roS TRANS. ST. I.OUIS ACAD. SCIEN'CE. 



cultv remove the inmates of the barn. I have the impression that 

 when these clouds struck the ground they bursted as it were, or 

 divided ; the main portion, however, passed on in the same di- 

 rection to the S.E. The barn had simply been overturned, but 

 not scattered •' 



In comparing this statement with that of the hunters we had 

 no doubt but that it was the same vortex they had seen, and, as 

 the evidences were as plain over the bluft' to Collinsville, almost 

 E. instead of S.E., as Mr. S. had been impressed, we supposed 

 there must be an angle made at this point. We now sought to de- 

 termine the route E. of Collinsville, and found ample evidence of 

 its course over the Catholic cemetery and down in the Canteen 

 valley to zinc works, which it had unroofed (see D. i, No. 3), and 

 learned that it had now made another angle and passed to the 

 S.E. in the Wendler neighborhood (see D. i). Hearing that a 

 large amount of debris had been found beyond Confidence (D. i, 

 extreme right), we left this trace of the storm and visited that 

 region. Here we were surprised at the quantities of shingles, 

 weatherboarding, clothing, &c., scattered all over the country. 



Here we found Mr. Thos. Evans, who resides east of Confi- 

 dence, on elevated ground, where he could have a good view of 

 the scene. He stated that he saw a great smoke over Collinsville 

 that he supposed at first was a fire and called the attention of his 

 family, when almost immediately he heard a very loud noise and 

 saw a dark mass approaching at great speed, high over the tree 

 tops. As it passed, saw that it was composed of trees (of which 

 he recognized two medium sized), branches, boards, and fine 

 stuft'; and then the shingles and other small debris began to set- 

 tle down like snow to the ground. This debris was whirling 

 round and round and going higher. This evidence determined 

 us that whatever went to the Wendler neighborhood, the vortex 

 that had destroyed Collinsville had certainly passed over this re- 

 gion near Confidence, for here were wagon-loads of shingles, old 

 and new weatherboarding (painted), and other debris, that surely 

 belonged to Collinsville. This point gained, and the fact that 

 a direct line had been traced to the bluffs, five miles distant, a 

 little to the south of west, the logical conclusion fastened itself 

 upon my mind that this line did not end there. 



With this thought in view we returned again to the foot of the 



