Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-07-11

eldest daughter into the yard west OF
the house, where they sought saletH
behind some cedars.
Having placed them in n u
thought the most secure place avail
able. I once more turned my attentioh
to the storm, which I found much
nearer. The great funnel-shaped
cloud, expanding and extending up
into the vault Of heaven, seemed 70
extend owe the entire eastern horizon.
1t was a dark, steamy cloud, from
which were emitted evanescent flashes
of electric light.
My next care was for my mother
and two sisters, nj of whom was
blind: Their cottage is on the same
street. just opposite my w house.
AS I started across the street I shout-
ed to a neighbor, who, with his wife
and child. stood motionless. on the
veranda, calling to them to fly for
their lives. By this time the tornado
was SO near and Its roar SO loud that
my voice could not be heard, though
they saw my frantic gestures.
In the west wing Of my mothers
dows, and I could see her standing
quietly at the south window. gazing
in W. and silence upon the fearful
phenomenon, SO terrible in its splen-
dor that she was s%pellbound and in
capable Of motion. I shouted as I
ran but my calls were unheeded. She
stood like a marble statue, her slight
form and white hair silhouetted in
the dull gray twilight that enveloped
the scene, while the roaring, expand
ing monster continually was drawing
nearer and nearer.
Suddenly there came a report as II
a shell had exploded at the window.
The noise broke the spell which
chained her to the spot, and with my
sisters and a servant girl she ran from
the house.
All that I have described could not
have occupied more than 10 or is
seconds. The street is only 60 feet
wide, and I was but half way across
when the report came from the cot
tage. At h same moment I discov-
cred that he curse of the tornado
had changed and that 1t was sweeping
in a northeastern direction through
the city. Fible's addition is built up
chiefly with frame houses, one Or two
stories in height, which are occupied
mainly by students, laborers and
small merchants. A large brick build
ing stands just southeast Of the addi-
ton n to the east of the storm path,
while the North Missouri State Nor
AAo oSAAOOl Oul1OlIl6 Is JUST OoyOuu Iu0
western limit. I knew that at this
hour nearly all the people would be
at home at supper and the tornado
would burst on them without a mo-
ment's warning. A great crushing
feeling of horror and grief supplanted
the awful dread that only a moment
before had stilled my heart.
Shouting to my wife that we were
safe, and directing her to telephone
| Tor SlrRaOn0 I ran east In tho diroo-
ton Of the tornado. It had now grown
to such gigantic proportions tina 1t
seemed to extend from the zenith to
the furthest limit Of the eastern hori-
zon. When 1t struck the densely pop
ulated part of the city the continual
crashing and tearing Of houses was
added to that incessant rumbling and
roaring. making an awful sound,
which swelled in volume until the
earth trembled beneath our feet,
The air was filled with flying debris.
Doors, shutters, roofs and even whole
houses were sent soaring and whirling
to a height of 800 or 90 feet. I saw
the wheel of a wagon or carriage fly
ing up into the storm cloud. One
house was lifted Upward to a height
of more than 100 feet, when it SEEM
ed to explode into a thousand frag-
ments, which went soaring, whirling
and mingling with the other debris.
The wind two blocks away as it
crossed street pulled down a cedar
tree in my front lawn, and a huge,
large plate glass of the house adtoin-
ing was burst outward by the pres
sure of h air within and shattered
into a hundred fragments. During
the few seconds that the tornado took
In crossing u street no n was in
sight, and I continued my fight
toward the scene Of disaster without
meeting or seeing any one. :.
On 1t swept in its answering north
east course, a great black monster,
~obscuring the eastern sky-a raging,
baleful thing; a hateful, devouring
demon, tearing up houses to their
foundation stones, roaring, rumblinr.
crashing, laundering in it's awful rage
the most terrifying spectacle man
ever gazed upon, until 1t swept out OF
sight, leaving a path Of smoking ruins
in its wake.
About thirty minutes after the tor
nado had swept over the city a black,
angry cloud rose in the west and
spread over the entire city, deluging
1T with a downpour of rain, while the
wind blew such a gale that many of
the younger assistants became fright
ened and ran to cellars, bitches and
sewers to escape the fury of a second
tornado. In vain the older and more
experienced shouted that there was
no danger. The downpour of rain
soaked us all to the skin and was. of
course, much worse for the unfortu-
mates, many of whom were still under
the ruins. Those whom we did rescue
were laid on mats, doors and sbnttors
until we could get men to carry them
beyond h stricken district to car
riages and ambulances, for the tim
bers and debris made it Impossible
for a vehicle to cross the patch.
A SAVING OF HALF.
HuSh9nd-Vnp po,,ck La~t