The Penn's Grove record., 1894-11-16

~ ttXtE ~ A. NAtA -NglI = A2NH
sincd learned that eighty miles az
hour Is supposed to be the best q
torD;&o eau do My belief is that
this Ono was going 1t kabout sixty
miles, Anyway It wasn't any more
than six or seven miles distant by this
time. and gaining on as rapidly. II
my reckoning was correct it would
catch as IN i little more than twenty
minutee The way / calculated ii
was that the great peg-top was NOV.
ing at tho rate Of three miles to oui
Two.
1T wts the most frightfull specta.
Gle to look at that can possibly be
imagined. To me It seemed to be a
monstrons giant pursuing us with
an evil Intention to DESTROY. Now
and then the biackness would be
transformed into q dark green
and it was constantly lighted up BY
flashes, as II 1t were in immense
bilioon illuminated from within. 1t
appeared to whirl around with in.
conceivable rapiditY, and from 1t
came & sound across the prairie as OF
Following. with . voice so awful that
the rumbling OF the locomotive was
lost In it OF the destruction it was
accomplishing 1could get no notion
from my point Of view. Fortunately
there were few settlements in that
part OF the country, but as we passed
two or three small hamlsts at full
speed I nuld see the people running
about srying to find some place Of
safety.
The boy staggered to my side
the rocking OF the engine made it
dificult to Keep ones feet-and
cintched my arm l stopped my head,
and he yelled into my ears, Make
the bend,
II knew what he meant on the in.
slant. Less than ten miles ahead OF
Us was a bridge over a river, after
crossing VIII CHI the road turned
abruptly southwark. 1t was a freak
railway anyhow and its zlg-zags
were Intended to pass through as
maHy supposed centers Of future pop.
ulation as possible. The only long
stretch OF IL ia a 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.
t.As you may we'll imagine, I had
no opportunity to consider the plan
calmly and in detail, but it struck me
like 8 flash. IL was a race for life sure
enough. II that engine Dever did
her forty miles an hour before / think
she must have done that and more
too, then. With the great funnel
cloud rushing on behind US and
steadily approaching, we tore over
the rails at a frantic rate OF speed. !
was fairly crazed by the excitement,
DO that 1t almost overcome my sense
OF fear. / remember distinctly that
] pulled the whistle cord and let the
locomotive scream with all her might
though IL could hardly be heard In
the roaring Of the pursuing tornado.
sSix miles passed, as well as l could
estimate, aud the monster was only
about four miles behind Three
miles more and 1t had lessened the
distance BY a mile At least. But we
were near tho river. A minute later
and we WERE running across the
bridge. No time then to heed the
warning that trains must run slowly
over this stream, in obedience to the
sign post
"Oyer the bridge, we flew around
the curve and dashed away south
ward, just In time to see the mighty
balloon pass by with a whirl and a
roar, as II all the demons In the in.
fernal regions we're let loose. We
could not make out anything very
distinctly. thg sky being Tdarkened
and the air Allied with dust, but we
knew that we were safe few min
utes later the clouds rolled away and
everything was as quiet and peaceful
as before the storm. We ran back
to tbs bridge but it wasn't there. Ii
syas clean gons and such remains OF
Ii as were left we're scattered all over
the country. Inc road was 50 badly
torn I'M the track for considerable
distances beng twisted and broken
10 pieces, that the expense of repair
Ing It bankrupted the company.
;sleven people lost their lives by that
tornado, which Afforded me an OK
perience which | weuld not repeat for
al the moneyi in the world. "-Wash-
Star.