WADSWORTH k NIPHER TORNADO OF APRIL 14, 79. II7 



ness. The rain commenced before reaching HighLnnd, and reached 

 its maximum this side near St. Jacobs, and then it commenced to 

 hail. Between St. Jacobs and Collinsville the track was flooded 

 with water, telegraph poles down, and cars tangled in the wires. 

 Near Collinsville, detached broken clouds swept rapidly through 

 the tree tops, and apparently against the tops of the cars." 



We now return to consider more clearly the eftects of these vortices in 

 Collinsville, for here it is, by a singular coincidence, they all concentrated. 

 Commencing with the principal line where it entered town (Diag. 2), the 

 first point is at i— A light wagon picked up and whirled around, the shafts 

 broken off; directionof motion opposite the motion of the hands of a watch, 

 with the face up. At 2, li-story dwelling crushed but not scattered, debris 

 inclined in direction of storm; seven trees in this block lay in line of the 

 storm, one south and one out-building north. 3. Building at the corner 

 scattered, the next thrown several feet in line of storm. 4. A trench exca- 

 vated by the vortex, 12 ft. long, 20 in. deep, also in line. 5. A barn, that 

 has never been found ; several trees all in line. 6. Double 1 4-story frame 

 dwelling lifted six feet high and set down angling upon the foundation, as 

 evidenced by the cellar stairs, attached to the floor of the house, which 

 were carried over a partition wall in the cellar and not broken oft". 7. A 

 similar building utterly crushed and scattered; here a life was lost and 

 two persons wounded. 8. A 2-story double brick— the front part had its 

 walls throAvn outward, but not scattered ; here was evidenced a peculiar 

 application of force not unlike explosion ; trees N. and N.W. 9. A i-story 

 brick dwelling, solidly built, with whole of north front thrown oiitward, while 

 the roof remained in place, and the house was otherwise uninjured. 10. An 

 interesting example : a one-story frame dwelling had to be entirely rebuilt; 

 it was found literally shaken apart, but not entirely separated, excepting 

 the porch, which was thrown down ; outside walls all bulged outward ; 

 the plastering all shaken off; roof had shingles all loosened, but not taken 

 off. II. Three-story brick, with half a dozen bricks taken out just under 

 the coping of the cornice, and nothing else disturbed. 12, 12, 12. All brick 

 dwellings, showing some evidence of explosion, but scattered and more or 

 less swept away from the premises. 13. One-story brick exploded; this 

 was more marked than any other (see special reference further onj. 14. 

 One-story frame, the same. 15. A sign carried westward ; very few instan- 

 ces where debris was taken in this direction. 16. Roof, the same. 17. A 

 single light of glass in a show-window burst inward by a jet of wind only 

 large enough to cover this light of glass, and this occurred on the east side 

 of the building. 18. A large one-story frame hall and reading room, 60X 

 75, moved off its foundation, and not especially injured. 19. Several arti- 

 cles removed from porch on south side of building inclosed on three sides, 

 open only to the south, and taken to the north of the house. 20. Here all 



