42 JOURNAL OF THE 



that this tornado formed a few miles west of the town of Newton, 

 in Catawba county, N. C, which town is distant twenty miles, nearly 

 west from Statesville. Before reaching Newton it destroyed several 

 houses and struck Newton on its southern limits, destroying twenty- 

 five or thirty houses, some of them large buildings, such as churches 

 and mills, injuring many more, and damaging fences, fruit trees, 

 and timber. Continuing its course nearly east it destroyed almost 

 everything in its track for an average width of one hundred and 

 fifty feet. The full width of prostrated timber being nearly a quar- 

 ter of a mile, but outside ihe width of one hundred and fifty feet 

 the de truction was much less complete. The north side of the 

 one hundred and fifty feet, was much more sharply defined than 

 the south side, fre{iuently on the north tearing off part of a house 

 and leaving the rest slightly damaged. Crossing the Catawba river, 

 near to and north of Buffalo shoals, it entered Iredell county, and 

 continuing its general course and destructive work, it crossed the 

 Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad three miles south of the 

 town of Statesville. At ^this point, it turned more to the north, 

 crossing the Western North Carolina Railroad about two and a half 

 miles east of the town. About one mile after it crossed the railroad 

 it stopped in the valley of Fourth Ci*eek, a small stream which runs 

 nearly parallel with the railroad towards the northeast. This seems 

 to be the end of this storm, but it is certain that a cloud had formed 

 near Elm wood, a station on the W. N. C. Railroad, eight miles east 

 of Statesville, and nearly five miles southeast of the point where 

 the described storm stopped ; and this second storm went in an east 

 direction as far as the Yadkin River, and perhaps farther. 



From evidence collected from persons along the track of the tor- 

 nado after it crossed the Catawba River, it appears that it did not 

 come in contact with the rain and hail storm until it reached the 

 vicinity of Statesville, at which point it appeared to enter the track 

 of the hail storm. 



The general appearance of the tornado as described by persons 

 who had the best opportunity of observing its approach, was that 

 it resembled a mass of dark clouds boiling upwards from the sur- 

 face of the earth, and some say assuniing a funnel shape with a. 

 rapid rotary or whirling motion. Others describe it as resembling 

 the smoke from a gigantic coal burning locomotive. It struck the 

 bravest with terror by its terrible appearance. 



Duration — At any fixed point from one to two minutes. 



PrecijJitation — Most persons say none ; a few say a little. 



Noise — All accounts say the roaring of the storm would have 

 drowned the loudest thunder in the vicinity of its track. 



