A cyclone that demolished farm buildings, killed stock and cut a pathway through big groves, telephone lines and fences, swept north of the city about 7o'clock Tuesday evening, August 12, 1919. Though a number of people were in the path of the tornado no report was received of anyone being hurt.

The cyclone developed during a heavy wind, rain and hail storm that lasted about half an hour. The cyclone cloud was visible from Grand Island and was seen by many people. First reports reaching here were of much damage. Grand Island apparently was on the outskirts of the storm. A strong wind raised much dust here, but no rain fell. St. Libory on the north also was at the edge of the storm, which traveled between the two towns.

Rain and hail accompanied the cyclone, but the path of destruction was small. The distance between the point where the cyclone first hit the earth and the point where it lifted evidently was about four miles. The width of the path of the cyclone was from 200 to 300 feet most of the way.

The tornado traveled from northwest toward the southeast. It first touched the ground in the pasture on the Henry BRABANDER farm a half mile west of the Martin GROTZ place, which is twelve miles northwest of the city, according to Mrs. GROTZ. It swept through the William FRANSSEN farm, the Charles ROBERT place and the Henry MOHR place, doing much damage at each place, but wrecking its greatest fury on the MOHR place. About a half miel east of the group of buildings on the MOHR place the cyclone lifted, doing practically no damage to a large grove of trees planted there, but passing above them.

August HAMANN, who lives several miles north of the city on the road that runs on the east side of the Soldiers' home, saw the cyclone from a distance. He gave a vivid description of its appearance. He said the funnel shaped cloud seemed to form northwest of his place, and he presumed it began somewhere in the vicinity of Cairo. It moved southeast and when it reached the vicinity of the St. Paul road it was sucked up. His estimate proved wholly correct so far as the finish of the cyclone, as it left the ground a quarter of a mile west of the St. Paul road. The path of the cyclone was approximately along the county line, Mohr's place being near the line.

Mr. HAMANN was in the field during the storm and was watching it. "First I noticed a large amount of dust being raised," he said. "Then I stopped work to watch it. It was the closest I ever saw such a cloud. The bottom of the funnel-shaped cloud seemed to rest in a cloud of dust on the ground. I judged the thickness of the funnel at the ground to be about 300 feet. Clouds and dust whirling around in a circle gave the funnel-shaped appearance. The funnel widened gradually from the ground up, the difference in eidth not being great. At first the top of the funnel seemed only about 200 feet from the ground. It gradually lengthened until it extended to the storm clouds. From the mass of strom clouds above, another cloud which also had a funnel shape, hung down a ways and

seemed to remain just above the other funnel, and finally it seemed as if the cyclone was sucked up into this cloud.

People in the city who had good vantage points from which to watch the cyclone cloud say they noticed clouds of dust near the ground.

Just after the cyclone formed it struck the William FRANSSEN place. The big windmill was torn down. The large barn was moved from its foundation and the chicken house and summer kitchen were upset, according to the farmers who visited the Franssen home.

East of the Franssen place the cyclone hit the farm property of Charles ROBERTS. Three head of cattle were reported killed in the pasture and several head crippled. As many trees were blown down in that vicinity it is presumed the flying limbs cause the fatality among the cattle.

A thick grove of trees that stood just west of the house about fifty feet was entirely down. Trees two feet thick were broken off and uprooted. The whole formed a mass of tangled trunks, limbs and leaves that lay with the ends touching the house. The summer kitchen, just outside of the house to the west, but built separate from the main building, was moved four feet from its foundation and twisted around. The house itself appeared not to have been moved.

The barn, 54 x 48 feet, about 100 feet east of the house, was entirely gone. Just before the storm ten cows and three calves had been put in the barn and preparations were being made to milk. A steer, which had been suffering from a kick, also was in the barn. When the family emerged from the house they found all the cattle standing on the ground inside the barn foundation just where they were before the storm. The barn was gone, however. Part of the barn was found in a pasture forty rods away. The main part had been moved twenty-five feet north of the foundation and lay on the ground, a twisted heap of ruins.

Almost outside the front door of the house a pet dog lay dead, killed by a blow from flying debris. A corn crib and machine shed south of the house was blown away, part of it being found in a meadow 160 rods distant. The rof was lying near the foundation. The granary east of the house a short distance was moved a rod and a half from its foundation. Before the storm the granary faced the south and after the storm it faced the west. The chicken coop was not touched.

The cattle shed and the hog pens were torn down and lost somewhere. John MOHR said he had not found any trace of them. A steer that was in the yard had a leg broken. It was estimated that scores of chickens were killed under the trees. The windmill was down.

John MOHR stated that two acres of trees, standing not more than ten feet apart, were destroyed, being stripped of foliage and limbs and in many cases being uprooted or broken off near the ground. These trees were just west of the house.