NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART I 15 
by destructive storms. Tornadoes did considerable damage at Charles 
City, Lisbon and Mount Vernon, on the 7th, and on the 20th a wind 
and rain storm with heavy hail struck across the corner of the State 
from northern Howard county, over Cresco, southeastward to Mc- 
Gregor, in Clayton county. Other wind squalls, occurred over the 
western and central portions of the State on June 12th, 19th, 23d and 
28th. A report of the tornado at Charles City, as given by Mr. 
McGann, official in charge of the Local Office of the Weather Bureau at 
that place, follows: 
"On the afternoon of June 7, 1908, a most destructive tornado passed 
through the eastern portion of the city. It was first observed on the farm 
of August Huxol, about seven miles southwest. Here the machine 
house and dwelling were badly wrecked. A few miles further it passed 
over the farm of Lacoure and Baldwin, completely wrecking the 
dwelling houses and all out buildings, only the floors remaining. It 
reached the southwesterly edge of the city at 5:00 p. m. (90 Meridian 
time) and razed the dwelling house of J. Z. Wright. From this point 
it cut a path of from 50 to 100 yards wide, raising some buildings from 
their foundations and wrecking many others, so that they were unin- 
habitable. The dwelling houses on either side of the storm's path were 
more or less damaged; all the window glass was blown outwards. About 
twenty-five dwelling houses were damaged and five totally destroyed. 
A large number of shade trees were torn up by the roots and others 
twisted and split. On the east side, the trees generally lay toward 
the northeast, and on the west side toward the northwest. The funnel 
shaped cloud, rising and falling as it moved rapidly in a northeasterly 
direction, was accompanied by a loud roaring noise similar to con- 
tinuous thunder. The path of the storm was about eight miles long and 
about one hundred yards wide. The damage done is estimated at 
$25,000. The meteorological conditions that prevailed at this station 
were cloudy and very sultry weather, low and nearly stationary barom- 
eter, high humidity, 97%, and gentle southwest to south winds. A 
light sprinkle of rain fell from 7:50 to 7:55 a. m. and from 11:15 a. m. 
to 12:10 p. m. These light showers were followed by a feeble thunder- 
storm southwest of station from 1:10 to 1:53 p. m. Distant thunder 
was heard in the southwest at 4:20 p. m., rain following from 4:50 p. m. 
falling very heavy from 5:00 to 5:04 p. m., and ending at 5:12 p. m. 
At this hour the storm has entirely disappeared in the northeast. Onef 
death resulted from the storm. Mr. Brock was killed by a falling 
chimney." 
The reports of the storm in southeastern Linn county, while indicat- 
ing a storm of tornado form, do not show the destructiveness of that 
which occurred in Floyd county, the loss did not extend much beyond 
the overturning of light buildings and windmills and the tearing of limbs 
from trees. 
A strip of country about fifteen miles wide, extending from Cresco, 
Howard county, to McGregor, Clayton county, suffered greatly from 
damage to crops, by wind, rain and hail. Cattle and hogs were killed 
by the hail or driven by the storm into the creeks and drowned. The 
greater loss, however, was sustained at South McGregor. Here lumber 
