344 The Iowa and Illinois Tornado. [July, 
whirling contrary to the hands of a watch. But, as already 
instanced, streaks of wind of unusual power curved in half- 
circles toward the centre at certain places. One of those 
streaks passed in a north-easterly direction through the 
town of Lancaster, while the main whirl was 100 yards to 
the north of it. This streak was at first only a few yards 
broad, but rapidly increased in width as it proceeded. It 
first unroofed a frail stable, without injuring the house 
beside it. It then increased in force, throwing down four or 
five houses, and unroofing as many more. The following 
shows the position of the houses and the directions in which 
they were blown :— 
FIG. Io. 
The long arrow denotes the main track; the curved arrow 
the streak mentioned; the short arrows show the direction 
of the destruGtive wind which threw down the various 
buildings. Between the building a and the main storm-path 
there is a space of 50 yards comparatively uninjured. The 
sketch does not pretend to be strictly accurate as to dis- 
tances, but to give the relative positions of the houses. 
Leaving Lancaster, the whirlwind travelled down the 
declivity toward North Skunk river in a direction somewhat 
east of north-east. It levelled the fences in its path, in the 
way already described, and which never varied from its 
commencement to its end. The house of widow Dogget, 
situated about a quarter of a mile south of the river, stands 
a little to the north-west of the storm-centre, at the com- 
mencement of the level bottom lands. Here two deep 
ravines—one from the south and one from the east—meet. 
Here the storm developed enormous power, smashing up the 
timber terribly. The roofs of the house and barn were 
carried south and somewhat west. ‘The trees on the north 
side of the centre were thrown down toward the centre, 
some pointing south-west and south, but the majority south- 
east. On the south side of the centre they lay pointing 
north-east, north, and north-west. An oak tree, 12 feet in 
circumference at the base, was broken across 12 feet from 
the ground. At the bottom of the narrow, steep ravine, 
