Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-09-03
AN UNSHACKLED FURY.
A Howling Hurricane Which Made
the Fertile Prairie a Desert.
Thrilling Description OF One Of the Queer
Freaks OF Western PrnlrIes-A storm
Dashing Over tia Earth at the
Rate OF n Hundred Miles
an Hour.
detroit Free Press.I

ne were camped on the open prairie,
seventy miles from the nearest range Of
hills, with not a tree or bush In sight as
far a the eve could range. A few rods 10
the east was a dry Iavine, perhaps six
feet deep. IL was one of those queer freaks
OF the prairie, beginning nowhere, ending
nowhere, anil not to be seen until one rode
into il. Ii crooked and turned like the
trail Of n serpen'. but one looking across
the prairie saw nothing hut n dead level
Night shut down soft aS a whisper, and
the stars came out and looked cheerily
down on the faces Of the men who rested
after "a hard days work. There was not
wind enough 10 turn feather. There was
no sign In the heavens that danger mem
nced. At midnight the wakeful sentinel
felt gentle pUR OF wind lifting his long
hair, and from some distan mt point the bark
Of a coyote was waited to his ears. Ten
minutes later the grass about him was
bending to breeZe, and the unsecured
iinps OF the tent began To whip. One OF
The sleepers was arous, 10 make things
secure, and lie was none too soon. Away
OF to the west was heard a mighty rush.
ing the grass swished in the wind, and
dozens OF dark forms skurried past the
tent in the direction of the ravine. The
animal life OF tho prairie had become
aroused.
Not in pulls, but with front like a wnu
the wind came out Of the west, increasing
IN strength every moment. An hour alter
midnight the sentinel could no longer
stanl against il, and the sleepers had been
aroused to hold the tent Ina place by main
strength. a quarter of an hour later il
was picket up as the human breath blows
feather away. Men shouted and
screamed at each other, but the wind took
The words from their lips aud whirled
them away unheard. Blown along like so
many puppets the band fell into the ravine
| Tor shelter, iOllowe two minutes later by
all tho horses. The alarmed animals
crowded up close to their human friends,
and then all lay down for further security.
/ The wagons were heard rushing away to
/ tumble into tue ravins further down, and
/ now and then saddle or blanket or cook
/ ing uten III flew over tho ravins or fell
among the fugitivrs.
! Afar up tho mighty mountains a
vial Of wrath had been uncorked.
4 Through the gloomy canyons-down
the awful precipices-over the pine
/ clad slopes rushed n hurricane in
search Of victims. II leaped down from
mountain to foo hills with the roar Of an
angry soa, and IL left the foothills for the
| level prairie bent on terrible destruction.
| Across seventy miles of level IL dashed at
Is with the fury OF a tidal wave. 1t grew
with its fury, and at two o'clock no living
thing could have faced IL. At three the
storm-svrpt prairie kept up n continuous
| trembling, as IL n vocano was about to
break forth near us. At four, when day
| light broke, the air was choked with grass
torn up by the roofs, and the roar was APP
palling. Men chung TO each other and 10
the grass, AMI now and then, as The roar
Ing died out for n few seconds, the fright
encd horses neighed their terror. When
the wind llows sixty miles an hour II Is
Il hurricane. II was blowing harder than
that to tear the strong prairie rrass out
of the soil. When the wind blows seventy
miles an hour great trees are uproo ed and
barns are flown down. II was blowing
harder than that TO swoop up
and carry off our heavy picks
and axes. More than seventy-more
than eighty-more than niuety-aye
that mighty wrath was dashing over
the prairie Mt the rate Of hundred miles
an hour. We felt suffocated for the want
Of air. We were deafsned by the contin-
uous roaring. We we're exhausted by the
desperate struggle to prevent being scoop
ed bodily and carried out of the ravine.
| II it was so with US, sheltered from the
fury as we were, how must it have been
with those exposed to its full force! A
| great wolf, from whom the life was beaten
out rolled down among us. The bodies of
dozens Of coyotes and rabbits, In which
|
the ravinc. The wagons were caught up
at day light, wbirled in the air for a mo-
mont, and then disappeared forever. Even
the iron axles were not to be found.
Two or three oil jects which no one
could make out tumbled over the
hank below the horses. Some hours later
wo found them to bc mnulel an pounded
/ and lionel roken bodies OF IuffaIoes.
At five O'Clock the climax was reached
II up penred as IL the earth rose and fell
under uS. One Of the horses struggled to
his feet, and the next instant he vanished
to the east. The force of the winl bruised
and panied. A rock weighing tons
flown, perhaps, from the foothills
plowed down one bank and ru he'd up the
other TO continue a plaything for the
wrath. Our breath came by gasps. The
air thickened till IL became twilight. Half
an hour later tho wind began to lull, the
roaring to die away and the sky 70 Tighten
up, and at seven o'clock we were search
Ing the prairie in hopes of recovering
some enc article helongin' TO what
had been well-stocked camp. On the
prairie we found absolutely nothing. In
the ravine n couple OF axes, two or three
saddles, an iron kettle AMI portions OF
harness. The mighty wrath had hungered
for our lives, and, failing to get them.
bad vengefully soug.t to rob US of our
all.
Fire had not swept the prairie--an army
had not marched over tia finod had not
been let loose. Il had encountered worse
enemy. A bowling, roaring, grinding
hurricane had made IL a desert on which
hare might search in vain to satisfy its
hunger.
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Queer Music oT the Bull Snake