360 The Iowa and Illinois Tornado. (July, 
Mr. Waters’s house was 30 x 16 x 11 feet without the roof. 
It was carried, sill and all, 24 yards down a declivity without 
being turned round or tilted over. When it struck the 
ground, it at first merely shaved it with the foremost sill, 
gradually going deeper until the resistance became so great 
as to cause the house to turn over, when it went to pieces. 
The ground was ploughed up about 2 feet at the deepest 
point. The house had fallen 3 feet in travelling 24 yards, 
Its weight was at least Io tons. 
Between the cave—which was only about 4 feet above the 
surface—and the house, but nearer the cave, stood a small 
tree ; against it a spade was leaning. Mr. Waters testified 
that it was not blown down. Two yards east of the tree 
stood a bucket containing a small quantity of lime, and 
weighing Io lbs.: it was not disturbed. To the south-west 
of the cave the trees (c, c) were comparatively uninjured 
over a triangular space, while on either side they exhibited 
signs of the greatest violence. An oak sill (e) which had 
evidently been carried with the house until it struck, and 
then hurled due east, was driven 4 feet into the soil, at an 
angle of 45°. Its dimensions are 16 ft. x 8 ins., and its 
estimated weight 300 lbs. It was found 18 yards east of 
where the house struck. 
Mrs. Waters was carried with the house until it went to 
pieces, and received injuries of which she died. The frag- 
ments of the house were carried far in the line of the storm. 
Alexander Gibson had two houses, both situated as nearly 
as possible in the centre of the storm. The first house 
struck was taken away without touching the ground, and 
went to pieces in the air. The other house, in which were 
seven persons, was swung round on its north-west corner, as 
on a pivot, the south end travelling 36 feet, and cutting up 
the ground as it went. It then turned over, and was demo- 
lished. During this journey the floor was broken up, and 
three persons fell into the cellar. The house was a large 
one. It afforded no good basis for calculation, on account 
of the irregularity of its shape. A granary was pushed due 
east 14 feet: its dimensions are 16 x 8 feet; it is strongly 
built of generally hard wood, and divided into compart- 
ments: it was full of grain. The weight of the building 
and grain was given at 60,000 lbs. The resistance to its 
forward motion was very great, because it was surrounded 
with wet straw and rubbish, of which it had pushed quite a 
pile before it: it was racked by the strain which had been 
put upon it. Missiles had been driven through three hard- 
wood planks, in succession, of an inch thick ; they consisted 
