The western sentinel., 1894-02-15
A TERRIBLE CYCLONE
A FUNNEL-SHA CLOUD RISES
IN A CLEAR SKY.
Killed, SO Far as Heard, But it was
Destruction to PrODertY.

Blows Down Houses and Trees-No One
Killed, SO Far as Heard, But it was
Destruction to Property.
From the Durham Sun, Feb. 13th.l
About six o'clock yesterday evening
the attention of our people was at
trdcted to a very black funnel-shaped
cloud that arose in a clear sky, in the
west towards sunset 1t increased in
volume and those who were nearest to
it say it formed about four miles
north of Chapel Hill; that when it first
started it twisted around on the
ground like a whirl-wind, spreading
out in skirt-shape at the bottom and
top with small middle.
1t had the appearance of an hour
glass. Then it left the earth and
seemed to lose the lower part, assum-
ing the shape of funnel, with the
larger part at the top. 1t started off
in an eastward direction and every
now and then would dip down to the
/ earth. In these dips it twisted up
trees and everything in the line of its
travel, gathering them up and whirl-
ing them around like pieces of paper.
1t Travelled in space of about one
hundred yards wide, and fortunately
missed towns and thickly settled
places SO far as we have been able to
learn. There was terrible roaring
sound, almost like thunder-in fact
some of our people thought it was
thunder.
To all appearances here it looked
like the black smoke from tar
kiln boiling up and seething in the
air.
1t was terrible sight and struck
terror to those who saw it coming
and knew they were in its pathway.
The farmers, and others, coming in
today, who witnessed it say it was
awful-they never witnessed anything
like it before. 1t went across Dur
ham by the John Christian place, on
by Bragtown, and the last we can
hear of it, it turned into gale and
passed over John H. Adams place
near CoZartS, in Granville county
Even that far it took small gable
end off of an out house.
A dwelling house on John Chris
tian's place, three miles from town,
beyond HickstCwn, occupied by Mr..
! Glosson and his family, was blown
down. They all escaped except one
of his children, who was slightly
| hurt.
John Dorsey's house, on the Old
| II
| completely demolished. The family
was not at home at the time.
A house on the Guess road, occupied
| by Ed. Martin, was entirely destroyed
as well as his out houses. His wife
was sick in bed at the time, and it
| lifted her off of the bed, and strange
to say, she and several children were
not injured by the falling timbers
and the destruction it made on the
premises.
| Amos Fakes, in the same neighbor-
| hood had his barn and feed stables
| blown away. 1t blew a stable down
and off of one of his horses, and the
| horse was not hurt.
Near Bragtown it passed over G. G.
| Farthing's plantation on which John
Ellis was living. Mr.. Ellis saw the
terrible cloud coming and tcld his
wife to wrap some quilts around tue
children and get out. She became
| frightened and began to cry without
acting He and two neighbors ran in
| and held the front door of the house.
At this place it blew a one-horse wag-
on hundred or more yards and set it
| down in the front porch. They held
on to the door, but the facings were
blown out on either side. The house
was gwen a good ram-shackling but
was not blown down.
| Farther on beyond BragtoWn 1t
| struck the place of L. Nichols. Here
| it swept away all the outhOuSOS, leav-
ing only the one in which Mr.. Nichols
was living. We understand that a
woman was hurt by a flying log, but
cannot learn her name or the extent
of her injury.
| They say that the track Of this aw-
full looking and destructive cloud has
] the appearance of a big freshet sweep
ing through the country and that all
along the line where it cut through
| the bushes and woods, the debris is
| piled up in freshet shape.
| 1t blew down barns ard other
| houses in the neighborhood of Stays
| WILLIE