The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-31

Sunday was double day Of rest for the
people of Wellington. The city's
inhabitants had gone through one horri
bic haunting night Of blood curdling.
heartrending experiences, and another day
Of rescuing the dead from under the piles
of wrenched, broken and twisted boards,
plaster, tin, brick and stone. The great
horde of visitors were, in a large part, the
principle spectators on the street, the
citizens Of Wellington remaining indoors
or sitting on their porches aud taking a
much needed rest. Wellington, a wrecked
city. never had so large number of peo-
pie on her streets in her palmiest days.
Fifteen thousand strangers roamed about
the streets and clambered over the ruins
and crawled in and out among the debris.
Wichita, alone, furnished $500 and Win
field 1900. People came from as far north
as Harrington, Florence and Hutchinson,
and as far west as Medicine Lodge crowds
trouDed in to see toe dire work of the
angry elements. Every Kansan had a
curiosity and an anxiety keener because
he did not know how soon he, too would
be victim of the same monster. Around
the principle ruins the militia of yelling
ton had strung guide ropes to keep the
over-curious out from among the unsteady
and dangerous walls and foundations. The
members of the militia were in uniform
and policed the city.
EXAMINING THE TREES
Everything had an intense interest for
the spectators. The big trees, some two
feet in diamete-, first claimed the atten-
tion of the analytically inclined and furn-
ished some significant proofs of the nature
of the storm. ANY mum Der of these large
cottonwoods were lying about on the
ground, some falling TO the east some to
the west and north and south, ali in the
same dooryard, indicating the extreme
narrowness OF the funnel-weapon and
showing its tortuous nature. In one yard
four trees fell to the four points of the
COMPASS, all within thirty feet of one an
other. thus demonstrating that the funnel
was at this point not over forty feet across
anu was twisting from the west to the
east, for the south tree fell to the east. the
east tree to the north, the north tree to
the west and the west tree to the south.
Strange to say, these fallen trees did not,
not one Of them, bring a single root up
with them, but were torn off level with the
surrounding ground, and the bark about
the base was twisted and wrenched, the
fibres of the trees showing the appearances
of gigantic strain up the trunk for a
foot or two.
THE STORM BROKE.
Jacob Stotler Sunday told reporter for
ka L bau ha ar dacpandaI.
is no mere figure of SPEECH" he said, ito
say that spoken or written language is in
adequate to describe the awfulness, the
quivering terror OF that moment when the
tornado came l had been watching
the system for an hour aud rather sus-
pected that the worst would come to the
worst. l have lived in Kansas, for many
many years, but l never heard the wind
blow as it did that night. Steadily it
would come, sharpened by occasional
blasts that would teaE madly about the
house, and shake every article in the room.
l walked from door to door, first watching
the sky at one place and then at another
The clouds were piled in grotesque palaces
of black marble to the southwest and the
lightning blackened the murky landscape
every three or four seconds. The wind
kept increasing steadily and | could hear
the timbers of the house cresk and groan
under the monstrous strain. Finally, l
could endure the agony of anxiety no
longer and | gathered my family together
and took them TO the cellar. We had
hardly reached there, when voiceless
calm came down on the city and thought
the storm was over. Back we went into
the house rejoicing.
a premonitioni l felt the cold chills run
down nv back and freeze the blood in my
veins. 1t was the calm before the storm.
/ knew it Out into yard peered, and not
a leaf was stirring. The green trees so
lately dressed in the spring sunshine, stood
calm and motionless-not leaf stirring
not a sound-everywhere, above, beneath,
GREATNESS silence. Then rustic. quiv-
ering, trembling motion of the foliage, the
window panes ratified with alarming omi
nousness. The cyclone was coming. l
shut my eyes.
THE CRY OF WARRING DEMONS.
Bat it was not yet. The Earring window
panes shook titfuily. but no tornado yet /
was waiting, listening, trembling for the
roar-that ominous, thrilling voice OF the
air. which had heard about all my life,
but had yet never heard. / noticed that
the air was becoming rarifed and all of
Us in the room were breathing heavily.
Suddenly there was a Change in the color
of the lightning. 1t had been white
flashes, but now it was an intense, vivid
brilliant blue. Suddenly | realized that
there was buzzing in my ears. lis
tened sharply. 1t was the roar. Away in
the distant, ever so faint at first, | could
hear the demon of the elements in his
ruthless journey Nearer aud louder,
louder and nearer every moment.
The roarl What was it ike? Like a bee
at first; then in turn somewhat tuueful
like q threshing machine; then like a
freight train, for l tried 10 beguiIe myself
into the impossible idea that it was a run
away train on the Rock Island that had
gotten away from it, engine, and not
tornado; then as il came closer. it WAS
hasrher and lacked every resemblance to a
coucordant sound and roared like a goaded
elephant, and then-it struck.
Il is not for me TO tell yoa ofthst moment
All he'll was let loose aHd the demon and
devils of frey inferno, seem 10 have bro
ken their chains and were battling in
some new found moral cbaos- Have you
ever sat out on q warm July evening in
Kansas and listened 10 the ove-phFases OF
the scarcely stirring Zephyrs and the
leaves shimmering in the moonlight, and
felt that the repose that came, then. aud
at no other time? Il you have, then i'm
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