A Full Description of the Great Tornado in Chester County, Pa.

by Richard Darlington

The end of the track of desolation is now reached. The storm is at an end. The cloud has disappeared, and the story is nearly finished. The loss of property sustained by the persons living along the route of the storm-cloud is put in tabular form at the end of this work. It amounts to over thirty-five thousand dollars.

Edwin Walton, of Highland township, who had a good lateral view of the movement and appearance of the tornado, gives the following account of it:

As the cyclone or tornado is a phenomenon of such rare occurrence in this part of the country, and having an excellent opportunity of witnessing the one which commenced in the eastern border of Lancaster county, and passed through portions of Sadsbury, Highland, and East Fallowfield townships, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of July 1st, 1877, I will endeavor to give as correct a description of it as possible, as it appeared to me. About two o'clock on the afternoon above mentioned, after arousing from a nap, I observed that clouds were gathering and distant thunder was muttering to the north-west. The day was warm, the thermometer indicating a temperature of about 90 deg. Fahrenheit, though no heated term (as it is sometimes called) had been experienced; the weather for several days previous having been rather cool and moist for the season. A strong wind was blowing from the south-west, producing (as I have been accustomed to term it) an active condition of the atmosphere, when storms quickly gather, move rapidly, and are apt to be severe, though not of long duration.

I walked out into one of the fields and occupied an elevated position that afforded a good opportunity of witnessing what was, unexpectedly, soon to take place. I had been there from a half to three-quarters of an hour, when the gust, which had been gathering to the north-west presented a threatening appearance, a heavy rain apparently passing round to the northward. Suddenly, a dark cloud made its appearance to the south-west, forming rapidly from the atmosphere, and moving with the lower current of air, to the northward. As soon as it reached the vicinity of the gust, the usual play of electricity commenced, which is frequently observed when clouds of unequal temperature meet. My attention was soon directed to a constant roaring or boiling noise that suddenly commenced at a point in the heavens to the north-west of me, and near the western extremity of the two clouds, a noise not quite resembling thunder, which, however, I supposed it to be, and said to myself, "can it be that the main body of the storm is in that direction when it looks so much darker and more threatening farther to the north?" for the clouds in the immediate vicinity of the noise were of a light appearance. The constant roaring, however, continued for probably five to eight minutes, when I first observed in the direction whence it proceeded, a dark cloud of smoky appearance rising from the earth and whirling in a terrible manner, with streams of lightning darting in quick succession from different directions into it, and a whitish, funnel-shaped cloud suspended over it. I was considerably startled, remarked that a cyclone was coming, halted a moment to ascertain the direction in which it was traveling, which appeared to be towards me, and started in haste to the house. I soon found that it would pass a little to the north, and would not strike us, though the air was thick with objects nearly overhead, many of which, to an observer at a considerable distance, closely resembled buzzards sailing round. I immediately took my stand on the upper porch at the east end of the house, when an almost uninterrupted view could be had all the way to the village of Ercildoun, and here the grandest and most terrible sight that I ever beheld, suddenly burst into view, as the tornado passed from behind the hill north of the house, and crossed the narrow-wooded valley near Brinton's Mill, on the road leading to Coatesville. This spot was heavily set with white-oak timber of good growth, but the moment it was struck by the whirlwind, the sturdy oaks, which had been standing for probably a century, were instantly thrown to the ground, many of them raising tons of earth and stones upon their roots, while others, not willing to leave the soil that had nourished them so long, were broken off at different heights and scattered around in confusion, or carried up in the winding funnel to be dashed from the earth far from where they grew. 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. As it passed from this valley over the hill, in the direction of Ercildoun, at a distance of about three-eights of a mile from where I stood, I could distinctly see the branches of trees flying rapidly as they were thrown off by the centrifugal force of the whirl, the center being so densely filled with dust, leaves, etc., and the motion so rapid, that in it nothing could be recognized. It now moved across a cornfield but lately cultivated, belonging to Joseph Brinton, and here the most terrible-looking sight yet beheld presented itself, for the astonishing quantities of dust rolling upward, together with the dreadful roaring, and the sun almost shining, presented the appearance of a great moving fire, and such many supposed it to be. 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.

It could now be distinctly seen that Ercildoun lay directly in its pathway, and I was almost horrified to think of such a destructive power moving through a village, for it seemed to a beholder as though no structure erected by human hands could, for a moment, stand before it, and it seems marvellous, considering the destruction done at this place, that not a single human life was lost, and only one in its whole line of about 20 miles travel. The new dwelling house being erected by Richard Darlington, was about the first in the vicinity to share the fate of destruction, and the moment it was struck the timbers could be seen flying high in the air and scattering in all directions. The next instant the school building was obscured from view, but in a moment reappeared again, showing it to be on the outside of the center, and not in the full force of the storm.

After passing through the town and completely destroying many of the buildings, the cone or funnel, which had accompanied the Tornado like a dreaded omen, disappeared, showing that the whirling motion of the air had ceased, and the storm for the time being was spent. The rotary movement was to the left, which may be shown by standing upon one heel and turning around in that direction. This was evident from the fact that being on the south side, objects flying off from the center were thrown forward, while to a beholder on the north side, as the storm moved eastward, they were thrown backward. The cone appeared to be a cloud of vapor, nearly white, connecting at the base or upper end with a smooth surface of cloud somewhat darker, and tapering in a slightly concave manner for about two-thirds of its whole length, terminating in a tail of nearly equal thickness, about one-third of the whole length and at a height varying, probably, from 100 to 200 feet from the ground. The upper portion of the cone appeared to move nearly in a straight line, and at a uniform rate of speed, while the tail or lower end was frequently seen to bend considerably in different directions, showing that the storm was somewhat swayed from its true course in passing around the hills or crossing valleys at oblique angles, a fact verified by observation. Sometimes it would seem to stop entirely for a few minutes, and then move on faster than before, and was quite as destructive on low ground and in narrow valleys as elsewhere. The appearance of fire frequently spoken of, especially by those toward whom the storm was approaching, I am satisfied was produced by the sunlight against the constantly rising dust, the light being partly transmitted and partly reflected. No rain fell in the track of the storm, but hail stones of large size and in considerably quantity fell in some localities on the north side of it.

One remarkable feature observed by those near its passage, was the difference between the wind then blowing and that of ordinary winds, the tornado acting with a drawing or sucking force, trees and other objects seemed to give way more readily than if acted upon by the pushing force of the wind behind them. The size of the central portion, or that in which the power of the storm seemed to be generated, did not appear to be more than 50 to 75 feet in width. One person towards whom it was approaching, and but a short distance off, thought it about the size of a large balloon, though trees, buildings, and other objects, were prostrated for the width of 150 to 300 feet.

The tornado of July 1st has assumed so much importance because of its novelty, and of the scientific points involved in its movements, that its history would be incomplete without some reference to the events which followed it, and which had direct connection with it. The suffering among the poorer classes in the village of Ercildoun was of so decided a character, that a meeting was organized and a committee of relief was appointed, composed of the following persons, viz: Abraham Gibbons, Margaretta Walton, R. B. Ramsey, David Young, William Webster, Charles Huston, Jr., and B. Fredd. This committee undertook the task of raising a sum of money to repair and rebuild the houses of those unable of themselves to do so. After considerable effort, in which the people of the borough of Coatesville, and also of West Chester and other places, made generous contributions, the sum of nearly two thousand dollars was raised for that purpose. 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.

After the storm had passed through the village of Ercildoun on that Sabbath afternoon, a tide of visitors set in, entirely unprecedented in this part of the country. The sun shone out beautifully; a terrible scene of desolation was spread out in every direction, buildings on every hand having been either blown away or overthrown; fences nowhere; the grass apparently parched and destroyed; trees filling all the roads and pathways; the debris of dwellings spread over all the fields; animals gasping for breath or dying; crops shorn to a level with the ground, and human beings running in every direction. Before evening had come, upwards of a thousand people were gazing with astonishment at the scene; carriages and vehicles of all descriptions were to be seen. On the following day, in fact, during the whole of the next three weeks, the number of visitors did not seem to diminish. On July 8th, the Sabbath after the storm, it is estimated that the number was swelled to five thousand. All the roads leading to Ercildoun were absolutely obstructed with vehicles. Reporters for the press, artists for the illustrated papers, and photographers, were busily attending to their duties. Some of these visitors came in the interest of science, others to extend sympathy and aid to the sufferers, but the great mass of them came with no such purpose. They gazed upon the scene as they would upon a great natural curiosity, and gave the subject little profound thought. They regarded it as a grand "show," and were certainly well repaid for their many miles of travel thither. The citizens of the village kept watch for a few days to prevent pilfering, but were not entirely successful, as many valuables were stolen.