Great Book on History of Chasing

TrumanBoyer

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I just finished a great read on the history of Tornado Chasing.

Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers

Sandlin, Lee

ISBN 978-0-307-37852-1

QC955.S26

Pantheon Books, NY

I would recommend this to the layman, novice, or expert.
It gives a detailed account of the progress in reporting, science, prediction, etc,
as well as great stories, legends, from the Native Americans, First European Settlers,
Colonists, Pioneers, Military from Ancient Times through the Present.

I could not put it down, I read all 200+ pages straight through.
If you have any interest in the subject (I know you do!) this would make
a good book to bring along for the "down days" during this years season.

-Truman
 
I just started this book. For anyone in the St. Louis area, the author will be at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters for a talk on March 4, 2014 at 7:00pm. I had no idea that there was a huge, long track tornado in 1805 that followed almost the same track as the Tri-State Tornado!
 
I've been meaning to read that book, I'll have to pick it up sometime.

The 1805 tornado was a fair bit north of the Tri-State track, crossing the Mississippi just north of present-day Barnhart, MO (south of St. Louis) in a northeast or east-northeast direction. The final reliable report of damage was somewhere northwest of Mt. Carmel, though there may have been damage in Indiana as well. It was probably a tornado family, but obviously there's no way we can know. The damage path was reportedly often .75 mile wide, and possibly up to a mile and a half in some places. The massive tree damage was a huge obstacle to pioneers traveling west for several years. That area has actually had a number of violent tornadoes, including the 12/18/1957 Murphysboro F4 and the 9/22/06 Crosstown, MO F4.
 
Thanks for the documentation on this tornado. The book said it crossed the Mississippi about 20 mi. south of St. Louis, which didn't sound quite right for the Tri-State Tornado track. I was going to have to go digging for info, but now you've done it for me (and better)! My initial googles weren't turning up anything useful.
 
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You're welcome, I researched it some time ago because I was planning to include it in my article on the Tri-State tornado, but there isn't a lot of information available. I suppose you'd expect as much considering Illinois wasn't even a state at that time. There is an interesting account in The Pioneer History of Illinois by John Reynolds (link).

On June 5, 1805, a terrific hurricane swept over a part of Illi-
nois. It was one of those tempests of the whirlwind order.
The tornado moved from the southwest to the northeast and
crossed the Mississippi about a mile below the mouth of the
Merrimac. It was about three-quarters of a mile wide, and to
that extent, for several miles in Illinois, it prostrated trees and
even swept the water out of the river and the lakes in the
American Bottom to that width. William Blair had a boat
moored on the river near the place where the storm crossed it
and was certain that most of the water to the above extent was
raised out of the river by the violence of the tempest. It also
took the water out of the lakes. Fish from the river and lakes
were scattered all over the prairie in the course of this storm.
It occurred about one o'clock of the day and the atmosphere
before was clear and the sun shining.

Col. James A. James resided with his father nearly in its
course and was an eye-witness to this terrific storm. Dr.
Cairnes and family were directly in its course, and when they
saw it approaching, they made an effort to escape it and suc-
ceeded in saving their lives. James and family retired out of
its violence. It reached the doctor and family, but it seemed
they were saved by a kind of miracle. His wife was behind in
their flight and she lay flat on the earth, holding on to a bush;
but the rails, tree tops, and almost every moveable thing were
dashed around her with great force. She was wounded in the
head, but not mortal. The doctor and the rest of the family
escaped unhurt. James and family were farther out of its vio-
lence and were saved. The cattle of the doctor came home
before the hurricane reached the premises, bellowing and much
terrified. They all perished by the violence of the tornado.

The doctor had a horse in a lot near his house, which was killed
by a fence-rail running thro him. The lowest log in the house
and last rock in the foundation of the chimney were swept off
by the force of the wind. The vegetation and all and every-
thing moveable in the course of this storm were destroyed and
torn to pieces. A large bull was raised up high in the air; car-
ried a considerable distance, and every bone in his body was
broken. The force of the storm was measurably spent by the
time it reached the Mississippi Bluff. It must have struck the
bluff not far from the place where the township line descends
into the bottom ; but no injury was done on the hills. The
clothes and all the household furniture of the doctor were
destroyed and scattered far and near. One of his waistcoats
was found at the Little Prairie, where his father resided, six or
eight miles from his demolished residence. The storm carried
in it pine tops from Missouri, which do not grow nearer than
fifty or sixty miles from the American Bottom. 'This was the
most violent tempest that ever visited Illinois.
Click to expand...
 
Very interesting. The site you linked to looks like a great resource. Can't remember if I've seen it before or not, but I'm bookmarking it.
 
Agree! I got this book as a gift last Fall and couldn't stop reading it. All sorts of fascinating historical information and interesting factoids (like the origin of the word "battery" to describe an electrical storage medium - Thanks, Ben Franklin!). VERY well written and obviously well researched. Lots of information on notable storms of the past, as well as good documentation about the evolution of the National Weather Service.

Highly recommend.
 
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