WADSUORTH & NIPHEK TORNADO OF APRIL I4, 79. II3 



I saw roofs come up whirling. No lightning or thunder for 20 

 or 30 minutes afterwards ; then a terrific hailstorm. The roaring 

 resembled a railroad train, such as we hear on damp mornings, 

 when the sound is very clear and loud. My sister, Mrs. Mudge, 

 of Saline, was with me, and as soon it passed we each took our 

 joencils and sketched our impressions of the appearance of the 

 cloud, to compare and see if our impressions were the same." 

 We take pleasure in presenting the sketch by Mrs. Lanham (the 

 other was lost). The two sketches were as near alike as one 

 person would be likely to make two successive sketches.* (See 

 Diag. 2.) 



Mr. P. J. Bergin, engineer at Hintz's mines, one mile east of 

 Collinsville, directly on line with the tornado and at the point where 

 it left the surface, stated : "I noticed the clouds because they were 

 so heavy and acted so strangely. Two clouds came together, one 

 from the S.W., the other from the N.W. ; these last were the 

 highest. They were all over the American bottom ; the clouds 

 from the S.W. were the heaviest and looked the worst." We 

 failed to get a clear idea of his description of the appearance of 

 the atmosphere, which he thought was exceedingly strange and 

 interesting. The word " irridescent" would perhaps express 

 most nearly my understanding of his meaning. " They made 

 me think there was trouble ahead, and I closed the blinds and 

 doors of the engine-house. The i-oar and noise commenced be- 

 fore I had finished, and I ran outside as it came over into the 

 Canteen valley to the zinc works. Here it spread out about six 

 hundred feet as black as night." (Large quantities of coal cin- 

 ders from these works are spread over considerable surface here 

 and were readily carried up, hence blackness.) " The air was 

 full of plank and cinders, and I got down to my little sapling; 

 the pressure as it passed over was great, but it lasted but a 

 moment, and was too high overhead to do any damage. Could 

 hardly say whei-e the tornado went to, but the clouds seemed to 

 rise up higher. No lightning, I think, but a little rain." 



The First Collateral Line commenced in the great valley scat- 

 tering in its course a large stack of hay, tearing away trees, and 



* In the original sketch the shading was uniform, and there was no representation of 

 spiral motion. This part has been supplied by the lithographer. F. E. N. 



