Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-10
TAB ON A TORNADO.
Kept by a Merry Resident of
Highland Park.
THE wHIRLING TERROR DESCRIBED

How 1t Pursued Its Erratic course, Oc-
casfonaIIy Dropping Down TO Crush n
BuiIding-Reports o: Cycionic Havoc
still Coming In--its Sweep Through
Sharon Township, O.--1hree Persons
Killed, and Many Farmers Ruined
Four Lives Lost at q Furnace-Other
Havoc Wrought.
CHICAGO, April 10-The only eye-w witness
to the descent of the cyclone upon Highland
Park Tuesday night was the city marshal of
the place, W. f. Edwards, whose duties had
kept him out of doors Mr. Edwards is a
man of remarkable presence of mind, and a
trainel and close observer. He was just
leaving the Jail when the phenomenal storm
broke loose over the town, and it happened
that the whirling terror made its appear
ance, swept through the town, and went on
to the lake only few hours after Lieut. +.
n. Beall, of the United States signal service
before the academy of sciences, had been
LAYING down the axiom that Chicago was
practically out of the dangerous belt of cy-
clones Highland Park is not quite twenty
three miles from this city.
What Mr.. Edward Saw.
What he saw on emerging into the street
again Mr. Edwards described as follows:
"An at once the northwestern portion of the
sky began TO grow thick and black, and
confused bunch of very black clouds came
swiftly rolling on. II had been laundering
and lightning before, but as the storm came
even with the tower there was no other
noise but that of an awful roar, hollow and
so weird that l could not compare it with
any other noise l ever heard While this
bali of clouds came up the sky TO the east
and to the west of us was quite clear and the
stars were shining. When l saw the storm
approaching it was about 800 feet up in the
air
The Swoop of the Destroyer.
"When IT had reached a point in mid-air
half block from where | stood holt of
black cloud not more than seven feet wide
/ should judge, shot out and descended with
awful speed to the ground, breaking off a
tall tree at the roofs. Another bolt, much
thicker through, at the same moment
loosened itself and came down, smashing up
the blacksmith shop of Mr.. Pitts. At the
same time there was a terrific sound as Of a
fearful explosion. From Mr.. Pitts place the
same broad bolt. which by this time must
have been 100 or $50 feet WIDE rose about
ten feet above the ground, and scooted off
Michael Rafferty,, which it lifted up bodily,
showing it about ten feet off its foundations,
and dropping it again.
Demolition of the Church.
From there i moved toward the Cath
Ollie church, about 100 yards away, and to-
tally destroyed it. After that it knocked
over a half-dozen smaller houses and farms,
snapped off scores OF trees and telegraph
poles lifted dozen roofs and then went,
still in that same curious zig-Zag fashion, in
the direction of the railroad tracks and the
station. 1t then rose up once more into the
air, 500 feet high, and Travelled rapidly OFF
toward the lake, where it was lost, and
didn't attempt TO follow it. During this
time-less than two minutes in all-there
was no hail nor rain, no thunder and no
lightning, nothing but that queer roaring
noise.n
The Observer Given Lift.
Mr.. Edwards, who had just risen from his
bed, has something to remind him Of his ex-
perience as an observer of natural phenom-
ena. For at one point in its progress the
cloud of which he speaks seized him, too,
lifted him high into the air, rolled him over
three or four times, and dropped him TO the
ground At the same time something struck
him on the head, whether a branch of tree
or what he does not know.