0
CHAT ABOUT THE
BIG CONFERENCE
Bishop McCtbe's Savprisiix Fi(ires oa
Methodist Activity.
MILLIONS SPENT FOR GOO'S WORK
Questions of Vast -Moment Cob
sidcred, Like Time Limit, Lay
Representation and the LikePer
koaality of Lcuding Delegate.
H. T., In Philadelphia Press.
There la no gathering of religious
workers just like tho Methodist general
conference, which has just adjourned,
and no church which gets periodically
the thorough advertising this does by
means of tfcc r.olsy proceedings of this
body. Bishop McCabe, who makes a
specialty of church statistics, vouches
for the statement that one-third of this
church, as It stand today with its
2.750,000 members, is the creation of the
lust twelve years, and that in the for
eign missions of the church more con
verts have been made in these last
twelve years than In nil the years pre
ceding. Another of his astonishing
statements is that this church gives
annuully to the work of God nt home
and abroad about $?4,O00,O0O. Ho that."
as he graphically puts it, the Methodist
KnlBcoDnl church could annually by it
contributions reproduce the great'
White City of tho Worlds fair, ana
have each year a Burplus of $4,000,000
for Docket. money.
BLOW IN REFORMS.
The marvelous success of this church
has Its Influence, no doubt In causing
the conference to move as slowly as It
does In making changes. The woman
question has been acute for more than
eight years, yet It Is still unsettled.
Longer still have the laymen clamored
for additional recognition; yet this con
ference has voted that it will not give
the membership of the church a direct
vote In sending representatives to this
body and has refused to commit itself
to thedons pending proposition to make
the laymen In it equal In number with
the ministers. The only thing possible
Is to submit the question for & third
time to tho annual conferences, and
. what the result Is likely to be the read
er can infer from the adverse fate the
same proposal has met from those bod
lee In the two quadrennlums Just closed.
Never were the laity of the church
more bent upon reform, and, to their
credit It should be said, they never
held themselves under better control.
One point of special soreness Is that the
ministers .insist still upon keeping to
themselves all the great church ofllces.
They have refused again even to permit
laymen to a share In the responsible
management of the book concern,
strictly secular though that business it.
The two lay candidates, Charles R. Mu
gee for the New York agency, and
George B. Johnson for the Cincinnati
house, each ran up to about 170 votes,
but they could get no higher. Never
theless the lay delegates though they
felt sore, kept a cool head. They did
not draw the line very closely In the
voting, and this was the ftrBt general
conference at which they failed to show
their strength by demanding a vote by
orders.
THE TIME LIMIT.
The vote In committee for removing
the time limit was 28 in favor of 38
against, a vote which would probably
represent the sentiments of the entire
conference. It Is very significant, by
the way, that the demand for removal
comes almost entirely from the min
isters, andthat the laity areoverwhelm
ingly against It. There probably came
-to the general conference as many me-
loYl&Is urging the continuance or tne
time limit as petitions asking that It be
abolished. Not a few urged a return
to the former limit of three years. The
committee on Itinerancy reported that,
at the farthest there should be no
change other than to provide that in
extremely exceptional eases the term of
a pastorate may extend to ten years, and
even this Is not advised except as it
may be demanded by a three-fourths
vote of the quarterly conference, and
the subsequent concurrence of the
bishop and three-fourths of his cabinet.
Not only so, but the presiding elder of
the district must also concur; and all
these checks and "guards are to operate
actively in every year. So that, even
If the new plan should be adopted, it
would not all follow that the man who
went back for his sixth year would
continue in undisturbed possession of
his church for the proposed limit of ten
years, or that he would necessarily be
appointed for even a seventh year.
Incidentally, the Christian Endeavor
society figured in the proceedings, and
there was widespread misapprehension
on this subject. In a committee meet
ing, Dr. Quayle, of Kansas City, had
referred, by the way of illustration, to
the action of a body of Endeavorers In
proclaiming publicly that at a certain
time they would offer special prayer
for Colonel Ingersoll. This action he
" called Idiotic. He was Intending to
how, I think, that Christian Endea
vorers were not necessarily perfect. He
did npt say the Christian Endeavor or
ganisation was an idiotic society, nor
that,-all belonging to it were of that
: i , character. ' Many, however, thought
i , that Dr. Quayle called that wld?ly-ad-
' 'ertlsed act or the Cleveland Christian
Endeavorers by its true name. That
Is why the conference, after hearing the
doctor's statement, declined to con
demn him, and. It Is not In the least
- surprising, nor nvas It discourteous,
tu that the conference should rrfure, at the
aante, time; to perform such an act of
. supererogation as would necessarily
. VlBtrA h.on I V-n I T In V, Mntlnn m.tttnh
asked It fully to indorse that great so-
cletjr. v-
-'PHBISTTAJJ PVTyiSAVrtR
i naturally, -tiowever, mere-is sensi-
v ' IIVVIICTBB, HIIU II1C LUIllCIX'llUe jJIUJJUSeU
- no action which Is likely to remove this.
V lt did "not -commit Itself to practical
affiliation with.. the Christian Endeavor
movement, ngjv did it favor the addl-
t xion iu us. jbpwunn leagues oi xnc
Aiiiniuun n-nueuvur names. vvnere
Christian .Endeavor societies still ex
ist In Methodist churches, they will not
be interfered with, excepting as the
trend (toward the Epworth league may
cause' such Interference. But the ' or
.i . i
ganisation witnin tne Methodist fold of
new Christian Endeavor societies will
not be encouraged, nor will it, from
' this time, be according to to discipline;
the simple reason for this advanced
. attltllriA tit ttlA ivmferAnno la that lha
.Methodist church has now a young
people's society of its own, and that
the opinion seems to prevail that It is
better for Methodist young people to be
strict Methodists.
viic ui -uiv uiuvi. imernsiini; scenes at
. the conference was that deeply impres
sive service at which -Its new bishops
were consecrated. Owing to the action
of the day before 'In electing Dr. J. C.
Hartsell as a missionary bishop to Af
rica, there were three candidates In
stead of two. Dr. Hartxell Is one of
the most gentlemanlike-looking men in
Methodism.. His bushy gray hair, not
very thick upon hla-ample crown, his
distinguished, chop-shaped- whiskers,
adorning the face of a typical Church
- of Ens-land rlprp-vmati- ffnri tha nit nf
dignity - and refinement which Is al
sv. ways about him.-mnka him a marked
man,. and will undoubtedly be a great
. help to him in the administration of his
,-. great missionary bishopric. At the
- - tnoment of nta election there was 9.
I touching scene. Alt felt that he was
making great sacrifices and had under-
.-. 1 A ,.
Ht was escorted to the platform by
r Bishop Andrews, and all the bishops
' pressed . forward to offer greetings.
Bishop William - Taylor his heroic
predecessor, now retired, was amongst
; these, and In response to loud calls lor
a speech; remarked that' he merely
wished to say. "Amen," from which it
was Inferred that he was pleased with
the man chosen to succeed him. -
The consecration service being- fin
ished, the delegates and spectators, the
latter numbering several thousand,
filed across the platform to give to the
three, new bishops the warm hand of
Methodlstlo godspeed. The bishops
were assisted In consecrating their new
colleagues by ministers who are select
ed by the candidates, presumably their
special friends.some of them very aged,
like Dr. nust, for instance, who helped
In the setting apart of Bishop Crans
ton, and Professor McCabe, of Dela
ware, who laid his hands on the head
of his distinguished relative, the chaplain-bishop
of that. name. The new
bishops knelt upon - footstools. Eight
years ago, when five were consecrated
at New York, Bishop Newman took
hi foot before kneeling, and, by a dig
nified Jerk, knocked the footstool away
from him, preferring to put his marrow-bones
upon the hard floor.
NEW BISHOPS' WIVES.
Speaking of the new bishops makes
mo think of their wives. What a strain
these women were under during the
four days' deadlock! But they sat
bravely through every session. Mrs.
Cranston, who Is less than 40, a charm
ing woman with a Madonna-like face,
was an object of special Interest ns she
sat from iluy to day in the front row
of a private box watching for the re
turn of the tellers and listening to the
announcements which might doom her
to disappointment or make her the wife
of a great Methodist bishop. After the
election a beautiful basket of flowers
adorned the front of the box she occu
pied, placed there by warm admires
from Cincinnati. Mrs. McCabe went
through the upa and downs of the bal
loting as bravely as her soldlor-hus-bnnd
endured the vicissitudes of army
life, and it Is questionable if she was
uny more pleased when the chaplain
was made a bishop, than when, long
yen rs ago. ihe welcomed him home from
Llbby prison.
The new officials elected, other than
the bishops, were the two missionary
secretaries, Drs. A. J. Palmer and W. T.
Smith, the former one of the most pol
ished products of eastern Methodism,
prim and distinguished-looking, and
the latter a full-bodied, whole-souled,
strong-faced representative of the type
of ministers who have planted the Hag
of Methodism on the far western
prairies. The Eastern Book concern has
for its new agent a man of the east,
and this fortunate individual is Dr.
George P. Mains, a favorite son of the
churches of Brooklyn, who. If looks
count for anything, will surely be quite
as successful in this business position
ns he has nhvay been in the pastorate.
In the western book agency. Bishop
Cranston Is succeeded by Dr. H. C.
Jennings, a substantial, wholesome
looking minister, hailing from Minne
sota. He Is sltfthtly lame. Dr. Jen
nings will preside over the Chicago
house, and the senior agent. Dr. Lewis
Curts. will remove to headquarters at
Cincinnati. ,
This reminds me that Chicago is the
home of Dr. Luke Hitchcock, a retired
book agent of this church, and a man
whose venerable and distinguished
form attracted more attention than
that of any other on the platform.
Amongst the delegates. Been and not
heard, there were few who have so
striking a face, clerically speaking, as
Dr. J. E. WIlllamB, of Buffalo; Dr.
Mills, of Elmlra, and Dr. Luther Wil
son, of Baltimore, also attracted atten
tion. Both part their hair in the mid
dle, but, Bpite of this, they both have
brans and know-how to use them.
Next to that of Dr. Buckley, no voice
has been heard with more effect than
that of the stalwart Dr. Leonard, the
leader now of Methodism's great mis
sionary hosts.
One of the most useful men In the
conference, and one of the most genial
one whose good humor never forsook
him, though It Is often sorely tried
was Dr. D. S. Monroe, who completed
at this time his twelfth year of effi
cient service as chief secretary. The
mantle of Dr. Lanahan, as a mover of
the previous question, seems to have
fallen these days upon Dr. J. C. Little,
who, by the way. Is a very clear-headed
debater, and, of Whom it Is said, that
when he takes the platform you are
very likely to hear, not simply his own
views, but those of the bishops. One
of the freeBt of the rich laymen was
John E. Andrus, of New York. He It
was who bid off for $f.00 the table upon
which the presiding officers had broken
so many gavels. That storm which
broke out on Monday among delegates
of the African race was quelled later
by the election of Dr. Mason as a, sec
retary of the Freedman's Aid soaiety.
Dr. Mason was one of the best speakers
and had one of the blackest faces in
the whole body.
HE WAS N O X C O M .VITAL.
In Talking to His Wife He M as Not
Very Flattering to His Typewriter.
From the New York Weekly.
Mrs. Broker "My dear, do you bup
pose It is possible for a man, almost
any man, to sit alongside of a beautiful
creature all day long, watching her
pretty Angers toying with a typewrit
ing machine, without falling In love
with her?"
, Mr. Broker (suddenly becoming ab
sorbed In a newspaper) "Oh, he might
If she was pretty; but I never saw a
pretty typewriter girl yet."
"What! I saw a typewriter girl at
your olilce who could"
"That red-haired thing?"
"Red-haired! She. has the loveliest,
sunniest tresses I ever gazed on."
"Don't know who you can mean. My
typewriter girl has ugly hair, not
beautiful black locks like yours, my
dear; and her eyes, Instead of being
such a charming, soulful, black-brown,
like yours, are a watery gray."
"They are divinely blue."
"And her mouth doesn't look as If it
were made for anything but pie."
"I I thought she had the mouth of a
cherub."
- "And I do hate pug-noses." $
"Queer. I had an idea that It was
Grecian."
"Besides. I can't bear these thin,
bony, rail-fence women. (Resumes
reading.)
' Mrs. Broker (aslde)-i"She has the
face of a Madonna and the form of a
sylph; but, bless his fond, foolish heart,
he hasn't eys for anyone but me."
THE ABSENT MINDED MAN.
Why He Thought His Sandwich Was
Dry and Tasteless.
The absent-minded man took his seat
at the restaurant table and, as usual,
burled his face at once In a newspaper,
A waiter placed a bill of fare, a napkin
and a knife and fork in front of htm
and stood two or three minutes un
noticed before asking:
"What Bhall I bring you, sir?"
"What's that?" said the absent-minded
man, starting up suddenly, not re
membering what It was all about.
"What do you want for lunch, sir?"
the waiter asked again.
"Oh! yes," said the absent-minded,
trying to collect his wits. "Bring me a
cup of coffee and a ham sandwich. '
The waiter supplied the order and put
a large pasteboard check for It down on
the table, the absent-minded man con
tinuing to read his paper. The waiter
went away to attend to the wants ot
other people, and about fifteen minutes
later came back. . ,
-Do you wish anything more?" he
askiid politely. -
"YW." snapped the absent-minded
man lomewhat viciously. "Go and get
me a Tfc-eah nam sandwich. The one
you brRht was as dry as a bone."
"Why!"e Is the sandwich I brought,
sir," SRkCVie waiter, pushing the plate
toward hifs "xou ve eaten tne check."
-Madse "1
tt only married a year and
yet applylnl
ilve uu his".
or a divorce. Didn't Jack
a namts7"
Marie "Ye
.that's the trouble. You
have no :
w unutterably stupid tht
V
leavings art.1
I P
roeaiyn un, .
HISTORIC CYttONES
AND TORNADOES
Some' Memorable tatances ot Storms
That Worked Great Havoc.
SUGGESTED BY THE ST. LOUIS BLOW
Phenomenal Occurrences hich nave
Marked the Progress of the Storm
King in This CountryElcments of
Comedy Interspersed Throughout
the Long Sweep of Tragedy.
This ctmosphtre which surrounds
theeaHhts a wonderful and mysterious
fluid. With' all the boasted achieve
ments of science we- know, says the
Chicago -Times-Herald, but little re
garding it. Why do the great bodies
of air start unbidden and move across
a continent? Whence come these
waves of hot and cold air; these breed
ers ot atmospheric disturbances', of
cyclones,- tornadoes and whirlwinds?
Why an area of low barometer here and
a space of high pressure a thousand
miles away? Science has no answer to
these questions. - The highest skill in
the country Is incapable ot accurately
forecasting the movements of these air
waves end pressures.
Science does not even know the pres
sure of the atmosphere at different
velocities. There are various alleged
authorities on the subject, but their
estimates and theories are so conflict
ing, divergent and unfounded on ac
curate data as to render their opinions
worthless. We do know that the at
mosphere has wonderful powers of re
sistance. It Is a fluid as much as It
water. The resistance Increasiis with
the square of the velocity. A sixty
miles an hour tho danger point is
reached; at 100 miles an hour it is
called a hurricane and human lives
are sacrificed; beyond that point noth
ing within the scope of th tempest can
withstand Its fury. Little is known as
to the velocity of the gyrating current
of a tornado. It may be 200 miles an
hour; U may be 500 it certainly Is suf
ficient to destroy the proudest works
of man and leave an Impress upon the
face of nature.
A meteor wandering through space
and coming in contact with the atmos
phere Burrounding the earth Is fused to
a white heat and melts or explodes, so
great Is tho resistance of the atmos
phere. With a high velocity the air has
all the powers of a solid and nothing
can stand against It. With these re
sisting qualities of the air kept In mind
It becomes possible to understand to
Borne extent the secret of the power
exerted by a tornado.
While the tornado Is not a manifes
tation peculiar to the United States,
this country - certainly has witnessed
more and severer storms of this char
acter than any othsr portion of the
civilised globe.
THE FIRST TORNADO.
The first tornado of which we have
any clear record In the United States
occurred at Northford, Conn., at 4
o'clock in the afternoon of June 19, 1794.
It is described as making very rapid
progress; on each side of the cloud al
most a dead calm, and the cloud, which
was Bhaped like an hour-glass, alter
nately contracted and expanded. The
next one recorded Btruck Hancock
county, Georgia, on the afternoon of
April 4, 1804, and on Its front "glim
mered with a strange light." The Btorm
roared deafenlngly and the darkness
was intense. Charleston, S. C. had a
tornado Sept. 11, 1811, and Jackson
county, Missouri, records one in the
spring of 1814. On the night of May 31,
1830, a cone-shaped cloud struck Shel
byvllle, Tenn. The cloud appeared
double, "having apparently two wings,
like a large bird; they suddenly coal
esced and came to the ground with
great fury. A book was carried seven
miles to the northeast." Louisville,
Ky., was the scene of a destructive tor
nado Aug. 27, 1854. Twenty-five per
sons were killed and seventy-seven bad
ly wounded. On March IS, 1874, Cairo,
III., had a very destructive tornado,
and on Aug. 5, 1875, a series of torna
does swept Somanauk, Palmyra and
Galesburg, 111, 1
One hundred and thirty-four lives
were lost and half a million dollars'
worth of property destroyed near Erie,
Pa., on the afternoon of July 26, 1875.
Pensaukee. Wis., was the victim on
July 7, 1877, and eight were killed.
Louisville had another cyclone Nov. 28,
1879, In which the cloud had a wrench
ing spiral motion, causing terrible de
struction. On the afternoon of April IS, W0, a
series of tornadoes swept through Kan
sas, Missouri and Illinois. At Marsh
field, Mo., sixty-five persons were killed
and 200 wounded, the property loss ex
REV. DR. C.
Patriotic Churchman
From ths Chicago Times -Herald.
No man In the entire range of Metho
dist ministry presents a character fuller
of color than Rev. Dr. C. C. McCabe,
whom ths great conference at Cleveland
has Invested with the episcopacy. That
ho was to be a bishop every one of his
brothers believed,. and Methodists will be
well atlmlod with the decision of tho
conference. Ha Is now rounding his GOth
year, and is a native of Ohio. In 1860 lie
was a -minister, and wishing to take the
part of a patriotic-churchman, he be
came the chaplain of an Ohio regiment
and marched to the war with his fellow
cltlseni. It was- at Winchester that he
was shot and .captured by the enemy, only
to be sent to Llbby prison, where after
four months' captivity he was let go. He
rejoined his regiment, which was then at
Brandy Station, but his health had failed,
and he was sent to ths hospital, Hs oon
ceeding, 11.000,000. A' town In Texas
opunty.. Arkansas, 100 buildings were
destroyed and several killed. Indiana
polls caught, a tornado March 4, 1SS0,
and lost $300,000. On June 10 of the
tame year twenty-five people were
killed by a funnel-shaped cloud In Pot
tawattamie county.
THE GRINNELL HORROR.
One of the most destructive . torna
does on record struck the pretty little
town of Grinnell, la., on the afternoon
of June 17, 1S82. and-wiped it of the
face of the earth. This tornado formed
In Green county, ninety miles west of
Grinnell, and was plainly traced to
Mount Pleasant, a distance of 200 miles,
which Is believed to be the greatest
distance ever traversed by a tornado.
It moved forward t the rate of sixty
miles an hour and left in its wake loo
dead and 350 wounded. The loss of
property exceeded t60O,0OO. and gener
ous contributions lor the suflerers
were made all over the United 6tates.
This was a storm of exceptional ener
gy and probably was much more vio
lent than the. recent St. Louis tornado.
The tornad' which devastated Ro
chester, Minn., AUg. 21, 1S83, was at
tended by some rtinaricable phenome
na. At 3 o'clock a dark cloud formed
in the west and remained almost mo
tionless. Two hours later a low bank
of cloud was observed In the southwest.
This cloud Joined with the black one.
At first the city was tinged with a
strange green light and then it be
came Intensely dark. The tornado
struck the heart of the city with afwul
force. A passenger train was In Its
course, and the strong cars were torn
to pieces and many passengers killed.
Thirty-one lives werte lost. This tor
nado had a course of but eighteen miles
In length, after which it was absorbed
by the upper clouds.
The Rochester tornado performed
one of the strangest freaks yet record
ed. In Its path was a large flouring
mill six Btorlcs in height. The tornado
bit a piece thirty feet square out of the
southeast corner of the mill between
the second and fifth floors. . The fifth
and sixth floors remained intact, and
the building was otherwise uninjured.
Photographs of this remarkable feat
are yet sold In Rochester, Winona and
neighboring towns.
A disastrous series of tornadoes
swept through Alabama, Georgia,
North and South Carolina on the after
noon and night of March 20, 1875. At
Hamilton, Ga., a cotton bale weighing
650 miles was carried a mile. The tor
nado is described as being an Inexpres
sibly beautiful sight, having all the
colors of a rainbow. Up In the air it
resembled the black, angry smoke that
arises from a boiling caidron, while be
neath it came rolllnc like the reflec
tions of a terrific fire. Mr." Barrett and
his family were in an open field. They
saw the cloud coming, but thought It
was a conflagration. A child was
killed In the father's arms and all were
nearly drowned with the water and
mud whish had been sucked up from a
pond. . At Baughville a horse was
blown half a mile and lodged between
tow trees, one of which had to bo cut
down before the animal was released.
Many people were carried high in the
air and dropped gently without being
Injured. Professor Calhoun was car
ried bodily 300 yards and felt no worse
for his aerial voyage.
STORM'S ODD WORK.
At Milledpevllle the black smoke
above and the- fiery glow below gave
the impression of a serious contlagnra
tion, and the fire bells were rung.
Gravel stones were blown Into the
trees; a gin mill executed a complete
Bumersault; a woman's bonnet was
carried thirty miles; the door of a
church was found ten miles away; plno
tops loaded with ice were dropped ten
miles on the ether side of the storm; a
boy's composition was carried from
Calhoun- to Harris county, a distance
of forty miles, and a letter was found
on the premises of II. T. Wright which
came from Thomson, Ga., a distance of
fifty-five miles In a straight line.
Eleven were killed by the Water
borough, S. C, tornado of April 10,
1879. According to ths statement of
Captain Allen C. Izard, a United States
naval officer, a black cloud anda mud
dy cloud came together. The black
cloud sucked the other In and the two
rolled over In a boiling mass. A low
moaning sound was heard, and the
earth trembled as the cloud moved on.
Dead sheep were found with the wool
completely stripped from their bodies.
Captain Izard saw a rooster without a
feather on his body walk around and
crow gleefully after the storm had
passed. Mr. Terry's house, which had
been pure white before the tornado, had
turned to chrome yellow.
It was popular at one time to deride
the featherless rooster Ftory, but there
Is not the slightest doubt about its au
thenticity in hundreds of car-?s. In
some stranse wiiy chickens are com
pletely denuded of feathers by the tor
nado. There are some who ascribe this
to an electrical action, but most ob
servers claim that the wind Is the
agent.
C. M'CABE,
Who 's Made Bishop.
By the Courtesy of II. II. KoluWt.
tlnued his work as a speaker for the
Christian - commission In many cities ot
the country, and returned to the minis
try when the wsr was at an end. Ho
was now sent to Portsmouth, Ohio, where
he improved his opportunities by build.
Ing a handsome church. Later he took up
church extenilon' work, and 'traveled for
sixteen years in that cuuue. As secretary
of the mission board his work was nothing
short of marvolouH. He has an absolute
genius for collecting money for missionary
fiurpose, and was sent back to his labors
n that field hi 1881, and still holds the
post. He -predicted when first he entered
the missionary service that the Methodists
should have 11,000,000 for missions. His
prophecy Is now a fact. In four years he
raised a debt of 40,ooo from the Metro
politan churoh In Washington, He Is an
earnest, sealoua, virile man, light-hearted
as a child and gentle as a woman,
The Mount Carmel, 111.; tornado ot
June 4. 1887, la yet fresh In the minds
of maney. At 4.30 o'clock on a beauti
ful afternoon two clouds met west of
the town. One was black and the other
dun colored. They fused end then
moved toward the village. The funnel
shaped cloud Jumped half a mile and
then struck Mount Carmel. The cloud
was shaded in light and dark streaks
like black smoke and steam. Many
singular things occurred. The tornado
Just missed the. house of Rev. Joseph
Harris, but destroyed a brick house
across the street. 'One of the bricks
was hurled through the Harris house.
It was spinning rapidly and bored a
smooth round hole through the side of
the house and the partitions of the two
rooms, passing a distance of twenty
seven "t. The laths were cut as with
a kt t.
CURIOUS PRANKS.
At Philip Stein's place a remarkable
circumstance occurred, according to
the signal service officer who made the
report of the tornado. A stable resting
on heavy round blocks was thrown to
the northeast These blocks were six
teen inches in diameter and fourteen
Inches In length and Imbedded In the
ground. At one end tne supporting
block rested on a second block, the bot
tom of which was two feet below the
surface of the soil. These superincum
bent blocks were shot out of the soil,
the lower one lying a foot distant from
Its former bed and the upper one car
ried away.' This very' strongly sug
gests the discharge of powerful elec
trical currents from the ground. The
facts were fully substantiated by the
cfilcer. In this tornado sixteen were
killed, 100 Injured and $400,000 damage
done.
Louisville had Its fourth and last tor
nado March 27, issto, and seekB no fur
ther notoriety of this nature. Seventy
six were killed and hundreds injured,
while the damage exceeded $1,000,000.
There had been light rains all day, but
about 7 o'clock In the evening tho
heavy cumulus clouds showed signs
of dispersing. A cloud from the north
west and one from the southwest came
together and in the contact it looked as
If both were shattered to pieces and
the fragments thrown upward and
laterally by force of the shock. The
space below was filled by the misty
cloud.-. There was Incessant lightning
and the roar of the thunder was con
tinuous. The wind at Louisville ceased
at 8.50 and a few hailstones fell. Seven
minutes later the tornado struck at
Eighteenth street and Broadway and
cut through the city. It was all over
in forty-five seconds, but the destruc
tion was appalling. The moon after
tho Btorm shone with a reddish light.
A peculiar tornado passed through
Boone county, Missouri, on May 20,
1S91. It is described as a funnel-shaped
cloud with a pendant tall, which was
likened to a huge serpent by some and
by others to a xlgsag white sheet,
which appeared and disappeared sever
al times and extended along the side
of the pendant from top to bottom. A
number of small twisters were spen
spinning along the ground, and finally
united In the air, where, after present
ing a steamy white appearance, the
cloud became perfectly black. A sub
sidiary storm followed and Joined the
main storm cloud. At one place the
cloud had five pendants. Very large
hailstones fell north and east of the
storm; houses were torn to pieces and
in many places trees were carried In a
direction opposite the movement of the
storm. Fruit trees were stripped of
their bark and chickens feathered and
half cooked. A running current could
be plainly seen in the funnel of the
tornado.
STUDYING THE STORMS.
A remarkable series of tornadoes
swept over Kansas. Nebraska. Missouri
and Iowa on May 29 and 30. 1879. The
weather bureau detailed Sergeant J. P.
Finley to make a study of these storms,
and he prepared a report, which has
proved of Inestimable value, and which
yet stands as a model of Its class. Fin
ley was an enthusiastic student of
weather phenomena, and today la rec
ognized as the ablest authority in the
world on tornadoes and other forms of
marked atmospheric disturbances. He
has probably done more than any one
man In the service to reveal the secrets
of the whirlwind. He made an exhaus
tive study of the great May storms,
and In his official report not03 many
ppcullar incidents.
The Lee Summit, Mo., tornado came
from the southwest and began its dead
ly work at 6.30 In tho evening. It had
been sultry during the day, with a
strong southerly wind, which had been
blowing for nearly 'a week. It first
struck the farmhouse of Mr. Henderson,
of Cass county. In describing It Mrs.
Henderson said she could distinguish
a gyratory movement In the clouds,
contrary to the hands of a watch. It
was IjoIIIiif, twisting and drawing itself
tip nrd down like a snake hunff by the
head and writhing In agony. The' low
er ?art of the funnel appeared to be
about tho size of a water bucket, and
the upper portion as large as the largest-sized
wafron wheel. The outer por
tion was very black and looked like
Bmoke Issuing from a locomotive, while
the Inner part had a light, milky ap
pearance. Ten miles east of there the
tornado had widened out to ISO yards.
It destroyed the house of Dr. Dunning
ton, but missed a hencoop which was
directly In Its path. The bed clothing
and clothes of the family were torn
Into shreds, and looked, said the doctcr,
"as If some person, out of pure mis
chief, hod carefully torn them Into
small strips." Dr. Dunnlngton found
a receipt for a lumber bill at Knoxville,
Ray county, across the- Missouri, to
which point, a distance of forty miles,
It had been blown, After leaving the
doctor's house the storm developed a
second funnel, which branched o.f to
the south and did considerable dumage.
It picked up a 000-pound sulky culti
vator, broke it to pieces and scattered
Its fragments in circles over twelve
acres of ground. A heavy lumber
wagon fared better. It was carried 100
yards nnd deposited uninjured.
The Warden family hnd a hard time.
Mr. Warden, Jr., was carried with the
house about 200 yards. His father and
younger brother pursued nbout tho
same course, except that the former
wns blown to the northwest nnd there
remained with the east side of the
house. All of them were covered with
mud from head to foot, eyes, mouth
and ears filled and clothing torn to
shreds. The oldest soil had his shoes
blown from his feet, one of them be
ing left at the house and the other car
ried half a mile to the northeast. The
bodies of the children who survived
after having been washed dally, for a
week were still covered with specks of
fine dirt and leaves which seemed to
be driven into the flesh. A carpet upon
the floor of the log part of the house,
securely tacked nbout the edges, was
taken up and carried out of the house
without being torn. Several photo
graphs which were known to be secure
ly placed in an album In a trunk were
found four miles away. Two stoves
were broken Into small bits, and an
other was uninjured. The spokes were
all taken out of a wheel of a farm
wagon. A horse weighing 1,000 pounds
and standing near the barn was partly
carried and partly blown eastward
through a heavy hedge fence Into an
adjoining field a distance of 120 yards,
where he was found severely scratched
and covered with mud. Where the
animal passed through the hedge it
was bent over and small furrows cut
in the ground by his feet on either side
Indicated that he had -tried to resist
the force of the wind. At Intervals of
about forty feet there were depressions
where the horse had been thrown down
and rolled. . .
The Ill-fated Harris farm was the
next point of attack. The bodies of
the dead were ecchymosed; In other
words, they had . been so severely
dashed about by the wind that the flesh
was black from the settling of blood
In the tissues of the skin. Bhortly af
ter this the funnel drew up Into the air
and merged Into the clouds, This t. r
nado traveled elghty-slx miles af Uiii
average speed or twenty-six miles an
hour.
Thero are- many thing to Indicate
that Mr: Finley may err in declining to
ascribe to electricity' a fair share Of the
peculiar . pranks played - by tornadoes.
Many witnesses bear testimony to hap
penings which are clearly chargeable
to electrical phenomena. It Is noted
as one of the strange results of the re
cent Sherman, Ma, tornado that al
though when the storm burst all Its
Victims were fully clad, the tempest
coming at about 6 In the afternoon, the
bodies of the dead were often nearly
naked, and from nearly every corpse
the shoes had been removed. A similar
phenomenon has frequently been ob
served in connection with these fearful
storms. Generally the shoes disappear,
being either torn to fragments so as
not to be recognizable as footwear, or
carried off to considerable distances
and dropped In places where. If found
at all. they excited little comment. In
several instances, however, the shoes
have been found close to the bodies of
the dead and In a condition that Indi
cated very powerful electrical action.
Borne years ago a shoe was taken from
the ruins caused by a Kansas cyclone,
and its condition caused no little won
der. It had been ripued from the foot
of a man who was killed. The strings
were gone and the upper portions, from
the ankle to sole, were cut into tolerably
regular strips from a quarter to half
an inch in width. .The sole seemed at
first glance Intact, but a closer exam
ination showed that this portion was
pierced by a number cf small round
holes. They were the holes where the
metal nails or tacks had been; the lat
ter had disappeared, melted by the elec
tricity. Metal objects on tho bodies
of person killed are frequently thus
treated. The corset Bteels of women be
come drors of iron, tho knives of men,
bunches of keys carried in the pockets,
are fused Into a solid mass. Watches
and watch chains are often similarly
treated; In two or three cauee In south
ern Kansas the watch of a victim was
not sufficiently melted to lose all its
original form and could still be recog
nlzed. Sometimes these remarkable ef
fects are rroduced without visible in
Jury to the body or to the clothing that
remains on It, a circumstance quite un
explainable with our present knowl
edge. When the clothing Is removed It
Is generally not found, being probably
rent Into Indistinguishable rags, but
when It or portions of It are left, the
wind treats It In the most whimsical
manner. In Iowa. In 1885, all the cloth
ing but the coat was torn from the body
of a man. this garment remaining al
most Intact: In Kansas a body was
stripped of all save a collar and cravat.
COMMOTION IN A STORE.
One of the queerest pranks . ever
played by the wind was In a country
village near Abilene, Kan., in 1876. As
sometimes happens In country places,
the principal feature of the village was
a store, containing almost everything
that the varied wants of a country com
munity could demand. In front was a
central door, with a large show window
on each side. Along the walls were
rows of shelves, containing dry goods,
boots and shoes, crockery, seeds, gro
ceries, tinware,, cutlery, hardware,
canned goods and a hundred other
things, while hoes, rakes, scythes,
sickles, buckets, harness, chains, and
similar goods hung from the celling by
hooks driven into the Joists for the pur
pose. Down the center of the store,
with an aisle on each side, ran a show
case, wherein was displayed that ex
ceedingly varied class of goods, gener
ally known as "notions," hooks and
eyes, needles and pins, Ink, pens, paper
and envelopes, fancy buckles and the
like. At the end of this showcase, fur
thest from the front door, was the post
office of the neighborhood, a small In
closed space about five feet square,
with two or three dosen pigeon holes
for letters and papers, a stool for the
postmaster, who was also the proprie
tor of the store, where he kept his
cash, stamps and books. Above the
store was a quiet suit of rooms, where
the proprietor and his family lived.
One dull, hot afternoon In July the
store was occupied only by the owner
and one customer, who, having made
his purchases, was at the little window
of tho postofflce waiting for his mall,
while the postmaster-proprietor was
looking over the letters to see if there
were any for him. Just at this June
ture a tornado struck the town, and de
molished two houses Immediately in
front and directly across the road from
the store, which faced toward the
southwest, the direction from which
these peculiar storms always come. The
postmaster and his customer realized
their danger, but before cither had time
to move the funnel-shaped destroyer
struck the stors. The show window
to the south was broken in, the w;nd
cleared off the goods on ths southern
shelves, swept them over to the north
ern side, after carrying them complete
ly around the further end of the room
from the from door, nnd finally de
posited a large part of them and those
on the northern shelves In the rca-1
outside, driving them by main force
through the northern show window.
The showcase In tho center was undis
turbed. The. postmaster was unhurt,
though frightened almost to death,
while the customer was killed. No
datraga was done In the second Ftory or
to the roof, save the removal of a few
shingles, though a- little further on the
same storm demolished three or four
houses a moment later.
OTHER ANTICS.
Instances have been known of the
water being drawn from buckets; pitch
ers and other receptacles, while these
were left undisturbed, and, In one case
a boy was churning In the yard and
fled at the approach of the' cloud. On
returning it was found that tho cover
of the churn, the dasher and the but
termilk had all vanished, while the
churn, to the boy's great disappoint
ment, was left standing exactly as be
fore. One- of the most disagreeable
features of the cyclone Is the amount
of mud, sand and small stones it car
ries, and with such force are these
borne along that they are driven into
the flesh, where tncy form festering
sores very stubborn and difficult to
treat or cure. In many instances frag
ments of planks or boards have been
driven, point first. Into or through the
trunks of large trees, and remain there
as secure as though mortised into the
wood, such Is the terrible strength of
the wind. Able to demolish the strong
est structures, the tornado leaves the
ruins of a stone flour mill In a condi
tion which suggests that the four walls
were blown outward by an explosion,
and yet passes over a baby sleeping In
its cradle amid the remains of its par
ents' home. It has been known to
carry away a stove and leave the flow
ers on the mantelpiece above it; to paBS
over a frame shanty and demolish a
brick factory building; to carry away
the bedding and leave the bedstead; to
dismember a human being and drop
tho body In one place and carry the
head a mile farther.
About forty years ago a modest Bap
tist church Btood on the Chllllcothe
road three and one-half miles east of
Klrtland, O. It was an old-fashioned
country church, with plain, but Bolid
seats, and was built "upon honor."
One sultry June day a tornado - de
veloped In the west and swept down
the Chllllcothe road. It struck the
church and, lifting It evenly from the
ground, carried it across the road,
turned It half way around and dropped
It Just over tho fence on tho east Bide
of tho road. By measurement the
church was within six inches of perfect
alignment wtth the direction of the
rood. The astounded natives surveyed
the result after tho storm had passed
and almoBt doubted the plain evidence
of their senses. There Was the church
tho same as ever, but It faced west in
stead of east, and across the way were
the stone foundations and half base
ment. The structure was not harmed
In the least, and It only remained to
Jack the building up and replace the
foundation, which was done. At last
ijcnriunts the little church yet remains
in...' changed location, and across ths
way Is the excavation, which Is point
ed out to Incredulous visitors.
A Collar
The Sun
Can't Hurt.
Celluloid,,collarsand cuffs are water
proof and will not wilt with perspira
tion. Yon can wear them on the not
test day or in the hottest place with
comforting knowledge that they will
look as nice when you take them off,
as they were when you put them on.
When they Ret soiled you can clean
them yourself in a minute, with
damp cloth or sponge. Get the
ElluloiD
. MARK. W
and you'll have the right kind.
The m Imitated of eon w, but if you ml ths
fennlne in.UtnpoD thow with bontraddnuk.
Sold Tenwhere, or nd din-ct to u. Coitus
"""'j -' o Pi, mlligo paid. BtaM
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First-Class Sleeping and Dining Cars
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Kates always less than Via other lines.
For further information, time tables, etc
on application to
E. V. SKINNER, G. E. A.,
353 Broadway, New York.
AYLESW0RTH3
MEAT MARKET
Tke Flnetu In tie Cttj.
1
The latest inprored farnlaav
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Z23 Wyvmlnc Am
Perhaps the most phenomenffl and
best substantiated evidence of the
strength of a tornado was shown at
Rock Island, 111., on the first day of
January, 1875. A winter tornado swept
past the city and on Its course struck
a locomotive which was standing on
an embankment and headed south. The
embankment was about fifteen feet
high and was flanked to the east by s
marsh of so Boft a character as to ren-
ripp ft nlmnul Inmn dcq hlu to tinntAr
The locomotive was lifted from the
track and carried through the air a dis
tance of 100 yards and dropped In the
marsh, where it sank so quickly that
but few of its parts could be removed.
The surroundings were such as to pre
clude Its reaching; the position now oc
cupied by the wreck In any other way
than that mentioned. In an article
published In a scientific Journal at the
time it was estimated that the force
necessary to perform this miracle
could have been generated only by a
wind having: a velocity In excess of 400
miles an hour. Strange to relate, this
tornado did little other damage.
In a tornado at East St. Louis twen
ty years ago a locomotive was hurled
from a track and rolled over several
times. It wns surveyed by thousands
of Incredulous St. Louis people, wh
declined to believe the published news
paper statements of the occurrence. In
this case the locomotive was not car
ried any distance, but It deserves to
rank as a good second to the famous
performance of the Rock Island engine.
There Is nothing funny about a tor
nado, but many laughable things have
happened as a result of' these calami
ties. Some years ago an Insurance
company which niadu a specialty of
tornado Insurance In Kansas was noti
fied of a loss in a small town. A valu
able barn had been moved twenty feet
from Its foundations and an atrent of
the company was detailed to make an
adjustment or contract to replace the
barn on Its foundation. He left St.
Louis one day and twenty-four hours
later the president of the company re
ceived the following telegram: "No
loss to adjust. A second cyclone last
night set the barn back on its founds-
Hons."
COULDN'T PLAY POKER.
A Reformed Gambler Tells Why lie
Will Never Touch Cards.
A party of well dressed men met at a
leading hotel last night. A game of
poker was proposed, when one of them
Bald: -
"I never play, so you will have to ex
cuse me, gentlemen."
"Why.I played with you several years
ago," Bald one.
"Yes, but since that time my mother
died. Tor years before her death I was
a professional gambler, and It nearly
broke her heart, for she had always
hoped that I would make my mark In
some honorable profession. At het
deathbed, three years ago, I promised
her that I would never touch another
card, and I, have kept my word, I
never will."
His companions were visibly affected
by this candid recital, and one of them
Bald:
"I honor you for your rouse, and we
will not play poker tonight. I suppose
you went Into a profession when yon
ceased your career as a gambler, and I
hope you have been successful."
"Very," replied .tho reformed card
player, , "In the three years I am about
$50,000 ahead, and I. would not have
been worth a dollar -If I had continued
In my former course." .
"May I ask what profession you now
follow?" .:...
"Certainly. I am a bookmaker. Bet
on horse races exclusively."
Then Bllence reigned.
IK.
i
' In a Position to Speaki
"Oh, never mind the weather" lr '
A phrase you often note,
The speaker generally has '
A fur-lined overcoat.
Washington Star,
) - ;
k- A- AAA