The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-25
THE BIRTH OF A TORNADO.
AN EYEWITNESS DEsCRIaES ITS
THRILLING DETAILS.
o. J. Clark of SibIey, Iowa, Writes of
the Phenomenon which spran2
Into Existence Under His Eyes-Its
Work in st. Cloud, MINI.
From the ChIcago RECORD.


Work in st. Cloud, MINI.
From the Chicago Record.
Sioux City, Ia.-Great oaks from little
acorns grow, and even the tornadoes
which sweep over the western prairies
have small beginnings O.. j. Clark OF
Sibley, Ia, saw one Of these storms in its
early stages and describes It as at that
time a small affair. The next day he read
Of the destruction Of st. Cloud Mimi.
by the same "twister" and of the killing
of many people in its path.
Mr.. Clark Is prominent Iowa attorney.
and was a candidate for elevation to the
bench Of the Eleventh Iowa district after
the election of Judge Ladd to the supreme
court. His statements naturally carry
considerable weight. His story is only
now made public and likely 1t will fur
nish food for thought among those who
have delved into the mysterious origin Of
the tornado. The following is from a
written statement made by him and duly
attested by r. O. Manson and A. Lans-
ing, two gentlemen who witnessed the phe-
nomenon with him:
Concerning the cyclone which started in
ago, and which we believed TO be the one
that did so much damage at st. Cloud
Mimi, win say In beginning. that dc
not remember the exact date, but II was
seven or nine years ago.
''R. o. Manson, A. Lansing and myself,
all then of this place, were duck hunting
about five miles east of Sibley In the corn
fields. 1t had been a dismal, cloudy day,
with occasional showers, and just before
shutdown wind come up from the south
so violent that IL seemed impossible to
stand up against IT, although we braced
ourselves against our guns resting on the
ground. The wind blew a perfect gale for
about two or three minutes. Its violence
was such that IL blew most of the water
out Of a small pond lying directly south
of us. This pond covered from a quarter
to half an acre and was about six inches
deep in the deepest place. The water made
a binding drenching rain, which soaked
US through Then the wind ceased almost
instantly to an absolute dead calm. II
possible, 1t was even more than dead
calnA There seemed to be a vacuum
where we stood. It was difficult to breathe
that is, It seemed like being high up on
the mountains, where the air Is pure. This
seemed to last from one to two minutes.
The sun, I'm the west, breaking through
the clouds just at the horizon, was of a
dark-red color and looked ominous.
w nile we were Watching UGAWttu US
and the sun, and not more than five or six
rods away, a white puff OF what looked
like clear, white steam, about the size OF
a large basket or barrel, came up out
of the ground and, with swoopinB mo
tion-not straight up-arose quickly TO
about thirty feet In the air aud there be-
came stationary. Immediately Thereafter
another puff exactly like the first came out
of the ground, about twenty feet to the
nj the fiFqf came
from. and, with the same irregular mo
ton. assembled to and Joined the first.
Then another puff similar to the others
came out OF the ground TO the southeast
from where the first arose and ascended
to and Joined the others.
s',rhls small white cloud hung there some
twenty or thirty seconds. Then IL be-
gan mixing up rolling and tumbllng, "a
10 sneak. for about half a minute. In
this short space OF time Il grew from the
small white cloud to the size OF an ordi-
nary dwelling house. Then IL assumed a
rotary motion and moved off toward the
northeast, rising and falling alternately
but not coming nearer than thirty or rory
feet from the ground. stu, II made the
corn stalks fly around in the air beneath
eat the northeast OF US, about half mile
avyav. was a dense black cloud that reach
ca 10 the ground, but had no motion 50
far as we noticed. This cloud, ] should
think. reached up into the air about a
quarter Of mile The moving cloud
gradually turned from milk white 10 black
as Il approached the stationary one. and
finally went into the black mass. We did
not see II again, as the black cloud OBJ
structed our view When the moving
cloud passed into the black one It was
about the size OF a triangular acre OF
land and stood on end with the small end
down. We then got our team and drove
home.
1.-THE following morning We got the news
Of the destruction OF st. Cloud, MINI, by
a cyclone, which happened the night fol-
lowing our experience above narrated.
We then thought, and still think, that II
was our cyclone that did the mischief,
as Il started In that direction, and was
seen by farmers after II emerged from
the black cloud that shut out our view
SIN going 10 tho northeast high In the
air. IL naturally would have covered the
distance from It's starting point 10 81.
Cloud by or 4 o'clock on the following
morning"
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