Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-11-11
-IClCIONE JICTfN
Co onel Kirk, >t"r, of His Thr,iiin; ENP'~
rience.

CYCLONE JETIM
Co onei kirk, >,"r, of His Thrillin: ENp'-
rience.
For several davs following the awful
cyclone at Washington c. H., Ohio it
was the all-absorb /. topic OF conrcr>a-
ton in our town.
Great crowds of eNcur-ionistS went
down TO view the wrecked city, And re-
turning toll of the terrible effects of the
de- astatlng storm.
These ac cunts were listened to with
great attention. but aS most of them
Were inclined 10 spread it on title it
was pretty hard to separate truth from
fiction. So when Colonel Tom Kirk,
whom we knew was . citizen of Wash
ington {. H., strollcd into our office. We
ic.t certain that We We're about 10 hear
. true account of the great blow.
The poys all gathered around him.
gave him the seat of honor on the rail-
Ing. presented him with cigar. and
settled themselves down to listen.
Well. boys" I'D the Colonel. after
a few preliminary putls. YOU want to
hear a out the cyclone. suppose, eh?"
We told h m that. enlcrta n ng a. we
Il d Il firm belief in rs unlmpeachable
Ncracity. such was our unanimous de-
SIRE
Wen. confined the Colonel. ''lct
me tel you first that | have com" mp
here TO STAY. Eve got enough of Wash
nrton G. H. You know when | went
down there 10 live. people here all told
me il WAS situated IN an open country
and liable to heavy storms: but | never
] Stencd 10 their talk. wish l had
now. lneycr knew such town for
storms. and thev We're m ghty queer
ones. too. I've seen all sort- OF storms.
from typhoons and tornados to. ahem
domestic storms, but | never SAW any
act like those.
W hy. if we won 4 happen to leave
our clothes out on the line after dark.
a ong won d come Z miniature cyclone
and sweep nv best shirts of. leaving
some worn-out tn rg, | should have
been glad 10 get rid Of And strange to
say W" Won dn't hear any nose. either.
1t would slide around and do it work
81 n e;!v 1 at wnen | would ask nv
rrighbpr about the Storm next morn
ing. he'd declare there hadn't been II
CIoad IN The sky the entire night
- Then. again SOM morning | would
wake up to find that my melon patch
had been visited by cyclone and the
rIrd> We're strcwn all over my n igh-
Tor ward. would call his attention
g. the fact and he would clasp his hands
IN say Wonderful " onder.ul" that he
" uldn't have believed it if he adm /
seen it with his own ewes; but that
c.,lCneS were queer storms. and that
he had heard of uSt such occurrences.
Then my wood pie commenced TO
disappear As many as ten sticks
would blow away some nights. One
dal tried the eNpcrsment of wcighting
5 me down with about a pound OF
gunpowdcy inserted in knot-hole. but
tnat night they disappeared just the
same
The next morning ] got up early.
Just N time To- see cyclone strike nv
ne ghbor'> kitchen. Honestly, cyclones
are the most curious storms IN creation,
1t never harmed the roo of the
kitchen. but >woope down through
the door aud boosted the heavy cook
stove right through the window in sec
tons
- never saw such wonderful
thing iii my life, Then, after wreck,
ing the stove. the cyc.onc quietly
moved on and disappeared without in
ficting further damage. You may not
be ieve this, but il Is the truth never
thrlc>s.
Well. could have stood these
baby cyclones, and in tine. perhaps.
have got used to them. but when the
old parent cyclone came monkeying
around the other night | concluded it
Was about time TO pull up stakes and
leave.
That night | was sitting upon the
even ms >muNe. saw the storm
gathering. The somber-hued clouds
had maS.ed themselves in awlu ma esty
above the hor ION, and come rolling
along Ike horrible monsters hungry for
I er helpless prev, whie mingled with
the lightn n.ng'> binding glarr came the
N ghty roar of ,jove'> ar, cry, causing
tn" stoutest heart among Us to tremble
and 70 c. wer,'
Right here, the boys got up and
famed the Colonel \ gorously. bring
in. him back from hls soaring flight
of cloquencr TO cold. cruel ear again.
In short time he recovered and con
tuucd:
.'Wen. von fellows may think it
storm. but il wi>. Why the
SKY was \, black rs the record Of the
oppo, ng camd date
Il rrma ned outside mil cook stoves
and such tn mg- bcg 10 tv around
klni OF Lively Ike. and then concluded
it WAS about time tp 20 in and take nv
wife and children down celia.
but before could get ms de the
lonr. along came the hca, .est part Of
that cyclone, lifted ME upon it, bosom
and ere | could say a word in remon
strance. | WAS gliding along over the
housetop> like a meteor. Below ME
could see the houses being DESTROYED.
tI' p'DlpiS y iue lDI tneiT lives, anu /
ahout gave myself up for lost. | had
been str"ck by the center of the cy-
clone, and WAS being borne out into the
country at Iightning-eNpre ira n speed.
but being on the top of it. eNper enced
no more incon, cu ence that | would
have felt in Pullman sleeper. But
after awhile | b gin to think what
would happen when | stopped. con-
less | was but poorly prepared for the
rip that waS forced upon me. In the
hurry of my departure had neglected
% take my pocket book with me- and
Is the cyclone was taking an ea>terly
direction. | began to wonder how /
should return in case | landed some
where on the Atlantic coast
Then ! recollected that the thing
lad no brakes, and il stopped at all
was going to be mighty sudden, and
had not made my " Il.
These things alarmed me somewhat
saw some huge oh &c. COM
nc toward me. 1t whirIed right under