Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-29
CHASED BYAFOpyu
4 locomotives rsssI,,, .
WITH A BLACK rssss. :

An h'rine'r'' Esperi,ns, VIA
.r-rho Fireman Knew W.,
hind Them and sh,a,, Z. N ~
b'.dT'--rhs Enrin. brss. n.
Henry wethercll, an mol. ii
Jersey Central railroad, TAX
experiences with a tornado |. g<
said that II fear always tr,, nsa 8
hair white his locks oueh, IA I, !.
II happened this way: /. ~, \ Anl
In July. Tho weather had ~ -
and II was just the sort q S.l..
ing a tornado. | was wo,.,., ~
horse railroad In southern ~
superintendent wired ma n ~
CINE a distance of about 10 MN y. 3 :
called Peterstown.
Well, l got fuel and wa,,, :.
quickly as possible and star.,s y
town, taking it rather easily NJ
truck wasn't In condition % r,sss n
ming we'll. It was an hour -,
starting place, and had pons a I, !.
hapsi when l noticed some M, 4
clouds on the western horizon
The day was extremely mlt,r :,
was curious sort Of a glart ~, \
pcape which made 1t look cor, \ /, IL
/ can't think Of better wo,s I.
ing 1t. There was somsthiry =.
about the appearance OF eys,,a.. #
fireman was a boy who hsa &, I K
up in that region, and he ssit ,I,ss
like tornado coming. he ousst I y
been a good judge of the symu,s-.
the whole Of his family, toet,h,, !.
their property and live s.oct II 7
wiped out by such a ''twiztera (
BY the time we had gone m,,., 4
nine miles farther a dense bali \ Il
had spread around toward u, e.,
II was black as ink, but beu.,S :, !.
blank streak Of white. I hd n.
anything that looked quite HtehI,3
1t seemed as II something avn \
ing to happen IL was the boz Vi, D.
my attention TO the pointed elor !
said 1t was q tornado beginning
Then we'll run away from nj n
said l. pulling the throttle wId. n. +
the boy, be said nothing only wa
clouds in the distance.
| By this time the pointed oloui
very much bigger, the lower snd n
ly touching the ground. II gss
larger and larger and seenn h
b preaching at q great rate o. spsl \
the rest Of the view toward thswl
southwest became blurred TO thaI
that nothing could be made out vr
ly. ! saw that It was a tornsde4
coming, and no mistake, for Ii, y
cloud. which had the shape Of lad
peg top, was distinctly outlinsd 1 e
blackness against the general Nh +
/ gan to feel pretty badly ffightsnd
Now and then, when l could ah y.
of the cloud, / looked at the bg \
only sat silent in the cab, tiad,ll
great peg top with starting sy,iiJ
white lips. Finally haidi
do you think We are going iouq
I'VE arc right in its track
without ooklng at me.
You see, we were running u u q
over the prairie. directly norhs |
pursuing the very path In which q. I
do was coming. Any othercornr|
steam / had on, would have cAnia !
Of the way.
The boy shoyeled more coal %, Y
already done SO three or four tins
the strange cloud was sighted B<i|
no use. The engine was doing iaA
she wasn't capable of more sln VI
miles an hour.
Its gaining on us,n said 'zH
does such thing as that trayelr
About a hundred miles an hsu'
piled the boy, white as . aheet
II that had been true, would pas
TO tell the story. have hnn lair
30 miles an hour is supposed to w
a tornado can do. Ny belief d ~
one was going at about % milss "
it wasn't more than six or sessn -
tsnt by this time, and gaining usl
ly. If my reckoning was cored y
catch us in a little more than Nnlll
TWAS the most frightful speei.r.r
at that can possibly be imagined y
seemed TO be a monstrous giant 2
us with an evil intention to des'nI
and then its blackncss would bsR'1'
ed into dark green, and It wn -
lighted up by flashes, as u hH@s
mense balloon illuminated from ~
appeared TO wbirl around with ln''
BILE rnpidlty, and from it came ssel.. J.
the prairie as OF believing wini
awful that the rumbling Of The W
was lost In It. OF the destrueikA y.
complishing / could get no ncu'a J,
point OF view. Fortunately thr y
settlements In that part Of TIE c11,
as we passed two or three hams
speed / could see the people runl-'
trying to find some place o. ANY. 4,
The boy staggered at my slds e. I,
ing OF the engine made II dtnenH, .
ones feet-and clutched my si'l
my head, and he yelled In" y
words, Make the bendW a,
KNEW what lie meant on "
Less than 10 miles ahead OF Us w 4.
over a river, after crossing waln
turned abruptly southwark, Nv, 4
railway anyhow, and lie nsl.e 7.
tended to pass through as insl, y :.
centers of future populati.on, Z |, Z 4,
The only long stretch OF II m .I
line was just where we got - ~
tornado. II we could get TO W u
of the monster, we might be NJ
As you may well imagine, ~
portunity to consider the PIE Y
In detail, but il struck me IKE m.
was a race for life sure enousn', y, J
CINE never did her 40 miles ~ :. Y
/ think she must have done ~ s.,a
too, then. With the great 80 -
racing on behind us, steaail' ''r
We tore over the rails, ~
Six miles passed as well ~ y, 10
mate. and the monster wss ~, 4 4
behind. Three miles mort }
the distance by a mile a. ,s,, y
were near tn, river. A InihuN,so ta.
we were crossing the bridge. ~ I. .
- III. r.o,ninp that '-triip' ,
slowly over this stream. 81
We few around tue cur, ~. -
southwark. just in time 70 !. 4, "a : 2
balloon pass by With = y p's s.. n. !
II all the demons IN ths - y