VAGARIES OF A CYCLONE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1292, 19 July 1886, Page 3

VAGARIES OF A CYCLONE.

Describing the most violent of the recent cyclonic storms in the Unhid States, the New York Times says : —The storm was in the form of a whirlwind, and starting about 100 feet wide, increased to at least 600 Let when it crossed the river, and seemed to intensify in force, moving very slowly, but the unfortunates in its track, not suspe. ting danger, were taken unawares, and had no time for fight. Had not the houses destroyed here been light frame structures the loss of life must have been much greater. An Indiana correspendent says The residence of Mr Lemuel Deremer was destroyed in a twinkling. The fragments were scattered far and wide, the largest being a piece of the floor on which Mr Deremer found himself standing after the catastrophe. When the blow came he was preparing hr bed. It stripped him of every vestige of clothing except his collar and cuffs Mrs Deremer had already cone to bed, and bad her youngest child iu her arms. The storm blew her about twenty-five yards away, where, on regaining consciousness, she found herself standing wish the child still in her arms, neither having received a scratch, although they were surrounded by fragments of the building, many of which were driven Into tho ground. Mr and Mrs Deremer found their eldest boy, a lad of 14 years, in a meadow about 400 yards away, at the head of a slough. Be was unconscious, and his recovery is extremely doubtful The outbuildings and barn were carried away, and no trace of them remained The horses were uninjured, but abmt 2CO chickens, otherwise unhurt, were picked clean. Similarly a Texan corresj ondenf writes:—The residence of J. H. Green, two miles south of Rome, was picked up and hurried a great distance Mr Ore. n wife, aud two daughters were all b*dly bruised. The large residence of Jdm Beard was next swept sway. Mr Beard, bis wife, and five children were car ried a distance of fifty yards with the house but none of them were fatally it - jured Capt. Folley. an old settler of Sank Rapids, weighing 2801 b, was blow' 400 feet in the air, sni bruised by flyiog debris He says the water In his 65ft well was all sucked out, leaving only sand a' the bottom. The force of the storm wa> such as to wrench off’ the door of tin s fo in the post-office, and carry it some <Ls tance from the building. The church bell, weighing 1560 lbs, was found amon ■ the debris 400 ft away from any building. The remains cf the dead were almost unrecognisable, being completely crushed and blackened. Many of the survivors will bo d'sabled for life. The delegation of doctors from St Paul end Minneapolis worked all night under the disadvantage of having no splints or drugs, as the drug stores were all demolished. The splints were all made from shingles. In Minnesota, it is said, for a width of about 600 ft running from south-east to north-east, the tornado has levelled almost everything before it.