Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-10-23

HenneSSey, Ok, eOrrespondenpe ot
 the Philadelphia Times: The cyclone
 which earlier in the week swent
 through Wisconsin and Nebraska
 wrecking towns and killing hundreds
 reached Hennessey Thursday morning
 just before 10 o'clock, and that the
 own is still standing and compara.
 Y y uninjured is due solely to the
 H#entiVe genius of one of the citizens
 this place, Capt. John R. Hoades. retired sea captain, who, though hith- erto generally regarded as a visionary
 crank, is now hailed as the sa, or of the hundreds of lives that but for his unique scheme would unquestionably have been lost.
 MT. Hoades scheme consisted in posting a large 15-inch smooth-bore Parrot cannon, purchased by popular subscription from the condemned stock at the New Orleans arsenal, on the four sides of the town. each gun un- der the care of watehIul attendant during the cyclone season. The can non were designed to be fired into the face of an approaching hurricane, in the hope of breaking its force.
 When the news reached here that a tornado was sweeping southward over the prairies east of the Rockies, it was feared Shat when it reached the Cinna- mon river 1t would swerye from it's track and follow the course of the stream, as was done by the hurricane that killed seven people here in the autumn of 1897, sharp bend in the stream then throwing the storm over the peninsula upon which Hennessey is situated.
 The cannon to the west, where the town is partly protected by the Wichf- ta mountains, was accordingly with drawn and placed on the northern border as an additional protection. Un- fortunately, however, on the approach of the funnel shaped cloud the western gun was fired a couple of seconds too soon, swinging the storm tQward the east, so that the shot from the otber gun did not take full effect. The com bIned effort so changed the tornado's course, however, that only the ex- treme eastern edge of the town was touched, but here the one house fully in it's path was completely demolished and the cannon which guarded that end of the peninsula was blown from its carriage, carried fully 500 feet and hurried i'll sand bank. The attend ant at the gun, the inhabitants of the solitary dwelling demolished were warned in time to escape with their lives.
 In speaking of the marvellous success Of his plan for fighting tornadoes, Capt. Hoades, the originator of the scheme. said
 can hardly claim to have invented inc plan, for have twice seen water spouts broken by the same method while following my former avocation on the sea. Indeed, it was this that first suggested the scheme to me"
 After the cyclone of 1897 suggest ed that Hennessey, which is directly in the path of the south bound torna- does, adopt this apparently strange plan of protection. It is o1iy fair to state that at first I was the laughing stock ot the town, and ,C was only by persistent argument that I finally in- crested MT. Thomas. of the Chicasan coal company, in my plan. Backed oy so influential a citizen. we finally gathered together enough money by popular subscription to purchase four put Of dale guns that saw service lround New Orleans during the civil var, and mounted them in the places elected. The most singular feature of he whole matter is that the one dwell ng destroyed by today's storm was by the most persistent doubt 1T in the town.
 An effort will now be shortly made" Japt. Hoades concluded Ito similarly 'quip all cities in the tornado belt. the ate experience of Wisconsin and Ne 'raska towns having clearing proved hat the hurricane cellars hitherto re- led on are nothing but death traps in which their occupants are crushed be- leath fallen walls or burned in the ires which so frequently follow the torms."
 A town meeting will be held tonight o do honor to the aged pregeryer of he town, and the mayor of Hennessey las declared his intention of resigning lis post in favor of Capt. Hoades, a that finds much favor .mong those who owe their lives tc he captains foresight
 Asbestos Known Centuries Ago.
 Asbestos is generally supposed to be
 modern thing, yet in 1871 an as- estos handkerchief was shown to the ,nual Sncietv as a great curinsity by 2