The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-04-16

Witness on Rear Platform travelling
In Heart of Devastating Wind, Sees
II Creep About Villages and Sweep
Them Away-Houses crumpIed and
Tossed About.
Living, breathing and travelling in
the heart of one of the greatest hurri-
canes which ever has swept over the
United States, leaving death and de-
struction in its wake. was the expert
ence of w. Il. Commar, shoe sales
man, who stepped off of the Burling-
ton train after travelling for miles with
a cyclone that wiped whole towns of
the map.
Il never want to witness another
thing In this world so fraught with
horror" he said. II boarded the train
at Lincoln, Neb., and travelled in the
heart Of the cyclone for miles and
watched its deathlike hand creep
about the towns we passed and crush
them in twinkling. helped to car
ry i'm the human beings who, bruised,
crushed and hysterical, we stopped to
plSh UP anu ldhe W Ouldnd IOF neul-
cal attention.
Il had stepped out on the back plat
form for breath of air. Ii was about
5 o'clock, maybe little before. and |
noticed a peculiar light I'm the sky. If
you have ever read south sea island
stories you will know that an uncan-
ny, yellow glare seems to precede
hurricane. Well, there was that light
in the sky when / noticed it first. But
there was something else that seemed
far more terrible to me at the moment
II don't know that l can describe 1t,
except to say that at first thought
some one behind me had whispered.
1t was whisper, but whisper of
voices we are not supposed to hear in
this world. 1t was sibilant, strange,
ethereal, and it sounded like the pecu-
liar sucking hiss that one hears when
a train rounds 81 curve. But there was
a strange power back of it, don't
know why 1t affected me in the man
ner IL did But somehow Ii was a
forecast--a threat of frightful things
to come.
Stouu oTeW Larger
"All the time the sound grew, and /
noticed that the queer cloud In the
sky was growing larger. 1t was black
and cone shaped, with the small end
toward the earth. Then | knew what
was going to happen. was fascinat-
ed. A moment before there had been
light, clear and white, with just gen.
tie wind to ruffie the few clouds in the
sky. Now all was changed.
"The gentle whistle had grown to a
roar, and strange mutterings filed the
air. Then all of a sudden | saw that
the high cloud was enveloping every
thing. For a moment my heart stop
ped, and my breath seemed to be
drawn from me as If by a powerful
bellows. My face was peppered with
flying gravel. There was a terrific
roar, a shuddering of the earth, and
the cyclone had crossed our trail not
fifty feet behind us.
For a moment could not catch my |
breath. My face was stinging with
the sand and gravel that had been
hurled against me- ] went inside the
car.
"The wind crossed the track and
swept on In a northeasterly direction,
as near as could tell. BY that time |
we were near Ralston, Neb., which Is
within twenty-five or thirty miles OF |
Omaha. Far up the track | could see
the lights Of the town. For one mo- /
ment I wanted to hide from the sight,
but curiosity dominated me and re- ,
turned to the platform There was
one man there. a Mr. Coon. and we
were soon joined by other passengers. !