The Newtown bee., 1901-09-27
LOCAL AFFAIRS.
THE TORNADO IN SOUTH CENTER.

TIE lOKNADO IN SOUTH CENTER. TT MADE DEVASTATION SUCH AS NEVER
 SEEN BEFORE IN VIEWPOINT IN THE
 MEMORY OF MAN.
 A person driving on the highway past the property of E. L. Johnson sees some evidences of the recent cyclone in that section. But to give a correct idea of the damage done and of the terrible velocity of the wind on that memorable Sunday night of Sep tember 15, one wants to climb over the stone walls and go down into the fields.
 The other day, with MT Johnson as guide, the editor took tramp over a part of the territory covered by the tornado. And such sight he never beheld in all his life. The damage, to MT Johnson's property, could not be placed lower than S12OO. Sixty-tive apple trees were uprooted and blown over, and section of one barn un- roofed. Climbing the stone wall op- posite Mir Farrell's place the first dam age by the cyclone is observed. Here dozen choice apple trees were blown over in systematic manner, lying against the stone wall as if they had been laid there with the plumb and square. It was curious, as the writer proceeded through the lot to observe the different ways in which the trees were ruined. Here was a fine young apple tree, one section of which was split into many pieces, while another section remained intact. Then again there were dozens of great, healthy trees blown over on to the ground and partly uprooted, or snapped off like pipe-stems.
 Coming into the open lot near the swamp, the damage to the piece of woods beyond the railroad track could be observed. It looked much the same as piece of chestnut timber does after steam saw mill and a gang of wood men gets through. Great trees were snapped off like reeds and the splintered trees stand all about. Knowing the writer's admiration for agriculture MT Johnson asked him if he would like to see fine piece of corn and he quickly assented. Coming to a stone wall which divided the culti- vated land from tract used for pas turage, we found section of stone wall laying as flat asa pan cake. "Do you see that great trunk of a tree over there?" said MT Johnson, pointing to a tree which looked as if it had been through fire and water sale. The scribe saw itand supposed it had fallen where it lay, but he was informed that it was carried 65 rods by the wind. Il know every one of those treeS,' said MT Johnson, and later he showed the writer the hole from which it was ruthlessly pulled west of the highway. It is almost beyond belief; but a fact nevertheless. The writer's attention was called to an immense apple tree which was twisted from it's bed, which grew from a seed planted by MT John- son 40 and more years ago. But we started in to speak about the fine field of corn. We came to the lot and hard ly vestige of the corn was left. What few stalks remained were pressed close to the ground as if steam roller had been run over the field, and over the pasture lot and swamp ears of corn were sprinkled about. It was through this lot, apparently, that the cyclone waged in all it's Satanic fury. Here were great apple trees three feet in circumference dragged out of the earth, roots and all, and in one hole where great tree stood we could not find hardly sign of root. Judging by the holes made in the earth the trees went sailing around like so many tops, making big indention wherever they struck.
 To the south of this corn lot is a ravine and here great ash tree and several big chestnuts were laid as low as the wOodman could do after hours of labor. In the bed of this ravine re- posed section of the roof of the barn which stands nearby, and several bushels of apples blown off from trees. Passing into the highway we came to great maple which was the pride of the owners heart, and here perhaps the force of the wind is observed in as marked d manner as anywhere. There were two great sections of the tree, which were snapped off 10 feet from the ground. One section fell on to the stone wall near by. The other section fell in a westerly direction and was
 taken up by the wind and literally ploWed furroW in the turf in a cir cular direction ending up about 75 feet south on the same stone wall. In this lot the small building standing over the spring was laid on the ground in sections. Down on the edge of the swamp in the path of the storm stood (formerly) a great elm tree with life extinct. When the wind got through with it, the tree was broken in sections, shorter stump remaining.
 To clear up the damage done by storm will take six months, as the ordinary work on the farm must be attended to- Had any person or team been passing at the time of the tornado it would
 have met certain death, for if great
 trees could be literally torn up by theil
 roots and carried hundreds of feet
 what chance would a weak, human | being or beast of the field have had?
 MT Johnson says a few days after tht storm aft Mr. NcCarthv,S ba wac ay