The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-09-06
A CYCLONES FRANKS.
QUEER TRICKS PLAYED BY a MIS-
SOURI, WIND TWlSTER.
This Storm, SO 1t Is Alleged, Drove
Wheat Stravs Through Pine Boards
Like Nails and Cut Up Other Very
Curious Capers.


wheat Strn,vs Through, Pine Boards
Like Nails and Cut Up Other Very
Curious Capers.
People who have never Travelled over
the track made by n cyclone always
look incredulous when told "cyclOne
Stories" But those who have had eX-
periencc with the dread twisters or
been privileged to note some of the
queer freaks perpetrated by the storms
are prepared to believe anything. y
cyclone can perform most wonderful
freaks. Their power is not alone DEM
onstrated by their dcstructiyeness, for
often it seems that the storm is pos
sessed of humorous bent.
In the Grinnell Qa.) cyclone about
! 1S years ago the storm pcrpetrated
some queer jokes. One victim of the
storm was Il gentleman whose resi-
dencc was blown into space. He was
the possessor Of new frock coat,
which he had hung upon the wall Of
the sitting room a few moments before
the storm struck. In the pocket Of
the coat was a big silk handkerchief.
After the storm the coat was found
two miles from the spot where the
house had stood, but the handkerchief
was gone, and in its place was brick
bat.
over a portion Of Andrew county, Mo.
1t struck near Elk Dale, country
postottice, and played some queer
pranks. 1t struck an orchard and pro-
ceeded to show what it could do.
| There were 1G rows Of trees In the
orchard. Every other row was un-
touched, and in the rows struck every
other tree was twisted off at the roots.
but every other tree in the stricken
rows was left umnjured.
Seated under walnut tree near the
Elk Dale postoffice was woman en-
gagged in churning with an old fashion
ed dasher churn, The cyclone snatch
ed the dasher from the churn and
drove it through the woman's thigh,
but the churn was not overturned, and
not drop Of the milk was spilled.
A stretch Of pine fence about 10
rods long was blown to pieces by this
storm. Broken bits Of board were
scattered all over the surrounding ter
ritory. Wheat had just been harvested,
and that storm drove the ripened
wheat straws through those pine fence
boards like so many nails, splintering
the boards and remaining stuck there
in.
A country church several miles
northeast Of Elk Dale was struck by
the storm. The building was lifted
from the foundation and turned one
quarter Of the way around and set
crosswise Of the foundation, and the
plastering on the walls was scarcely
cracked.
This storm struck farmhouse
where family Of FIVE had just seated
themselves to eat supper The frame
Of the house was jerked into the air.
but the floor was. uninjured, and the
family suddenly found themselves eat
ing supper in driving rain.
Among the other animals owned by
DR.. Bond Of Elk Dale. was a. colt that
promised to be q world beater on the
track. The storm forever settled the
fate of that colt. 1t picked the animal
I'D and carried it two miles and then
gently deposited it in the crotch of
an oak tree 80 feet from the ground.
This story would sound better If 1t
went on to relate that the colt was
uninjured, but truth compels' the state
ment that the colt was as dead as
julius Caesar. The strange part OF
this incident is tilat there was neither
mark, bruise nor broken bone about
the animal. DR.. Bond insists to this
day that the colt died Of fright.
In n barn few miles from Elk
Dale three horses and three cows were
housed, the horses on one side Of the
partition, the COWS on the other, horses
and COWS facing. The barn was de-
molished, but not scattered, and the
middle horse and middle cow were
killed. Tile rest of the animals were
uninjured.
The steeple Of a church that hap
pened to lie in the track Of the storm
was jerked upward, turned upside
down and driven through the roof OF.
the church, the point Of the steeple
resting on the spot where the minister
was wont to stand when reading the
Sunday lesson. The pulpit carpet could
be shifted under the point, and the
steeple itself could be swung foot
or more in any direction.
Milt Laughlin's we'll on his farm was
attacked by the cyclone. Water was
drawn by means of an old fashioned
wooden pump, and that pump, tubing
and all, was snatched out Of that well,
and no trace Of them was ever found.
The we'll, however, Illremained.
This storm was not noted because Of
its destructiveuess Of human life, nc
one being killed, although q. number
were severely injured. But it was de-
structiye Of property, dcmolishins
houses and barns, killing stock and
blowing the newly harvested wheat
crop into the sweet subsequently. You
can tell the people living in its track
any kind Of a cyclone story, and they
will believe it with all their hearts.
They know what s. cyclone can do
when it tries.-Omaha WOrld-Herald.