Richard Darlington

“ The storm-cloud of a tornado is nearly always funnel-shaped, the small end of the funnel extending downward. It looks like an immense balloon, and revolves on its axis with fearful rapidity. The air beyond the limits of this cloud is also in rapid motion, but merely partakes of the character of a very high wind and is not particularly destructive. The death-dealing and destructive power of the storm is confined to the limit of the conical cloud. All movements for personal safety must extend entirely beyond the circumference established by the rotary motion. ”

“ It is one of the phenomena of the century. It has no rival or parallel in this latitude. Its track was extremely narrow, not more than two hundred yards in width, yet it destroyed nearly forty thousand dollars worth of property, principally in buildings. We may never see the like again, but those of us that endured its terrors and suffered its losses, will never forget it. The storm-cloud, in its long journey of twenty-two miles, killed but one person and severely injured three others, but it imperiled the lives of several hundred, who are justly thankful for their narrow escape from death. ”

“ It is needless to attempt a description of the power exerted by the storm at this point, as many visitors who have been there declare that no description they had of it previously, conveyed any clear idea of the reality, and the mind is utterly powerless to conceive how any force can be generated to move an element so light and soft as the atmosphere we breathe, with such tremendous velocity as that required to produce the effect seen here, and many other places along its line of travel. ”

“ In the days when the anti-slavery agitation was beginning to rouse the people to a sense of the great evil of our country, and when it required something akin to heroism to feed and protect the fugitive slave on his road to the north, this little settlement of Friends did its whole duty in the cause of humanity, and was pretty widely known as a safe place for those fleeing from bondage. ”

“ The third subject presented for our consideration is the upward and downward currents which seemed to exist within the cloud. Objects were thrown upward to an immense distance, and the distance to which some objects were driven into the earth must convince us that there was a force downward of great power. It is true that a falling body, when influenced by gravity alone, will descend with great force, especially if started from a high point, but the deep excavations found in the track of the storm can only be accounted for by a downward current. ”

“ The second important point that we must consider is the increased destruction of property and great violence exhibited on the right side of the centre of the revolving axis of the storm-cloud, and a corresponding diminution of destructive power on the left side. The movement of the whirl was undoubtedly from right to left; the fallen trees indicate it. The forward motion of the hurricane would create a great inrushing of wind on the right side, and greater damage would result than upon the other side where the wind was returning to complete the rotary movement. ”

“ The grain in the barn, used for feeding the horses, was sown by the storm over more than half an acre of ground, and asserted its presence by a new and rapid growth. Most of the evergreen trees on the lawn were broken off and the tops carried away. The apple trees in every case, however, were uprooted. The growing potatoes in one of my fields lost their green tops, the bare ground alone remaining. Five hundred dollars' worth of school furniture in the upper story of the Seminary, was carried away and entirely destroyed. ”

“ Our nearest neighbors left their house terror-stricken, and came towards ours, believing, the world was on fire and the Judgment Day had surely come, a belief maintained by others as well as by them, while the horses ran as far as they could get from the frightful object. ”

“ That the movement of the storm-cloud was unaccompanied with much rain or hail, though one or the other fell at some distance north or south of the track, the sun frequently shining at the time. To explain some of these phenomena, even with the aid of science, is difficult. The storm-cloud itself was an entirely exceptional phenomenon in this latitude. Such an event had never occurred before in eastern Pennsylvania, and we are without the benefit of previous observation and experience. The great destruction of property in crossing valleys has excited marked attention. ”

“ We are also reaching a point at which the storm-cloud arose to a higher elevation, and passed above the farms and buildings, extending from Susan Pierce's property to a point near Broad Run, one mile west of Marshallton. Mrs. Pierce was also a loser by the tornado. The east gable end of her barn, and also part of one side, though built of stone, fell to the ground when the cloud struck it. Her loss, including fences and growing crops, amounts to about two hundred dollars.
We now find that the storm-cloud passes to a higher elevation, or disappears, and for eight miles no buildings are touched. ”

“ In the West Indies, and in other tropical regions, these tornadoes are of frequent occurrence, and the damage is often fearful, whole towns being completely swept away. In the East Indies, and on the coast of India, these storms are known as Cyclones, because of their rotary motion—the Greek word Ruklos, from which "Cyclone" is derived, meaning "a whirl". A cyclone frequently extends across a great belt, and is from fifty to five hundred miles in width. ”

“ Some children that were playing in a field near by, saw the danger ahead and fled to a lime-kiln, thus saving their lives. The cloud now reached a stream of water, and Mr. Pownell says the water was taken up and carried into the funnel of the cloud, leaving the bed of the stream dry.
It now approached his house with a continuous roaring sound, and he fled within. It passed along the north side of his house, overthrew his orchard, destroyed part of his corn crop, carried an apple tree fifty yards, and cut a track 150 yards wide and proceeded in the direction of Sadsbury Meeting House. ”

“ An area of high barometer, accompanied by a low temperature, encroaches upon the former, and then comes the mighty effort to equalize these two different conditions of the atmosphere and restore the equilibrium, which is the constant effort of nature. ”

“ We now saw ahead of us, and a little to the south of the main road, the residence of Samuel Jackson. His barn was gone, his house unroofed and otherwise injured; his orchard was overthrown, and all his out-buildings, some of which contained a large amount of grain, were entirely missing; his fences were nowhere to be seen, and there was the usual story of the destruction of farming [Pg 14] implements, carriages, etc. The injury done to Mr. Jackson's property was very great indeed. ”

“ These were not quite reached by the southern border of the storm track, but the timber tract of E. Phipps, a quarter of [Pg 15] a mile north, was absolutely destroyed, and as the cloud poured into the valley that divides the properties of Mr. Phipps and Thos. Shields, a destruction of timber occurred that absolutely beggars description. Forest trees by the thousand were overthrown, many of which were broken off about half-way down the trunk, and others were uprooted; others again were twisted and interwoven in every conceivable shape. ”

“ The fences in the track were carried away, and a large quantity of old grain that had been stored in his barn, was missing. Mr. Coates estimates his loss at over two thousand dollars. A house and barn, and a small lot of land immediately to the east of the Seminary, are owned by Elizabeth Meredith, an aged woman, who resides there most of the time in company with her grand-daughter—a little girl of eight years. With some difficulty this young girl induced her aged grand-parent to descend from her room to the lower floor, as the storm was approaching. ”

“ He is now living in the cellar of the house and crawls out into daylight when it is necessary; no movement is being made towards rebuilding his dwelling. Loss, $200. The storm-cloud next passed over Elwood Pownell's property. His wagon shed and carriage house are gone, and a large number of his apple trees was overthrown. His farming utensils were swept away, and the barn itself was moved fourteen inches from its foundation. The fences on the property were more or less demolished, but his whole loss was not very great. ”

“ His orchard was destroyed, and also many of the fences on his property. The loss sustained on this property was about $300.
About a mile distant from Mr. Bonsall's buildings was a barn, said to be owned by a Building Association of West Chester. The roof of this building was carried off, and about $200 damage was sustained. The storm-cloud had now acquired rapid motion and passed with great violence over the property of Frank Paxson, who lives almost directly east from the other properties mentioned. Mr. Paxson is quite an old man, and told his story with considerable frankness. ”

“ This amount of money was generously distributed among the sufferers in sums varying from one to four hundred dollars, and most of the dwellings of the class referred to have been repaired, or are in course of erection, and erelong the desolate appearance of the place will not exist, and these people will be placed in a position as favorable as they were in before the storm. No relief has been rendered to any of the sufferers from Insurance Companies, or from any public corporation. ”

“ His land was made fenceless, his barn destroyed, (a good stone structure,) his slaughter house, wagon shed, and three tenement houses were unroofed, three stables were overthrown, his spring house was uncovered, and his carriages, wagons, and farming implements were wrecked. Part of the orchard was destroyed, and on looking over into the meadow, towards the south, a huge tree, about eight feet in diameter, was prostrate. Mr. Young is a good farmer, keeps his buildings in fine repair, and was thoroughly overmatched for once by this monster that traveled over his premises. ”

“ The house was a stone and frame one, one-half being built of each. The storm-cloud passed almost directly [Pg 21] over this dwelling and completely dismantled it. The slate roof was carried off, and the upper story went with it—the eastern part of the frame structure being blown forward into the adjoining road. The barn was completely blown away, and the fences shared the same fate. Her loss, including house, barn and fences, cannot fall below eight hundred dollars. ”

“ The more diverse these two conditions are, the greater will be the struggle of the giants in the contest. Of course the electrical condition of the atmosphere existing at the time may form a very important factor in the tornado which may follow. What was the character and condition of the atmosphere on the memorable first of July last, when the storm-cloud which spread desolation over a narrow belt of not more than two hundred yards at most, swept across the western half of Chester county, Penn'a? ”

“ Mr. Woodland was about one hundred yards from his residence when he saw the storm approaching; he ran for his life and barely saved it. He estimated his loss at fifteen hundred dollars, and the estimate did not appear unreasonable.
Some small properties were now encountered, in the following order, viz: Robert Bradford, stable down, loss about fifty dollars. William Cephas, roof off his house and stable, loss one hundred dollars. Henry Miller, stable destroyed, loss about fifty dollars. ”