1874.] The Iowa and Illinois Tornado. 349 
On reaching a slough which enters Rock Creek from the 
north-east the tornado followed it. Beside this slough and 
close tu the creek was a small grove of young trees belong- 
ing to John Stein. This grove was completely carried 
away, nothing remaining except a few barkless twigs. At 
no point in its course did the storm develop greater energy 
than at this grove. Generally young saplings, over which 
the centre of the storm passed, were, although stripped of 
bark and twigs, left standing. Here the ground was whipped 
as bare as though the grove had beeri lashed with a whirl- 
wind of fire. The tornado then passed between the houses 
of William Goeldern and John Stein, sweeping the fields, 
within the narrow path of its greatest violence, clean of 
grass, wheat, and corn stumps, while the ground was torn 
and furrowed by flying rails andtrees. Therails and broken 
timber had been gathered from the fields; but John Stein 
assured me that they lay thickest along the centre of the 
storm. Along the sides of the path of greatest violence 
many rails were driven deeply into the soil, end foremost. 
While the main whirlwind thus pursued the path de- 
scribed, there were smaller off-shoots or arms which played 
havoc on its south-east side. Such an arm cut a swath 
about 12 yards through Schild’s orchard from south-west to 
north-east, the swath widening as it went. It was not 
possible to trace it until it reached the main storm, for 
reasons similar to those already given. It seems probable, 
however, that it joined it at the little island above mentioned, 
where the storm appears to have momentarily stood still. 
The relative positions favour such a surmise. This streak 
of strong south-west wind was a quarter of a mile distant 
from the centre of the main tornado. 
A similar streak levelled the fences close to the house of 
John Stein for a width of 50 yards, while nearer the main 
tornado the fences remained standing. This streak, I sur- 
mise, joined the main storm at the grove above mentioned. 
A similar arm tore down the new barn of F. A. Latz, about 
a quarter of a mile farther on, without injuring weaker 
buildings close beside it. The path of this streak is said to 
have been very distinct among the fences until it joined the 
whirlwind near the house of Peter Marsh. ‘The fences were, 
however, already restored. 
George Star, three quarters of a mile south-east of the 
tornado, said that about I P.M., it commenced to thunder 
and lightning in the north-west. The storm advanced along 
the northern sky, and it lightened terribly there previously 
to the arrival of the tornado. A big cloud extended from 
VOL. IV. (N.S.) 2 
