The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1891-10-17

route was more direct and some
what shorter than the railroad S,
but it zigzagged enough to compen-
safe for this. Its rate, therefore,
was a mile minute, Including
stops " but between stations" it must
have been much greater, for when
doing its most destructive work it
appeared to halt or move slowly. One
observer states that it played before
him as he trotted quietly in its wake,
and that he could easily have over
taken it had he cared There are
other evidences that this is true
When first seen west of Centralia-
fourteen miles west of Mexico the
storm cloud had five of the usual
funnel-shaped tentacles writhing high
but harmless in the air, But they soon
descended, massed themselves INTO
one, and for six miles wrought zig
gag course of great damage worming
itself this way and that, sometimes at
right angles to it's course, to lick up a
building. At the end it rose in the
air again, and became obscured at each
side and beneath by intervening clouds.
During TINS flight its velocity and
force were probably terrific, as its
roar was heard twenty-five miles south
ward. At the end of nine miles it
gradually descended again, showing
several whirling tunnels
The external phenomena of this
storms march were perhaps not very
peculiar. At the time of its greatest
fury, a white steamy streak, apparent
ly foot across, was seen to run mp
and down and sway with the lam
bent cloud, and then to part in the
middle, and the upper portion to
slowly withdraw above. The funnel
cloud was dark, when simply travel
ing, but steamy white when doing de-
structive work, its point touching its
victims, at times, with the delicacy of
serpent tongue. At some houses,
however, the cloud seemed to lie in
mass, and great, filmy tentacles, with
vertical revolution, would dart
violently out and in. These offshoots
were also observed high in the air at
other places. At times the main fun
mel was preceded by smaller one,
which would be overtaken and alb
sorbed by the larger, with every APP
pearance of an explosion.
Tho electric displays, while extern
sive, were not more remarkable than
those accompanying large ordinary
storms. The switch boards at Mexico
lana perhaps other placeSl were burnt
out, and on the edge of the
track, some stock were killed by light
ming. In the direct path, Immediately
after the passage, some crisply burnt
green leaves were observed, indicating,
perhaps, heat, either electric or fric-
tional, but none of those persons
passed over by the funnel, report any
evidences of immediate electric action
There are, however, some remarkable
phases of this tOrnado's traverse that
may indie tie at least electric attrac-
ton. Noticeably. the storm crossed
the county of Audrain for distance
of thirty miles on township line
dotted with homes, and left straight
line at no time the distance
OF a stones throw, except to pick
up a building. Near Centralia, in
Boone county, its oscillations across
its general course were as great as half
a mile-at one time going directly
north on a lane and demohshing two
or three buildings, The study of the
diagram herewith of the tornado's
track north of Mexico will convince
any one that upright objects had the
power of attracting it from and defiec-
ting it again out of the line of its
march. House No. ! was only slightly
moved on its foundation. The direc-
ton of the trees shows a gathering of