THE CV CLONE AT BROWNSVILLE, MO , APRIL i8, 1S82. 247 



a little sharper. The wind began then to blow very hard, and from the 

 west, but nothing very firm was moved until the c) clone had spun and buzzed 

 over the hill to the southwest of the town, and all at once, whirling and bound- 

 ing, sprang into the midst of the streets. 



After it had passed over and through the streets, indeed, before force of it 

 reached us, and while it was in the midst of the buildings, there was a still darker 

 and greener-colored atmosphere lit up continually by tinges of orange and gleams 

 of red. 



Many can testify to the singular appearance of the light emitted from be- 

 neath, above and from within the folds of the cyclone. 



Houses and fences were not blown down, it is true; some of them were, but 

 in general they were drawn up and twisted around, and then fell back on their 

 foundations. There was not much evidence of any great force of straight wind ; 

 only here and there were objects found pointing the same way. As much debris 

 was found thrown in one direction as another. 



The path of the cyclone was nearly northeast, and was about two hundred 

 yards wide. 



When within one mile of Brownsville it came in a zig-zag course, but before 

 that its main course was northeast, and this direction it kept up until it was 

 scattered. The time of its passage over the city was, perhaps, three-quarters of 

 a minute or more. Its velocity in coming from Montrose to Brownsville — a dis- 

 tance of sixty-two miles — was one and eleven-twentieth miles per minute. Brick 

 houses were seen to rise two feet from the ground and then fall back on their 

 stone foundations, scattering the debris in all directions. 



Houses were found twisted at opposite points, strong fences were drawn 

 down in shape of square and triangles ; boards, posts, gates, scantlings and 

 stringers were found hundreds of yards off, thrown at all possible angles. 



Hardware stores, blacksmith shops, plow-rooms and display houses, were to- 

 tally demolished, showing no signs of being blown. A safe belonging to George 

 W. Smith was found some forty or fifty feet from where it stood in his office. 

 There were strong currents of attraction towards this cyclone. 



Places were found where trees one and on-half feet in diameter were drawn 

 out of the ground^ roots and all, while not ten feet away frame shanties remained 

 standing. Scantlings and fence-rails, after whirling around in the air, were 

 thrown off at a tangent and flew like darts through frame buildings, and in some 

 places were found sticking to the depth of two feet in the ground. A flock of 

 geese was drawn up into the cyclone, whirled around, and picked clean of 

 feathers, then scattered in pieces almost everywhere. Plank, grass, shingles, 

 brick bats, dust, feathers, branches of trees, bark, fence-rails, animals, etc., were 

 seen whirling and twisting in the air above the cyclone, as it came down Black- 

 water and passed over us. In some places large trees were peeled from top to 

 bottom. The cyclone was seen to jump and spin around on the prairies near 

 Brownsville, then rise, whirling and rolling in the air, throwing out those glisten- 

 ing tongues, and coming down again hundreds of yards off". 



