The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-29
DEATH in THE WIND
A Vivid Description Of an East
ern Cyclone.
nowrHe FUNNEL ooEsIrs WORK
Rising, . Monster of Destrucfscn. Ont
OF . Clear sky. but lAfter Almost
Cnbearabie Hest.


Clones ana general wind disasters n the
East have reached very rpAny iamliass N
Seattle since the community IS largely
made w Of Eastern people When reDort
finds publication here o. some stHpeEd1Ds
disaster Of the character indicated. much
trepidati0n and anxiety follows Gntil
either the wire or letter brings ASSURANCES
that some loved ores IN the wrecked cy-
clone center have happily escaped from
either rufiIaficn or death. At least enc
Of our citizens. whose name IL reserved has
had some experience IN tbs direction IN
talk last evening he said.
1T was my fortune. good. bad or iEdis-
fsrent as II may appear. TO have witnessed
the formation and the starting Of death
dealing cyclone and also 10 have been n
another. but in both Instances escaping
without injury About six years ago fe-
sided In 81. Paul Oae Sunday morning.
long before the church bells began their
invitations to prayer. the beat was simply
oppressive The air Was quiescent One
felt as IL he were slowly burning up as
perspsratton refused 10 sufiuse his skin
The barometer. the Thermometer and the
wind gauge all indicated cycIonic features.
TIE sky Itself wore the usual clear blue
summer aspect. Toward noon a slight
fevered breeze kissed the parched earth.
and above In the empyrean could be seen a
slight movement of ominous clouds. which
seemed to pile up IN the southeast Soon
the density Of the clouds increased and
the coloring turned 10 a dark blue Dor
dersng on black The wind increased grad
uafly In volume: the weather gauge pointed
70 all the points OF the compass every ten
or fifteen minutes. Meanwhile the dark
some clouds seemed to gather at the point
stated. as II anchored there. Presently
the clouds assumed dense blackness as
trey passed over St. Paul and piled up with
the overshadowing. foreboding mass whose
very shadow gave fu1sreal aspect TO ma
ture- Then the wind inci eased in velocity.
the atmosphere became denser. the mer-
curry climbing up TO i05 in the shade Pep
PIE began hunting places Of safety.
Meanwhile. an electric disturbance Tas
observed In the fearful inky black clouds.
and a moment later they we're rent asun-
Ger. presenting the appearance Of some
great black mountain with a wide gap
rending II. In this gap the coloring was an
almost Invisible yellow. 1t was all energy.
This was the momentum, the destructive
ness. the electrical force Of the great ma
cbinery or death soo1 to speed on its mis-
son OF devastation. IT was observed tina.
This force gathered In and apparently con-
sumed every feeting particle of cloud or
atmosphere In the air visible to the eve.
The energy Increased. the lightning for the
nrst time sped through the living mass.
ana a"e-strickea humanity held its breath
n
there followed moment Of pa .nful still
ness.
a calm settled upon the great civ as
III the angel wing of death were about r.
touch the lofty spires. the stately man
Sons and the humble homes on Gods
noiy Day There vas little time for re-
Election, yet the waiting while the hand
Of destruction hung like the sword ~
Damocies. by single hair. In the air.
seemed IKE an age. The horror Increased
the clouds grew blacker. the yellow mat
Ter seemed more active. and In instant
the clouds were gone. a greaf funnel feIl
70 the earth, sound such as no one can
HsscriDe' appalling In its volume. shook
She very earth-the cyclone had started
on its mission OF death 1t rebounded h.cL
to the sky not unlike rubber ball de-
scended beyond the city, wipine ont a
settlement Known as Lake Geryais fol
lowed the course of the Mississippi river
leaving In its wake death and destruc-
ticn, ana nnaiiy destroyed a pleasure boat
on Lake Pepin and over loo lives.
The cyclone passed through was ex-
perienced on lake. known as Diamond
lake. about thirty miles east OF FARGO.
y. ID. -Four OF US were fishing for
black bass. when one OF the party, who
had had considerable experience sith
p2kotan wind storms. called attention ~
the orinous appearance of the clouds
Tor a little island We we're in two boa,s
and at once pulled for place of safetv
From this position one had a pretty yar,i
view OF the portentous sky. The iake
was envfroned b. majestic pines. From
ne southwest the clouds moved. with
measured tread, as II were. like fbe
movement OF an army going into aciion
The clouds all bordered on the dark col
ors-dark orange, yellow, blue and gray
hnhliy deepening into black on the border
OF the slowly moving mass. The fatal
funnel had not yet descended. We were
directly in the path of the awful monster
Mo ments OF terrible suspense followed
nut only for moment did doubt and fsar
last, FOR before one could formulate a.,
idea 1t was all over. and We had escapes
In that brief moment the funnel dropua5
with lightning speed and veerei Jus, sTfH
cfent TO clear our retreat We were sim
ply on It's edges. but those edges laid
bare the bottom Of the lake and pii-d
up the water as high as mountain. DEL
ugfng the fishermen and destroying the,c
boats. The path of this cyclone was
through a timbered region, and for MANY
miles II cut swath. not less than two
miles vile
'One OF the pecUliar.ties OF the cv
clones in the East this year is that they
develop late In the afternoon and a,
night Ordinarily they have come short
y after midday"