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 IL In Alleged, Drove
Wheat Strawn ThrouSh Il Pine boards
Like Nails and Cut Up other Very
Curious Capers.
People who have never travelled over
the track made by cyclone always
look incredulous when told "cyclonc
stories" But those who have had cS.
perience with the dread twjsters or
been privileged to note some of the
queer freaks pcrpctratcd by the storms
ere prepared To believe anything. n
cyclone can perform most wonderful
freaks. Their power is not alone dem
onstrated by their dcstructivcncss for
often it seems that the storm is DOS
sesseu OF a humorous bent.
III the Grinnell Qa) cyclone about
1S years ago the storm pcrpetratcd
some queer jokes. One victim of the
storm was Il gentleman whose resi-
dence was blown into space. lie was
the possessor Of new frock coat.
which lie had hung upon the wall of
the storm struck. In the pocket Of
the cont was Il 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.
About 10 years ago IL cyclone pissed
over q portion OF Andrew county, Mo.
1t struck near Elk Dale. country
postofficc. and played some queer
pranks. 1t struck an orchard and pro-
cecded to show what it could do.
There were IL rows OF trees IN the
orchard. Every other row was. un-
touched, AMI in the rows struck every
other tree was twisted Off ut the roots,
but every other tree in the stricken
rows was left uldnjured.
Seated under Il walnut tree near the
Elk Dale postofiice was woman en-
gagged n churning with an old fushion-
ed dasher churn. The cyclone snatch
ed the dasher from the churn and
drove 1t through the woman's thigh,
but the churn was not overturned, and
not n 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 n farmhouse
where family Of five had jMst 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 q driving rain:
Among the other animals owned by
DR.. Bond of Elk Dale was a, colt that
promised to be world beater on, the
track. The storm forever settled the
fate Of that colt. 1t picked the animal
up and carried 1t 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 it
went on to relate that the colt was
uninjured, but truth compels- the state
neat that the colt was as dead as
Julius Caesar. The strange part Of
this incident is that there was neither
mark, bruise nor broken bone about
the animal. DR.. Bond insists to this
day that the colt died of fright.
In a barn q few M''es 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. The rest OF the animals were
uninjured. :
The steeple Of a, church that hap
pened to be 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 n foot
or more In any direction.
Milt Laughlin's we'll OH 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, tllIremained
This storm was not noted because Of
its destructiveness Of human life. no
one being killed, although &c. number
were severely injured. But It. was de-
structive Of property, demolishing
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 q cyclone story. and they
will believe IT. with all their hearts.
They know what a cyclone can do
when 1t, ,tries-Omaha World Herald.