Year: 1876



 EDITORS M1RRoR:-Perhaps you would like to have few of the particulars of the tornado that passed through this sec. tion on Friday afternoon last. I had good view of this storm cloud or whatever you may term it. having been near enough to have mud thrown in my face by it.

 first saw the cloud in the rear of Char. lotte coming over the hill from DeN oma's. It came in two columns, which united about 200 rods in the rear of the residence of Chas. Spellman, and resembled Q man. moth ba lloon. It seemed to move from side to side with an oscillating motion and whirling round and round with fear ful velocity; occasionally rising from the ground foe 8 few rods then dropping back. The column appeared to be about 200 feet high and 500 feet at its greatest circumference. There also appeared spiral arm reaching from the ground to the top of this column, which seemed to move with gradually increased momentum around the central cloud: this central cloud was of an ashen gray hue. while this arm en- cirGling the cloud was of pnrplish black, and looked like huge serpent coilin around the mass with head erect and swaying it's tail in the air. The roar, as this monster passed was perfectly deafen- ing, resembling the sound of the blower of a locomotive, only intensified thousand fold, while there was certain peculiar cracking as of fire among cane brakes. . Tee first article saw it pick up was an outhouse on the Seymour lot across the road from Paul Engler's. This was pick. ed up and commenced the circle of the cloud until it reached the top, when with asnap like clap of thunder, it was torn into million fragments and disappeared into the vortex; this was repeated with the buildings on the Engler place. and it occupied less time than l am writing this. As near as could compute the time, it was not to exceed 20 seconds in passing over the Engler place.

 The first account we have of the torna- do is of it's striking the place of Mir Thos. O'Toole, where it destroyed his stable and granary, killing one COW and iniuring sev. eral fat hogs, necessitating their killing, and scattering farming tools for half mile along it's track. It next struck the farm of Joseph DeNoma, passing near enough to unroof his carriage house, but doing no fuf ther injury.

 Its course for the next mile and half was through the fields. and it expended its force on the fences in its track. Reach. ing the immediate vicinity of Charlotte it appeared to travel in direct line for the town, causing general stampede among those who had observed it's approach. It seemed for a few moments that this little hamlet was doomed to destruction, but in few seconds it appeared to alter it's course, passing through the fields in the rear of the main part of the town, and struck the house and stables of Paul Eng Ter. At this point, as at the previous ones, the center of the tornado cloud did not strike the dwelling, but the stable and granary received the full force of the shock. The stable was totally demolish- ed; sheds, fences. trees, smoke-house and contents (about 15 hams and nearly whole beeO, outhouses and everything movable or otherwise wers torn up and totally wrecked and scattered over the place or carried away. The house receiv- ed considerable damage, but that was comparatively small beside the other.

 There were DO more houses or stables in it's track until it reached the farm of MT. Thomas Watts, and here it renewed its latent fury to it's full extent. MT. Watts residence and buildings occupied the slope of hill facing the northeast. Immediately in the rear of his house, and covering the slope and crest of the hill, which here rises quite abruptly to the helght of perhaps forty feet above the I honse, was his orchard and a grove of second growth timber. MT. Watts and his housekeeper were inside the house, while the two men Taylor and kirk were in the stable, building some 30x50 with a stone basement used for a stable, and above for store room for machinery and grain, of which there was some hundred bushels of wheat, oats and corn in bins. The tornado was upon them without moments warning; trees were twisted off like reeds, or pulled up by their roots and hurled hundreds of feet into the air, or against the buildings. The first sensation of those in the house was of it's being swayed forward and backward with sort of swaying motion which renderedit nec- essary to catch hold upon something to retain standing posture, and even with such support standing was not as steady as might be, and the housekeeper was thrown violently to the floor. It proved up- on examination after the tornado had pass ed that the house, which is about 22x36 and l two stories high, was first raised from it's foundation, carried several feet to the rear, then thrown back upon it's foundation, which was of solid masonry, crushing the wall like an egg shell and throwing the most of it into the cellar. The chimney were thrown down and all the windows demolished, while the roof on the kitchen and wood-shed spread and fell in. Mr. Watts, as soon as his house quit dancing, started out to see what damage had been done. and his curiosity was completely satisfied; for where his large barn had stood only two minutes before, was only hole in the ground into which was piled about as indiscriminate and chaotic a mass as was ever seen. On the top were corn, wheat, oats, mud and debris of all kinds, and upon this MT. W. mounted and called in loud vice to his two men, whom he he knew to have been in the 1 building at the time it was struck. For some time he received no answer, but he was at last made glad by the sound of l voice coming seemingly from the bowels of the earth, but which proved to be Taylors. Seizing a shovel MT. w. went to clearing away the grain, and at last unearthed, so to speak, the victim, who was held down by the weight of reaper which had de- scended upon him from above. the frame work of which, together with the hay and straw had kept the grain from smothering him. He received severe injuries, but will probably recover. Kirk lay near him with ladder on top of him, also some plank and other little timbers; he was al- SO quite seriously injured. Apparently all that saved these two men was Some l barrels and boxes filled with wheat that stood near them, which kept the mass from settling down upon them. Besides 1 the men. grain, two reapers, hay, straw. plank, ladders, and other articles in the | hole, were four mules and two horses, all dead Medical assistance was at once summoned, and the men properly cared for, while willing hands went to work clearing up the wreck to release the bur- jed stock that was still alive. Such an- other scene of~confusion. was seldom if ever before witnessed. Four, COWS lay dead in heap, with parts of wagons. corn blows, and apple trees on top of them. All the COWS and steers were mour- l ming the loss of one or both horns, some an eye and others their caudal appendage. Up-rooted trees. farm machinery, hay, straw, rocks fencing. dead fowls. broken