Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-06-25
Democratic Northwest.
AND HENRY COUNTY NEWS.
KANSAS LETTER.

CorroNwooD FALLS, Ks, June llth.
This year will be long remembered
as the year of cyclones; even Kansas
has not escaped, but had to take its
share with the rest. The one in Clay
Co. was very destructive OF life and
prosperity; the one in Marshall and
Vamalia counties was as destructive,
If not more, and others not 80 violent
have been frequent. Several have
passed over or near Wamego, two Of
them having been plainly seen, and
others, in the night time, having been
as plainly heard, but fortunately none
OF them were low enough to do any
harm; although they frightened
many. People are naturally nervous
after reading and hearing of the ter
rible effects of these storms, so fire.
quent and so awful In their power,
and seek their cyclone caves often
when there is not the slightest dang
er. One night not long ago, half the
people of Wamego staid up half the
night, some of them al! night, and
hundreds spent part of the time in
their cellars. Of course they all made
fun of each other and themselves, but
none wondered at the general nerv-
BUSINESS and alarm.
To add to the general uneasiness
the signal service has sent out warn
ing messages from Washshington
several times lately, once rousing the
whole of Kansas City at midnight,
and the out lying towns as we'll, but
fortunately nothing came of it.
The terrible power and unexplain-
able mystery of these cyclones add to
the horror which they inspire. No
one can tell when or where they will
occur. Their power cannot be esti-
mated, nothing can stand against
them; the strongest structures crum-
BILE and are scattered in all directions.
The freaks of these storms are many
and strange. In the Clay Co. storm.
a hen sitting on her eggs was left un-
disturbed, but the hen house was torn
in pieces. At Frankfort the walls of
a church were thrown in different d.
'rections, one being carried over an
adjoining house, while the chairs with
which the building was seated we're
scarcely disarranged. Again, barn
was totally destroyed, but a span OF
horses tied in their stalls were unin-
jured. Chickens are picked clean OF
their feathers, eggs are taken up and
carried various distances and set
down without being even cracked.
A watch was carried over half mile
and when found was running as merrl-
ly as ever. A house, newly finished
was taken up bodily and the owner
never found the least trace of it, nor
has a splinter of it been found by any
one 80 far as it is known. A COW was
found with rods and rods of fence
wire 30 tightly wound around her
that it was impossible to disentangle
her. Great trees are torn up by the
roots, many are stripped Of their bark.
Water is sucked out of wells. HUI
man beings are crushed into no
form Of humanity or are sometimes
picked up and set down again with
no injury at all. Nothing is too
strange or too wonderful for the cy-
clone to do. 1t knocks all calculation,
and sets at naught all rules. 1t per-
forms the impossible and leaves the
easiest tasks untouched. 1t will pick
out for destruction single tree in a
grove, leaving the others unharmed
or will tear in pieces all but one. II
will tear strong building into frag-
ments and leave frail shanty in the
same yard untouched. 1t will move
forward as swift as lightning, or sc
slow that men can get out Of its way
1t may be but few yards in diameter
or it may be half mile or more. Il
is entirely unreliable and one canno
tell what to count on when he sees
one coming; if he tries to escape he
may run right into it, or If he stands
still he may be missed. In thes'
storms nothing is certain except un
certainty.
Rains have been very plentiful al
over the state this season, creeks ane
rivers having been bank full and Of
ten over their banks, wells and pond
are full to overfowing in fact Kansa
soil had not received such Q soaking