Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1913-06-21
WILD WIND ANTICS
The Havoc That May Come When
a Tornado Breaks Loose.
STORMS PLAY QUEER FRANKS

Houses Have Been Carried Bodily Into
the Air and Exploded, and Halt a
Building Has Been Swept Away,
While the Rest Remained Unframed.
The weather bureau at Washington
has been collecting statistics aud facts
about cyclones and iornadocs for many
years. and the experts have succeeded
In securing considerable valuable data
about the big winds. but after all. the
freaks OF the storm are The things that
/ give il special interest ana II all thes,,
were properly classified some rcmurka
Bile reading would be furnished Every
visitation Of a tornado adds 70 this sal
uablc stofchouse Of queer frcaks
Il is not uncommon tor the whirlime
wind to cut Il nous, 90 half, demolish
ing one side and leaving the other On
disturbed This happened IN an Iowa
tornado. and the part that was left in
tact was 50 little disturbed that the
clock Oh the maniel continued ticking
as II nothing had happened
In HE Texas town OF sherman.
which WIS visited by tornado 10
1886. two houses were picked mp ami
carried into the air. where they eN
| plodcd Every one In them was severe
~ injured except baby. which did not
receive SO much as scratch \ man
milking COW In u shed saw the COW
and shed carried up in the air. but he
was not SO much as touched Not u
drop Of the milk IN his pail was spilled
or disturbed.
In the ST Louis tornado Of the same
year Il carpet In the parlor of one house
was pulled up by the twister and car
ried away n few hundred yards with
out so much rs Il rent being torn IN IL
The lacks had been pulled up as neatly
as II extracted by careful carpet
layer.
In another house the bedclothing and
mattress were lifted from the bed. aud
the bodstcad was left intact. resi-
dent was carried through the roof OF
another house with the bed and drop
ped quarter Of mile away without
injury The mattress saved him In the
fall. and he picked himself up In a VA.
cant lot TO dress without knowing ex
actly what had happened to him.
The "twistcrs" have been known 10
pull nails out OF shingles and then 20
on TO pick up chimney bodily and
carry 1t through tile air In Kansas
one picked up buggy and landed II tn
the branches OF tree. At another
time II ripped the harness completely
Off horse and left horse. buggy and
man uninjured In Louisville. in 1890
tornado carried the roof of house
and pulled a child from the mother :
arms and carried il safely TO another
house six blocks away
But these are merely among the
harmless freaks of the big wind. There
are others more heartrending IL has
dsmembered human beings. tearing
arms and legs from the body. and
twisted the hair OF women into ropes
In Kansas II drove piece OF scantlinG
six Inches square through the body Of
a hog Al another time II blew In the
door Of farmers house and carried
the owner away on the door. 10 drop
him in tile branches of tree. The
tornado did not hurt him. but he broke
his neck falling from the tree 10 the
ground
No one has succeeded IN measuring
the fun force Of tornado but it is
known 10 travel AZ the rate of 200
miles and more an hour.
Tornadocs are exciting more general
attention than formerly because 81 the
greater number Of towns and villages
located in the tornado belt Each sue
cessivc one is more dangerous than ia
predecessors because Il is apt 10 hnd
more human material 10 destroy For
merry IL might travel half the length
Of 4 continent without finding anything
In It's path 10 destroy except grass.
trees and OCCASIONALLY the crops OF q
solitary farmer To-day II Il followed
the same route. il might pass over q
dozen villages aud towns.
The only thing that can possibly
break the force Of tornado Is a range
Of mountains. II may create wild
havoc among the trees and powders
of mountain. bat it cannot carry the
mountain itself away II will nprooi
giant forest trees. suck the water from
wells and streams. twist ana demollsh
iron bridges and carry up houses. but
the mountains are proof against the
mighty force of The wind.
Until We know how to control the
tornado or find some means Of battling
It. IFS menacius danger must always
be source Of considerable uneasiness
IA the great plain sections Of the coun'
try Rui, like earthquakes the tor
nado and cyclone do not come every
year. aud sometimes they deter their
visit Tor decade or SO. for which We
may be- thankful George Z Walsh in
TIarper's Weekly