The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-27
A Locomotives Terrible Race Across
Kansas Plains With q Black
Terror.
.ookad Like q M~onetrous Cha nj
Pursuing tho Nngine With
EVIL Intent.
Tho Fireman Knew what 1t Was and thu
Direction II Was Traveling-Fast
Time.

Harry Wetherell, Al engineer on the
Jersey Central railroad, told a reporter his
experience with q tornado In Kansas and
said that If fear always turned a mans
hair white his locks ought to be like snow.
1t happened this way: 1t was some time
in July. The weather had been pretty hot,
and it was just the sort of a day for breed
ing a tornado. / was working Oh q M
horse railroad in southern Kansas. The
superintendent wired me to fetch my en-
CINE q distance Of about 70 miles to a place
called Peterstown.
Well, l got fuel and water aboard as
quickly as possible and started for Peters
town, taking it rather easily, because the
truck wasn't in condition to stand fast run
ming well. 1t wa an hour out from my
starting place, and had gone 16 miles per-
haps, when I noticed some queer looking
clouds on the western horizon.
The day was extremely sultry, and there
was a curious sort Of a glare over the land
scape which made it look sort Of feverish.
] can't think Of a better word for describ-
ing it. There was something unnatural
about the appearance Of everything. My
fireman was a hoy who had been brought
up in that region, and he said that it looked
like = tornado coming. He ought to have
been a good Judge Of the symptoms because
the whole Of his family, together with all
theiS property and live stock, had been
wip<d out by such a ''twister."
By the time we had gone maybe eight or
nine miles farther a dense bank OF clouds
had spread around toward the southwest.
1t was black as ink, but beneath it was a
blank streak Of white. I had never seen
anything that looked quite like it before.
It seemed as il something awful was 60
ing to happen, It was the boy who called
my attention to the pointed cloud, and he
said it was a tornado beginning.
"Then Well ruiz away from it, I guess"
said I, pulling the throttle wide open. But
the boy, he said nothing-only watched the
clouds in the distance.
BIZ this time the pointed cloud had got
very much bigger, the lower end of it near
~ touching tho ground. 1t grew rapidly
larger and larger and seemed to be ap-
preaching at a great rate Of speed, while
the rest of the view toward the west and
southwest became blurred to the eye, so
that nothing could be made out very clear
ly. saw that it was a tornado that was
coming, and no mistake, for the strange
cloud. which had the shape of Il gigantic
peg toy, was distinctly outlined in its inky
blackness against the general blur. l be-
gan to feel pretty badly frightened myself.
Now and then, when I could take my eye
off the cloud, I looked at the boy, but he
only sat silent in the cab, staring at the
great peg top with starting eyeballs and
white lips. Finally I said:
D you think we are going to escape it?"
1--WE are right in its track he said,
without looking at me.
You see. we were running in an air line
over the prairie, directly northeast, and
pursuing the very path in which the lorna
do was coming. Any other course, with the
steam I had on, would have carried us out
of the way.
The boy shoveled more coal OF. He had
already done so three Or four times since
the strange cloud was sighted. But it was
no use. The engine was doing its best, and
she wasn't capable of more hal about SO
miles an hour.
ITS gaining on u.s." I said. "How fast
does such a thing as that travel?"
about a hundred miles an hour" re-
piled the boy, white as a sheet.
If that had been true, I would not be here
to tell the story. I have since learned tina
50 miles an hour is supposed to be the best
a tornado can do. Ny belief is that this
one was going at about 60 miles. Anyway,
it wasn't more than six or seven miles dis
tant by this time, and gaining on us rapid
lE. If my reckoning was correct, it would
catch US in a little more than 20 minutes.
1t was the most frightful spectacle to look
at that can possibly be imagined. To me it
seemed to be a monstroUs giant, pursuing
us with an evil intention TO DESTROY, Now
and then it's blackness would be transform
ed into a dark green, and it was constantly
lighted up by flashes, as if it were an i'm
mense balloon iliuminated from within. It
appeared to whirl around with inconceiva-
bic rapidity and from it came 4 sound across
the prairie as of believing, with 8 voice SO
awful that the rumEling of the locomotive
was lost in it. OF the destruction it was ac-
complishing l could get no notion from nv
point Of view. Fortunately there were few
settlements in that part of the country, but
as we passed two or three hamlets at full
speed | could see the people running about
trying TO find some place of safety.
The boy staggered at my side-the rock
ing Of the engine made it difficult to keep
ones feet-and clutchcd my arm. I stopped
my head, and he yelled into my ear the
words, Make the bend!'
| knew what he meant on the instant.
Less than 10 miles ahead Of us was a bridge
over a river, after crossing which the road
turned abruptly southwark. 1t was d freak
railway anyhow, and its zigZags were in
tended to pass through as many supposed
centers Of future population rs possible.
The only long stretch Of it in a straight
line was just whore we got caught by the
tornado II we could get to the bend ahead
OF the monster. we might be saved.
AS you may well imagine, | had no op-
p%ortunity to consider the plan calmly and
in detail, but it struck me like a fash. 1t
was a race for life sure enough. If that en-
CINE never did her 40 miles an hour before,
think she must nave done that and more,
too, then. With the great funnel cloud
racing on behind US, steadily approaching,
we tore over the rails.
Six miles passed as well as / could csti-
mate, and the monster was only four miles
behind. Three miles more and it leshcned
the Instance by Il mile at least. But we
were near the river. A minute later and
We were crossing the bridge. No time then
to heed the warning that 'traius must run
slowly over this stream"
We flew around the p,.,.vo and InuI.l