342 The Iowa and Illinois Tornado. [July, 
track to the south, a swath, about 50 yards wide, was cut 
through the fences by a south-west wind. This swath ap- 
peared to curve towards the main storm-path, but it was not 
possible to follow it until it reached it, because of the 
sparseness of the fences, and because there had everywhere 
on that side of the storm been a strong south-west wind, and 
this swath was merely exceptionally strong. 
The storm-centre next traversed the Grout Farm, now 
occupied by Samuel Brunt, and passed about 100 yards to 
the north of the village of Lancaster. Here its operations 
became more interesting. 
Samuel Brunt heard it roaring a long time before it 
arrived; as. it approached saw two funnels distinétly: their 
summits were lost in the overhanging mass of dark cloud. 
Saw funnel on the south side, which was the smaller, swing 
around in a half-circle and join the larger one. The funnel 
had a pendulum motion. When it struck the ground it 
seemed to smoke, the smoke surging up like spray upon a 
wave-beaten rock. The wind felt cold as it passed. Saw 
lightning during tornado. The breadth of the dark apex of 
the main tornado, where it touched the ground, appeared to 
be about roo feet; there the wheat was mown as with a 
scythe. 
Tlte breadth of the part of the storm of sufficient power 
to throw down fences was here 200 yards. The fences on 
the north side were blown south, those on the south side 
north, while along the centre everything was carried east 
with the storm. An apple tree, 7 inches in diameter, which 
had stood on the north side of the centre, was carried first 
14 yards south, with a little westing, then round in a regular 
curve 24 yards toward due east, and then due east for 
70 yards. A beam, 2 ins. X 4 ins. x 14 feet., and weighing 
25 lbs., was driven into the ground 3 feet g inches at an 
angle of 35°, after having been carried 35 yards from the 
barn roof. The following is a sketch of the path of the 
apple tree: it stood at a, and was carried to 0. 
Fic. 8. 
