ace
of ten minutes. Then the body of a tree appeared above; it appeared
motionless, and grew larger and larger as the cloud approached--the
tree being carried with the storm; finally it disappeared. The body of
the storm-cloud was now full of missiles, having the appearance of
millions of birds sailing through the air, the whole moving mass being
of a very dark color. As it moved forward these missiles were
discharged in every direction. The conical column now became very
tall, and was of a white color, in appearance not unlike the under
cloud of a great rain storm. As clouds of smoke and dirt rolled up
through the mass and were carried around by the rotary motion, the
appearance was that of an immense building on fire. He pronounces the
sight to have been awfully grand, and terrible beyond description.

[Illustration: APPEARANCE OF THE STORM-CLOUD WHILE MOVING THROUGH
JOSEPH BRINTON'S FIELD.]

With a view of having correct data of the tornado, and placing the
same upon record, in company with my friend and schoolmate Edwin
Walton, of Highland township, I passed along the route of the
storm-cloud. The first point of observation was near the residence of
Jos. D. Pownell, Lancaster Co., Pa. He gave us a short account of the
cloud, and of the movement of the currents of air which formed it. As
he sat upon the front porch of his residence, he saw a strong current
of air blowing from the south-west. To the north a storm had just
passed, and a powerful current set in from that direction and blew
directly across, coming in conflict with the current from the
south-west. The whirl commenced on their coming together, and was set
in motion about half-a-mile from his house and one mile south-east of
the Gap station. This rotary motion or "whirl" probably resulted from
the resistance encountered by these opposing currents of air, in their
attempt to ascend vertically, there being less resistance in a lateral
than in a vertical direction. The first movements of the cloud thus
formed were of a decided character. 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