The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-08
A RIDE ON
A CYCLONE
Miraculous Experience Of a Uni
81 tartan Minister i'll the Mon
ster's Grasp.
CARRIED A HALF MILE
FELT One Hundred and Fifty
Feet, Was Badly Broken Up
and Was Own Surgeon

ITO ride q half mile through the air on
MI a. ryclone and live to tell the tnle Is q
St5urtot,e experience. Yet that Is precise
sS IN what happened to Rnv. A. N Somers'
FSss1Trjtarian minister at Highland springs
9S n suburb of Richmond Va, llai tnc
s story from Mr.. son1ers himself. ~ ran
sEGas follows:
al had read and heard much about cN-
"a clones but my information was con
}9 nictlug aud far from satisfactory. llau
IN rcsolved If / ever got near enough one to
Dbl Investigate for myself Don't know that
IA Il ever prayed tho good Father TO send
81 one my way. but Was willing no should
II g.'aIy opportunity came III 1879. had
ga gone west To teach school, salaries thef'
Il Icing moro thnn double what they were
81 "A Virginia and Forthcoming when due
Ii B.Tt was In Randolph county. Indiana. IN
Al mo month Of September The farmer
n With whom boarded was building 2
Charm and | went ont to assist the car.
81 penters It being Saturday afternoon ana
Il nothing doing
b III was good cyclone weather, and Just
IL as We finished shinglng one side OF the
Il ,oof, he shouted Look out boys, there
Il is a cyclone coming,
/ M CHANGING hastily in the direction he
D. pointed, / saw on the horizon some i've
n or six miles distant n monster as blacK
u as Ink and as clear-cut rs an Egyptian
H nvraujd bowling along at terrific speed,
MI ..rndana has had many cyclones In
u travelling through the county. one secs
n their track IN twisted and strewn TIM
u flJot--trcts three feet in diameter twisted
l cff a few feet above ground ns If by
4 giant hands.
Thnre vas an old track to the west
Of lis. and as we watched the cyclone
}$ndvance it was plainly evident that it
Twas following tho course Of its prede-
Cessors.
my ignorance and consequent lack OF
fear and my desire to better observe
4 this wonderful phenomenon. led me TO
disregard the advice OF my associates to
I ret off the building.
III ,'Meanwhlc tho funcl-shapch mass of
1 dust and debris grew mon7cntarlly larger.
Fascinated. / watched II, and listened
. spell bound to the crash and grind OF
the debris in its swirl. Fences, frag-
inents of buildings, cattle. grain, timber,
hay stacks and, for aught knew, hll-
man beings envelopcd in sable nantel
E of dust, pounding and grinding, one an
other to pieces and sweeping aiohg Win
+ lightning rapidity.
81 envy interest was reused to the high
est pitch when suddenly II chill ran
through me The raging demon, now
almost opposite us, had suddenly tackled,
$ant! leaving the old track at right angles,
was headed towards us,
II "rhere was 10 time left to. get down
and I was too far from the ground 70
Il DROP So burying my hatchet IN me
5Ssshingles in such u way as to get n holtl
on Vi one Of the llathcs underneath. J
4 stretched myself fiat on the roof and
y awaited the shock.
IT was none too quick. For immediate
h ~ the roof rose on the rim Of the cy-
clone and sped majestcally on its way
9$insa spiral course I'll it reached the TOP
# of the swirl--150 feet from the ground,
I according to the estimates of the on
Y lockers.
fThe roof remained intact until it had
4 reached its greatest altitude. and had
II travelled on the rim OF the cyclone proper
nearly half a mile. when the corner op-
posite the one | was on was down into
& the inside current Of the swirl, and the
roof. with a great crash, went 10 pieces
u had lost my support and was afloet
in mid air the victim Of the most terri
iic power had ever encountered,
During all this time. and ii was prob-
ably only the fraction OF minute,
though 1t seemed an age, was fully
conscious of my position, and was caleu-