Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-06-11
THE TEXAS TORNADO.
Description of the Sherman. Texas Cy.
clone, By Doctor who Was In II,

| ~
DR.. T.. w. Michael survives to tell one
of the most thrilling experiences of the
| Sherman, Texas cyclone. lie sailed
| through the air a distance of two city
blocks In the heart of tho cloud. Three
days afterward he was limping about at
tending to his patients. Ills story is in
tercsting. That Friday afternoon the
| Doctor was making professional calls In
the southwestern suburbs of tho city lie
| was driving southwark through the GEM
etery when the storm cloud doomed up be-
fore him. lie realized that It was driving
toward him, and that with spirited horse
1T was impossible to get out of the way.
Springing from his buggy, he unfastened
the traces, started the horse out of the
shafts, and turned him loose. Then he
| began to run for place of safety toward
the east fence just as he reached the
| fence and flung himself down the cloud
| came upon him.
81 heard roaring sound" said DR..
| Michael, when the storm was two miles
or SO distant, but It was beyond the hills
and / didn't discover that | was right In
the path OF 1t until it reached the nearest
| hill, and from u half to to three quarters
of mile south of me. II didn't resemble
a funnel-shaped cloud. 1t looked to me
like great ball of vapor rolling over and
over toward me. When first saw 1t dis
tinctly at that hill, 1t seemed to be about
$50 yards wide and 100 feet high. The mo-
tion as II presented itself to me was that Of
a ball rolling over and over, not spiral
Whatever tho ball of cloud struck was
lifted right from the ground. | saw the
| effects as II came to house after house
between the hill and me. When tho ball
reached Mrs. Chisholm's the house went
right up in the air Off its foundations. 1t
was whole until II was up 10 or 10 feet.
Then II went all to pieces just as If 1t
had exploded. The Same thing happened
to the other houses. Above and around
this rolling ball of cloud the air was full
of bits of boards and tree limbs and other
things which had been gathered up.
when the ball reached me had got to
the cast fence OF the cemetery and had
thrown myself down beside it. All at once
the bright daylight disappeared and was
In total darkness. The picket fence, posts
and all, was lifted up and came down fiat
upon me. Then two trees fell on the fence.
In II few seconds the trees went up in the
air: the fence followed | felt myself
drawn up off the ground by some invisible
force. l didn't loose consciousness. 1t
was so dark | couldn't tell how high |
went, but | was high enough to escape the
monuments in the cemetery, and also the
treetops, perhaps forty feet from the
ground. AS | went along In the air !
tried to keep an upright position. but |
couldn't Something kept me turning over
and over In one somersault after another.
passed almost over the cemetery before
struck the ground. ! came down easily
at an incline. just as IL being lowered In
the tail of the storm. But I was still NOV
Ing along, and when | hit the ground l
went over and over for at least 30 feet.
The lessenng force wuld raise me a little
and then let me back. until, at last, |
dropped into hole just inside the north
fence Of the cemetery.
l was conscious all of the time, until |
| STONED
After that knew nothing moro until peo-
pie from town were about me. 1t must
have been ten minutes at least that lay
In the hole until discovered. My best
friends didn't recognize me, From head
to foot was covered with mud. My hair
was plastercd down with 1t. They could
identify me only by my voice. l was able
to walk. At first II didn'. seem to me that
l was much hurt, but after while l dis
covered that / was much bruised from
head to foot. When ! was up In the air 1t
seemed as IL some things were pecking
me all the time They must have been the
boards and other flying wreckage. Be
fore the ball reached me could see on the
outer edge of 1t objects whlrling with It.
But when i was In the cloud l could see
nothing.
Some who saw the cloud from distance
say that they say flashes of light in the
midst of It, DR.. Michael says that this
short intervals, but not enough for him to
to see any distance The light was like
that which one sees when he opens his
eyes in water. 1t seems to DIR. Michael
that the cloud was charged with electrici-
ty. The Doctor had hypodermic metal
lie case in his hip pocket. The hip under
meath Is raw as II the skin had been
scorched Off by electricity. On the back
fence OF the Doctors residence hang the
black Prince Albert coat and the rest OF
the suit he wore into the cyclone. The
most seedy tramp would turn away from
those clothes. Numerous rents supple
ment the muds work of destruction
When the ball of vapor rolled upon him
Dr. Michael threw up the long skirts oil
his coat over his head. Notwithstanding
this precaution, there are bumps and
scratches on his head. but his hands ant
arms are covered with wounds. He hat
had several dollars of silver in his trous
ers pockets when he met the cyclone
He had neither pockets nor silver wher
found. The day after some one brought
to the Doctor the rim of n wheel witt
tire attached. That Is all he has to show
for his new buggy. The horse was founC
half a mile from where the doctor turned
him loose. He was stripped of harness anC
was bruised.
II made a mistake In calculating thu
. course of the cloud" said DR., Michael, IL
had kept on going west, as / started,
would have escaped. hear that SOM
: describe the cloud as moving slowly, blu
faster than the easy gallop OF horse
Put horse on the dead run, and YOU
have nearer the speed of 1t. / was from
half to three-quarters of mile ava!
when l jumped from my buggy. 1t mus
have reached me in minute or less. l
! l ever hear another l will know 1t. Tn
noise is the most peculiarly terrifying
have ever heard. II 7 ever hear anothe
coming ] shall gauge its course as well a
. l can and run at right angles with 1t, neve
: stopping"
DR., Michael's story is matched In inter
est by the observations of Prof. A. 9
Nash of the Sherman Institute. Prof
Nash stood In front of the college build
ings and saw the storm cloud come and g
within GOO feet of him.
las the cloud approached" said tn
Professor, fear left me. had feelin
of awe at the grandeur of the sight, bu
no apprehension of danger. l thought I
myself, what small things we are' II tn
cloud had been coming directly toward m
l should have stood there Just the sam,
When the cloud passed in front of me
seemed to be going at the speed of ga
Looping horse. The speed was not so grea
but that almost any one running to tn
east or to west could have got out OF tn
way. The cloud swelled out above tn
ground, but the top OF It was higher tina
the sides. 1t seemed to be ohurning up a
that 1t touched and throwing out the fral
ments at the top. The shape and actio
was much like q seyser The mass had
rotary notion 1t whirled round and roun
In direction from right over to left