The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-14
HIGH Wind IN
The CITY HALL.
Tall Cyclone Stories Told by
Municipal Officials.
Tornado PIowed Field and
Planted Crop.
ANOTHER ONE BUILT A HOUSE
Tandy Tells How He Started
Business on Air.
One of His First House Moving
Jobs Done for Him.
ANOTHER ONE BUILT A HOUSE

Cyclone stories were being snapped
in the office of w. G. Tandy, city COM
missioner of streets.
II saw a cottonwood tree that stood
in the way of a cyclone" said c. A.
Forter, assistant city engineer. The
big wind had just gathered up stack
of wheat straw. The straws were
blown right into the wood of that
tree. lust like each straw had been
nail and had been driven in. Straws
were sticking with one end embedded
in the wood so that tree looked like
huge mule-tail sticking out of the
ground"
Il believe that, all right" replied b.
F. Allen, inspector.
That's nothing" spoke up A. *.
Young, city engineer. Il saw pillow
once which had been struck by cy-
clone. 1t was an ordinary walking
plow with a steel beam. When the
farmer who was using it saw a storm
coming, he unhitched and left the
plow in the field. The cyclone hit
that steel beam and whipped it right
back between the handles-just bent
it double-and never moved the pillow
an inch from where it had been left.
TIN believe anything L am told
about a cyclone" declared Allen.
And speaking of that pillow reminds
me of what | saw up in Nebraska
once. A farmer 1 knew very well, in
fact, he lived on the farm adjoining
mine, was struck by lightning while
he was blowing. Both he and his
team We're killed. He left a widow and
large family of small children. None
of the children was large enough to
go ahead and put in the crops and the
poor woman had no money to pay for
a hired hand nor to buy a team.
LAS we were coming home from TIE
cemetery after burying her husband,
a number of US talked over her situa-
ton and decided that we neighbors
would get together and pillow the land
and put in a crop for her. We no
ticed a big funnel-shaped cloud. but
did not think much about it until we
got near the field where the man had
been killed.
Wind Drove a Pillow.
well, sir, you can believe this or
not, just as you please, but it is
fact-a whirlwind hit that pillow, which
was still standing in the furrow. The
wind took that pillow right straight
down the furrow, just as straight as
if man was driving a team hitched
to it, When the end of the furrow was
reached the wind changed and turned
that pillow at right angles and plowed
another furrow. When the next cor
ner was reached the same thing hap
pened, and that whirlwind just kept
doing that way and right before the
funeral that whole field was plowed--
yessir-all in about a minute.
yep, and after that quarter-se-
ton was plowed, the wind hit the
granary where the seed wheat was
stored, turned the building over and
scattered that wheat all over the field
and covered it up. yessir, I'll believe
anything anyone tells me about a
cyclone for 1 actually saw that"
Didn't another cyclone come along
about harvest time and harvest that
wheat. thresh it, take it to market
and blow the exact amount of money
back out of the bank to pay for it,
Queried L. r.. Lane.
.'Ah, you are joking now, but what
1 have been telling 1 saw with my
own eyes" insisted Allen.
w G. Tandy had been showing
signs of having omething to say. His
cigar had burned deep under his mus
tache and he had crossed and I'M
crossed his legs several times.
1T was a cyclone that gave me my
start in business" he announced. Il
was in the house moving business.
Two men in different parts of the
town decided to trade houses. Each
wanted to keep the lots he had, but
wanted the other fellows house, and
took a contract to move them. The
men decided to leave town and so
went on a vacation to avoid the in
convenience which would result while
the houses were being moved.
Cyclone Worked for Tandy.
while they were away and just
before 1 had started work, a cyclone
came along one night and moved
those houses for me Didn't disturb
another thing in the town and each
house was set up just as nice and
plumb as if 1 had done the work my
self I just sat down and wrote a