Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-03-26
A MARVELLOUS ESCAPE.
Fifteen Minutes with a Cyclone-A
True Story.

Fifteen Minutes with a Cyclone-A
True Story.
''Speaking of cyclones, remarked Mr..
Wilson to the company about the library
fire, one cold November evening, II
think I can equal any story you have
told with my own experience in gen.
uine 'twister.'"
AS we had already heard some sur
prising stories, general exclamation
from young and old demanded the story,
and, after little urging, Mr.. Wilson
began:
1--WE were living then, my wife and
the eight children (of whom the young
est was but four months old), in NAL
com, a pretty little village about five
miles from the city of Grinnell, Ia.
The farm was as attractive as it could
we'll be-acre after acre of rolling prai-
RE land, fine garden, and young and
thriving orchard. My cousin had lived
on the place for several years, but when
his business made it NECESSARY for him
to go farther West, he had persuaded
me to come out and take the farm.
had hoped to go West for several years,
and thought this an excellent opportu-
nifty, SO we moved out, and had been
living there about four years when this
big blow came.
1T was in 1882, on the 27th of June;
you will see why I have no trouble in
remembering the date.
ut had been an exceedingly hot day,
not cloud to be seen, with the sun
beating fiercely down, and not breath
of air stirring. We sat out on the porch
after supper, trying to find cool place.
The clouds were beginning to gather,
and it looked as if there might be
shower. The three little ones went
early to bed, and in spite of the OPP
pressive heat we're soon fast asleep.
1T couldn't have been far from eight
o'clock when I heard sound which at
first thought was thunder. The others
noticed it, too, and, as it grew louder, a
terrible rushing sound came with it, and
we looked at one another in silence for
. minute, and then ran to where we
could look out westward
my heart stopped beating, when I
saw coming toward US with terrific speed
a black, funnel-shaped cloud, the rush
and roar accompanying it growing louder
every minute.
"'Run for the cellar! I cried. My
wife ran and seized the baby, and l
caught up the two other children from
the bed. There was no time to lose.
1.-THE one who first reached the cellar
door-it was one of the older children
had just time to seize the knob, nothing
more, when-crash! such terrific
noise! felt myself lifted in the air, and
thought my time had come. The next
thing I knew, I felt the splash of cold
water in my face. I must have lost
consciousness, but the water revived
me, and in moment I knew where I
was.
II had come doom head first into the
weN!
1.-THE water was some ten feet deep. I
was thoroughly at home in the water,
though I wasn't used to diving in that
fashion, and managed to right myself
and come up head first.
1.-THE we'll was not more than three
feet across, and the pump had been
broken short off and carried away, leav-
ing two-inch iron pipe standing
straight up in the middle.
II was very nearly out of breath when
I came to the top of the water. My
hands touched something floating on
the surface. I thought it was the cat;
imagine my surprise when I found it
was Charlie, our ive-year-old boy!
''He was terribly frightened, and as
amazed as was, to find himself alone
in the we'll. The wonder was that we
were not both of US impaled on that
iron pipe; how we escaped it can not
understand
"The cyclone had passed on, and a
terrific, steady wind was blowing.
could hear it roar above our heads; and
by the flashes Of lightning could see
that rain fell in torrents. We were
both so wet we didn't mind the little
extra water that FLASHED down on us,
and as soon as possible I raised Charlie
to my shoulders, and by aid of the pipe
managed to work my way to the top of
the we'll. This took some little time,
and the wind and rain had nearly ceased
when set my feet on solid earth again,
and found we were unhurt
''But such scene as looked upon l
hope never to see again! And dreaded
to look about me for fear of worse
things. Evidently the house had been
lifted bodily from its foundations and
dashed down, and every thing that had
not been carried away by the wind lay
about the yard; many of the great tim
bers were found rods away driven into
the earth, as if they had been but tent
pegs.
"Soon heard my wife's voice calling,