Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-30
RACING A TORNADO.

20 fetch my engine distance OF about ~
mites TO place called Peterstowu.
Well, | got fuel aud water aboard -
quickly as possible and started for Peters
town, taking 1t rather easily, because the
track wasn't in condition to stand fast rum
ming well. | was an hour ont from my
starting place and had gone l6 miles per
haps, when noticed some queer looking
clouds on the western horizon.
The day was extremely sultry, and there
was a curious sort Of glare over the land
scape, which made It look sort Of feyerish.
] can't think OF better word for describ-
ing IL. There was something unnatural
about the appearance OF everything My
fireman was a boy who had been brought
mp in that region, aud he said that II looked
like tornado coming He ought to have
been n good judge of the symptoms be
cause the whole Of his family, together
with all their property and live stock, bad
been wiped ont by such "twister,' as
they called 'em, when he was hardly old
enough to toddle.
by the time we had gone maybe eight or
nine miles farther dense bank of clouds
had spread around toward the southwest
II was black As ink, but beneath Ii was a
blank streak VI white ! had never seen
anything that looked quite like it before.
As looked at it, the bank rose higher, and
presently | saw something like sharp
point OF cloud project itself downward
from the black mass. All this time there
was no thunder nor lightning, but only
look about the sky that was dreadful to
see, because it WAS so unnaturallike. 1t
seemed AS If something awful was going to
happen. 1t was the boy who called my at.
tention to the pointed cloud, aud lie said it
was tornado beginning.
Then we'll run away from II. guess
said l, pulling the throttle wide open. But
the boy said nothing-only watched the
clouds in the distance.
Now aud then When could take my eye
of the cloud looked at the boy, but ne
only sat silent in the cab, staring at the
great pegtop with starting eyeballs and
white lips. Finally said:
"Doyou think we are going SO escape it'''
Wear right in its track T." he said, with
out looking at me
You see, we were running in an air line
over the prairie directly northeast and pur-
suing the very path ia which the tornado
was coming Any other course, with the
steam had on, would have carried us out
Of the way
already doue 50 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 than about 3s
miles an hour.
IT'S gaining ON u.s. said. How fas.
does such thing rs that trayel,"
About hundred miles an hour" re
piled the boy, white MS sheet.
IL that had been true, would not be here
To tell the story. l have since learned that
50 miles an hour is supposed to he the best
tornado can do. Ny belief is that this
one was going at about 60 miles. Anyway,
II wasn't more than six or seven miles dis
tant by this time and gaining on usrapldly
II my reckoning was correct. it wuuld catch
us in little more than 20 minutes. The
way l calculated II was that the great peg
top was moving at the rate Of three miles
TO our two
1t was the most frightful spectacle to
look at that can possibly be imagined. To
me it seemed TO he a moustrous giant, pur-
suing us with an evil intention TO destroy.
Now aud then Us blackness would be traus.
formed intoa dark green, and il was CON
stantly lighted up 10y flashes, 40 il it were
an Immense balloon illuminated from
within, 1t appeared to whirl round with
uncomfortable rapidity, and from il came u
sound across the prairie rs of believing,
with voice so awful that the rumblinE of
the locomotive was lost in it, or the de-
struction it was accomplishing could get
no notion from my point Of view. Fortu-
nately there were few settlements in that
part OF the country, but as we passed two
or three small 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 ieet-and clutchel my arm. stopped
my head, and he yelled into my ear the
words, Make the bend.'
j knew what he meant ON the instant.
Less than 10 miles ahead OF us was u bridge
over river, after crossing which the road
turned abruptly southwark. twas freak
railway, anyhow, and its zigzags were in
tended TO pass through as many supposed
centers OF future population us possible,
The only long strength of IL in straight
line was Just where we got caught by the
tornado. II we could get TO the bend ahead
of the monster, we might run out OF its
track.
As you may well imagine had no op.
portunity to consider the plan calmly and
in detail, but il struck Ipe like flash. 1t
was race for life sure enough. II that en-
gine never did her 40 miles an hour before,
think she must have done that aud more,
too, then. With the great funnel cloud
racing on behind us, steadily approaching,
we tore over the rails
Six miles passed as we'll as / could esti
mate, aud the monster was only about four
miles behind, Three miles more, and IL
lessencd the distance by mile at least.
But we were near the river A minute
later, aud we were crossing the bridge. No
time then TO heed the warning that trains
must run slowly over this stream" In obc-
deuce to the signpost.
We flew around the curve and dashed
sonthward, Just In time TO see the mighty
balloon pass by with whirl and u roar, Us
II all the demons in the Internal regions
Were let loose. We could not make out
anything very distinctly, the sky being
darkened and the air illled with dust. but
we knew that we were safe. A few min
ntes later the clouds rolled away, and every
thing was as quiet and peaceful rs before
the storm. We ran back 10 the bridge, but
il wasn't there. 1t was clean gore. The
road was SO badly torn mp, the track for
considerable distances being twisted and
broken TO pieces, that the expense Of re-
pairing it nearly bankrupted the company.
Eleven people Ion; their lives by that Tor.
nado, which attended me an experience
which would not repeat FOR all the money
in the Notwithstanding