The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-06-06
THE CYCLONES FURY
A 1HTGlCiAMS THRILLING STORY OF
AiA AweU. EXPERIENCE.

More tsc'e Ccace-ring the sherman Cy-
clone Dr. Nichael Was Whirled Through
:he Air a Height of Forty Feet-Fi-
na!ly Or..rt.et, into 10 Hole.
The Frdn~ afternoon Of tho recent
cyclone IL :.:!"rNan, Tex, DR.. W. F.
Michaol wa making professional calls
in the sCCt.C IcstCrn suburbs Of the city
Eo had been 20 the Dublin homo, had re-
turned to w."rc he had left his horse
h!t"hnd fad was driving southwark
through The cemetery, intending to pass
out tie cnte on that side. The storm
cloud .oo:r"d ND bore him just before
he reached t.tc co, Il fence. He realized
that it v:2s 3riv!I.:. toward him, and
that with sr::itrd :,rrse it was impos-
siEle 10 get Ou, Of the way Springing
frc.n us buggy. he unIastened the
traces, started tho horse out of the
shaf!s and turne.. him loose Then he
began 10 run for pace Of safety. He
had gone 90 feet westward when it
seemed TO him that the cloud was 60
ing to strike the center of the cemetery
So he trrned and ran eastward toward
the cast fence. Just as he reached the
fence and flung himself down the cloud
came upon him.
81 k@erd n Roaring Gcnnd, = G0sd Dr.
Michael. when the storm was two
miles or SO distant, but it was beyond
the hills, and l didn't discover that ]
was right in the path Of it until ii
reached the nearest hill, from half to
three quarters of mile south Of me. II
didn't resemble funnel shaped cloud
1t looked to me like great ball of vapor
rolling over and over toward me- When
! first saw it distinctly at that hill, it
seemed to be about $50 yards wide and
100 feet high. The motion as it present
ed itself to me was that Of a ball rolling
over and over-not spiral Whatever the
ball Of cloud struck was lifted right up
came to house after house between the
hill and me. When the ball reached
Mrs Chisholm's. the house went right
up in the air off its foundations It was
whole until it was up 10 or Is feet
Then it went all to pieces, just as if it
had exploded. The same thing happen
ed 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 gath
cred up.
when the ball reached me, I had
got to the east fence of the cemetery
and had thrown myself down beside it
All at once the bright daylight disap-
peared, and l was in total darkness. The
picket fence, posts and all, was lifted
up and came down fat upon me. Then
two trees fell on the fence. In few
seconds the trees went up in the air.
The fence followed. Ifelt myself drawn
up off the ground by some invisible
force. didn't lose 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 tree tops, perhaps 40 feet from
the ground AS went along in the air
l tried to keep an upright position, but
couldn't. Something kept turning me
over and over in one somersault after
another. passed almost over the ceme-
terry before struck the ground. came
down easily at an incline, just as if be-
ing lowered in the tail Of the storm.
But was still moving along, and when
l hit the ground I went over and over
for at least 80 feet. The lessening force
would raise me little and then let me
back. until, at last. dropped into a
hole just inside the north fence Of the
cemetery
Il was conscious all of the time un-
til l stopped rolling and settled into
thar hole. After that knew nothing
more until people from town were about
me. 1t must have been ten minutes at
least that lay in the hole until discoy-
cred. My best friends didn't recognize
me. From head to foot was covered
with mud. My hair was plastered down
with it.
Don't you know me?' I asked of
men whom l had met daily for years
They could identify me only by my
voice. was able to walk. At first it
didn't seem to me that I was much
hurt. bat after awhile discovered that
I was bruised from head to foot When
] was up in the air it seemed a II some
things were pecking me all of the TINA
They must have been the boazlls and
other flying wreckage Before the ball
reached me ! could see on the outer edge