The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-27

AS far as could be learned last night the
tornado disappeared three or four miles
east OF Valley Center, as no effects OF
it were noticed along the line of the ROCK
Island road.
Both telegraph and telephone lines are
down. and but very little information
could be learned Many people were more
OF less injured, some seriously
Dr. ST. John, of this citJ. was returning
from six weeks trip TO the east on the
Santa Fe train. and witnessed the storm
as 1t passed close to Valley Center. The
engineer saw the tornado approaching
and ran past it, the funnel-shaped cloud
being within 800 yards of the track when
the train shot by. The passengers were
badly scared. as the cloud was coming
directly toward them. DR.. st. John thus
described ii TO a reporter for the Eagle:
The cloud seemed rather narrow and
was whiting rapidly. We could see tim
bers trees and all manner of things high
in the air and everything was moving in
a circle. II was Misunderstanding
cloud. which seemed TO go up and down,
and every time it struck the ground the
dust almost hid il from view. Everybody
surely hit us before We could pass it, and
all of US were greatly relieved when we
found we were afe If that cloud had
touched the train. the loss of life would
have been something awful"
Mr. P. NJ Miller, Chicago travelling
man. was on the train and tried to pho
tograph the storm, and was partially sue
cessful. The funnel-shaped cloud can be
seen in the films. but Il Gives no idea
of the trength and destructive power
CT the little cloud. To the Eagle Mr.. Mil
Ter said:
The cloud was very narrow. but long.
The top was broad and where it seemed
to touch the ground. the cloud pread out
over a considerable surface. The cloud
was as black as coal. except close to the
ground. where dust almost hid it from
US. 1t was whirling violently and on The
edges we could see all kinds of stuff fly
ing around. There was an awful roar
accompanying the cloud. This noise
would become very weak at times and
then grow louder and louder and then die
down, but there was not moment when
we could not hear it, and it was louder
than half a dozen express trains.
4 could see a small house whirling
about in the cloud. 1t looked as though
it was about 29O feet high. There were
sections of houses and boards flying
about and many branches of trees and
other objects. That storm looked awful.
1t was the first any of us had ever seen
and we know of what great power they
really are"
good many reports of the storm came
in through various sources and all agree
on about one point and that is that tine
path of the storm was very narrow. In
places it seemed as though the storm was
only fifty feet wide and in other places
everything was demolished in a path a
hundred yards wide
One man coming in from near Maize
said that he saw man running east TO
escape the storm who told him he ran
four miles to keep out of the tornados |
path Another man was driving west |
directly in the storm. who said that his |
family were directly in the path of the |
whirling cloud. and he wanted TO rescue |
them.
The storm wrought great de- |
struction in only three or four places.
but its path may be followed for fully |
twenty-five miles, where small buildings |
were overturned, barns partially ne |
stroyed. orchards blown down and fences |
torn away.