What an American Tornado is Like.

Manawatu Herald, 20 June 1899, Page 2

What an American Tornado is Like.

» — Tornadoes, accompanied by heavy rains and floods, have'tfovaged large districts of Nebraska; Missouri, and lowa, causing damage to agricultural and other property estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. A very remarkable phenomenon, said to be without precedent, occurred when, at a point about ten miles to ( the north of Coleridge, a tornado overtook a prairie fire, and swept it diagonally across the wealthiest part of Nebraska, completely destroying everything in its track. The- front of this awful stream of fire measured nearly a, mile across, and it raced lor 25 miles before it burned itself out. The farmers whose lands and build* ings lay in its path lost almost &H^i fcheir possessions, they and their families barely escaping with their lives. In one instance a woman and her little son of five years" old were ! trampled to death by a herd of cattle stampeding before the flames. The catMe themselves were overtaken by the fire and perished. In Eastern Nebraska enormous pleads of dust mis d by a tornado hid the sun, and the darkness which. ream ll<s was almost that of night ' Ths town of Newraangrove, in Madison county, was deluged by a shower of mud which lasted for an hour. Meanwhile Chicago suffered from a premature heat wave.