From the graphic description gwen by him Of
it, 1t would seem as If the cyclone would tip
the beam alta figure very near that of the
Washington G. II. "brteze."
Yes" said the Oldest iuhnbitant, we did
have cyclone in Springfield once. think
1t was about SO. | was awakened shortly
after midnight by the mutterings of an APP
proaching storm. The night had bsen the
hottest and closest of the season. Everyone
was sweltering with the heat, and many sat
up to very late hour. The first signs of the
storm was an oppressive feeling of the
atmosphere, broken occasionally by ftful
of distant thunder. The darkness was that
Of Egypt. You could not see your hand an
| inch in front of your face. You could see as
| much with your eyes closed rs open. Soon
| the lightning commenced, and such light
| ming | never shall forget it. 1t was like an
explosion OF magazine of fire. works. There
| could not have been a tenth of second
between the flashes; what with the lightning
and terrible darkness. the imagination was
appalled,. The earth seemed hugh dungeon,
walled in with the ominous gloom OF the
| heavens. The wild bolts OF the lightning
seemed like so many serpents OF fire aua-
condas OF flame, boa constructors OF fire,
dragons Of blaze-al wranglipg and fghtin &
in the gloom OF this vast dungeon. Suddenly
there was low moan of wind, hissing
cracking sound and the cyclone was there,
more powerful than man or beast, more ter
| rible than thousand serpents
"You have seen the dust gathered by a
miniature whirlpool OF the air into a spiral
column. 1t gyrates along the street aud
sometimes carries off boys hat and whirs
it in the air, or scatters the papers from
| curb-sone fruit stand. Such was this cy-
clone, only on a grand and terrible scale.
was living on the corner OF Market and
Jefferson streets at that time. Looking out
! saw the spire OF the First Presbyterian
church swinging like dudes cane. | am
sure that the spire swung fully twenty feet
out Of line. l's motions were distinctly visi-
BILE. 1t seemed to be lashed to and fro like a
timber flagstaff, but so well was it construct
ed that it held together without break. |
looked to see it fall momentarily. There
were two oak trees in our yard and they ac-
tually laid down and lsshed the earth with
their sides and tops, 80 terrific was the force
OF the wind. Their ,oughness saved them
however, and they righted them
selves the instant the wind mod
Grated. The cyclone struck Union Hall,
the building in which the public library is
now located. The building was surmoun,ed
by n tin roof. When the spiral monster of
the heavens struck the roof, it actually tore
it from its fastenings and curled it up like a
big cone, or for all the world like big tin
funnel. When the people rose the next
morning, ana walked down town, there was
Union Hall, topped by. what, at first sight,
seemed to be vast tin haystack. | have
never seen, nor read OF so perfect an illnstra-
con of the spiral form taken by these cy-
cones, as was that tin roof The big tin
funnel showed the shape of the monsters
jaws, like cast, and the marks OF his terri
BILE teeth were on the tin.
The cyclone pursued zigzag path through
the city, making a clean sweep wherever it
touched. II took Il side out of Peter Mur-
rays pork house, and wrecked house near
the present entrance to F.rncliff cemetery.
Here it picked up sleeping child anu carried
it several hundred feet over on the side of
Wittenberg College bill. However, as | am
not making this up as a fish story, will
admit that the child was awakened What
child wouldn't wake up, to be taken to nurse
by an able cyclone. At the foot of
Spring street, it struck Edwards stable,
and several other buildings. Philos-
ophy says that no matter is lost, but
I'm hanged if Edwards stable wasn't lost, at
least they never found IT, 1t seems to have
been picked up by the cyclone and torn into
kindling wood, and the latter carefully dis
out with telescope for days looking TOR that
there barn of his'n'
"The cyclone then took fashionable parade
up Limestone street. and persuaded the gable
| end Of the old Delaware freight house to ;elope
with it. 1t then rushed for the hill, and took
the roof OF Turner's house, which stood near
what 10 now Gallagher street. On East Main
street it picked up house in which every
body was placidly sleeping and performed the
difficult feat OF lifting the house half around,
| without waking the occupants. Up on the
hill it went into the gardening business 1t
tore huge oak tree up by the roots, and
actually carried it over paling fence without
disturbing paling, and landed it right side
up with care Il hundred feet distant 1t then
rushed frantically out to East Springfield,
| and spent its force in Brains woods, east of
the city. Here, also, was good place to
| study its action. 1t would fold a huge tough
hickory in its embrace and twist it MS
| you would twist sprig Of iron-w
| around your finger. The limited space over
which this whirlpool of air acted, was finely
| illustrated by a huge dead black oak tree
which stood tottering with decay not fifty
feet distant rom where the trees were torn
| and twisted as IT by some almighty power.
This aged tree stood calmly through all the
hub6ub, and not a twig tell from it. 1t hap
pened 10 be out of the cyclones reach, and it
actually fell OF its own weight some days
after on n still day. Strange as it may seem,
no one WAS injured in the slightest degree
amid all the damage"
The vocal society made an extremely wise
selection in the choice of Professor Blumen-
schein for their director for the ensuing year