The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-03

eXpialnaDle Win our present knOWl-
edge. When the clothing Is removed II
Is generally not found. being probably
rent into indistinguishable rags. but
when 1t or portions Of 1t are left, the
wind treats it In the most whimsical
manner. In Iowa, in 1885, all the cloth
ing but the coat was torn from the body
Of O man. this garment remaining al
most intact: in Kansas a body was
stripped of all save a collar and cravat,
COMMOTION IN A STORE.
One Of the queerest pranks ever
played by the wind was in a country
village near Abilene, Kan, in 1876. AS
sometimes happens In country places,
the principal feature of the village was
a store. containing almost everything
that the varied wants of a country COM
munity could demand. In front was a
central door, with large show window
on each side. Along the walls were
rows Of shelves, containing dry goods.
boots and shoes, crockery, seeds, gro
ceries, tinware., cutlery, hardware,
canned goods and a hundred other
things, while hoes, rakes, scythes,
sickles, buckets, harness, chains, and
similar goods hung from the ceiling by
hooks driven into the joists for the pur-
pose. Down the center Of the store,
with an aisle on each side, ran a show
case, whersin was displayed that ex-
ceedingly varied class of goods, gener-
ally known as notions" hooks and
eyes, needles and pins, ink, pens, paper
and envelopes. fancy buckles and the
like. At the end Of this showcase, fur
thest from the front door, was the post
Office Of the neighborhood, a small In
closed space about five feet square,
with two or three dozen pigeon holes
for letters and papers, stool for the
postmaster, who was also the proprie-
tor Of the store, where he kept his
cash. stamps and books. Above the
store was quiet suit Of rooms, where
the proprietor and his family lived.
Ono dull, hot afternoon in July the
store was occupied only by the owner
and one customer, who, having made
his purchases, was at the little window
Of the postof!ice waiting for his mail,
while the postmaster-proprieto was
looking over the letters to see II there
were any for him. Just at this juno.
ture tornado struck the town, and de-
molished two houses Immediately In
front and directly across the road from
the store. which faced toward the
southwest, the direction from which
these peculiar storms always come. The
postmaster and his customer realized
their danger, but before either had time
to move the funnel-shaped destroyer
struck the store. The show window
to the south was broken in, the wind
cleared off the goods on the southern
shelves, swept them over to the north
ern side, after carrying them complete
ly around the further end Of the room
from the front door. and finally de-
posted large part of them and those
on the northern shelves in the read
outside. driving them by main force
through the northern show window.
The showcase in the center was undis-
turbed. The postmaster was unhurt,
though frightened almost to death,
while the customer was killed. No
damage was done in the second story or
to the roof, save the removal Of a few
shingles, though a little further on the
same storm demolished three or four
houses moment later.
OTHER ANTICS.
Instances have been known of the
water being drawn from buckets; pitch
ers and other receptacles, while these
were left undisturbed, and in one case
a boy was churning in the yard and
fled at the approach of the cloud. On
returning it was found that the cover
of the churn, the dasher and the but
termilk had all vanished, while the
churn. to the boys great disappoint-
ment, was left standing exactly as be-
fore. One of the most disagreeable
features of the cyclone is the amount
of mud, sand and small stones 1t car
ries, and with such force are these
borne along that they are driven into
the flesh, where they form fostering
sores very stubborn and difficult to
treat or cure. In many instances frag-
ments of planks or boards have been
driven, point first, into or through the
trunks of large trees, and remain there
as secure as though mortised into the
wood, such is the terrible strength of
the wind. Able to demolish the strong
est structures, the tornado leaves the
ruins of stone -four mill in condi-
tion which suggests that the four walls
were blown outward by an explosion,
and yet passes over baby sleeping in
its cradle amid the remains of it's par
ents' home. 1t has been known to
carry away stove and leave the flow
ers on the mantelpiece above 1t; to pass
over a frame shanty and demolish a
brick factory building; to carry away
the bedding and leave the bedstead: to
dismember a human being and drop
the body in one place and carry the
head a mile farther.
About forty years. ago modest Bap-
tist church stood ON the Chilllcothe
road three and one-half miles east of
Kirkland, o. 1t was an old-fashioned
country church, with plain, but solid
seats, and was built upon honor"
One sultry June day tornado de-
veloped In the west and swept down
the Chillicothe road. 1t struck the
church and, lifting 1t evenly from the
ground, carried it across the road,
turned 1t half way around and dropped
1t just over the fence on the east side
of the road. BY measurement the
church was within six inches OF perfect
alignment with the direction Of the
road. The astounded natives surveyed
the result after the storm had passed
and almost doubted the plain evidence
OF their senses. There was the church
the same as ever, but 1t faced west in
stead Of east, and across the way were