Excerpts from correspondence with
Mrs. Marcella Benson
6154 Bahiamar Road
Toledo, Ohio
We thought we saw searchlights all around us, but there were no
light beams shooting up to the clouds from the ground. The
lights darting around in the clouds were sort of luminous and
appeared to be more round in shape than anything else, also they
were quite large. The lights were not as bright as a stroke
of lightning, but they were above a dense layer of clouds, and
bluish white in color. The lights did not stay in a steady
position, they were shooting around. We could see the lights
in the west, northwest, north, and northeast from 8:00 PM on.
I think this is important. We did not have much stroke lightning
and I do not recall hearing thunder. Our electricity was knocked
out at 9:32 PM, and that is when we saw one black funnel. The
reason we could see it is because there was a slight glow coming
from the sides of it. It came from due west. (tornado of
April 11, 1965)
March 2, 1966
Mrs. Marcella Benson
6154 Bahiamar Road
Toledo, Ohio 43611
Dear Mrs. Benson:
I wish to thank you fer your letter of February 27 which just arrived,
It is very good of you to have taken the trouble to prepare the account
of your tornado observations and your description is a valuable piece
of evidence that we plan to incorporate in the paper that we are
writing. When the paper is completed, we will see to it that you get
a copy.
Again, thank you for your valuable help.
Sincerely,
Bernard Vonnegut
/tr
eee.
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6154 Bahiemar Rd.
Toledo, Ohio 43611
February 27, 1966
Dre Bernard Vonnerut
Arthur De Little, Inc.
15 Acorn Paric
Cambridge, Masse 02140
Dear Dre Vonnegut:
In ariswer to your request for a written report on the
tornade that struck Toledo, Ohio, on April 11, 1965. I will do my
best to tell you what my husband and I could see.
g Ce \e by
and bluish white in-aole « The lights
d no otay aa a ateaky DO ON»..tuey..were sho ng ound le could
tre e tne jt, northyc north Fer: northea from
SPs
I think this tant, fe did not have much stro’
lightning ond Tf do not recall hearing ti
I'm sorry I can't tell you mores We do thank you for the
photographs, Also you have our permission to use any or all parts of
this letters
” Sincerely,
Paw 777) wall. (Sanam
Mra. Marcella Benson
August 9, 1966
Mrs. Marcella Benson
6154 Bahiamar Road
Toledo, Ohio
Dear Mrs. Benson:
I thought you might be interested in having the
enclosed preprint of the article we have prepared
on the tornado that swept through Toledo on May 11,
1965.
I have recently been pleased to learn that Science
Magazine has accepted this article for publication,
and it should be appearing soon.
I am very grateful to all of you kind people in
Toledo for your help and cooperation in this effort
to further our knowledge of tornadoes through the
writing of this article.
Sincerely,
Bernard Vonnegut
BV:spm
Enclosure
Tornsde
Mes. Marcella Benson
6154 Bahiamar Road
Toledo, Ohio 43611
Dear Mrs. Benson:
March 17, 1966
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UUIHE
Sincerely,
Bernard Vonnegut
/tr
Again, thank you for your help.
February 23, 1966
Miss Marcella Benson
6154 Bahiemar Rd.
Toledo, Ohio
Dear Mrs. Benson;
It was very good of your to tell me of your experiences
with the tornado when I talked with you on the telephone. What
you have seen is of considerable scientific interest and I
hope you will be willing to write up what you saw and send me
your description in the stamped envelope that I enclose. I
wonder if you could tell me more about the unusual lightning.
Did the lightnmning look like the photograph that I enclose
which was taken by Mr. Weyer from Lambertville? His picture
is one of the first taken of its and we are trying to
figure out what is going on. You welcome to keep the en=
closed picture and I would very like to know how it compares
with what you saw, Have you any idea how long the “searchlight”
lasted? Was the light steady? Was the light bright and what color
was it? If you could make a pencil or crayon sketch of what you
saw this would be very helpful indeed,
I am writing up an article for a scientific magazine and
I hope you will be good enough to give me permission to quote
what you saw?
Again, thank you,
Sincerely,
Bernard Vonnegut
/ep
Enes.
DRAFT
Abstract from telephone call Feb. 21, 1966 with Mrs. Marcella Benson
6154 Bahiamar Rd. Toledo 11, Ohio.
We only saw one tornado . The reason that we saw it * was
because we were looking at lightning that was so different from
any we have ever seen. It was like a searchlight up in the clouds.
There were no flashes . It was like a searchlight going hither,
thither, and yond. It was over to the west, to the northwest
and to the north. We are both 46 years old and we have never seen
anything like this before.
We were standing when the lights went out and saw the
tornado coming from the west. We said,we see a toraado coming
and ran right into each other and flopped on the floor. The
tornado did $150 damage to our house.
134
Poled
February °7, 1966
Whe
fre Cernord vonnecrt
Arthur De Little, Ince
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fe, L196 31ND
Dear Dre Yonneg:'t:
In snnver to your rervest for o written = on the
tornnds thst No, Ohlo, on *nril 11, 1 wll co
beat to tel) hustond ond T esuld atce
‘6 thoucht we saw searehliziie 2) oround us, but there
were no lickt hev1s anootine un to the clouds from rrovnd.s The
Tints carci, Me Clouds VETO Sore of LUmnoey Tee tt eT ed
fo Fe mere youd 19 andoe then anythin= e186, 9180 they t Tarres
Fre tipts were not og brickt a9 1 sere par Sake 29 TE? were
2
syore 9 dence Liserol clouds, cng pliish waite in colo: ¢ ticnts
~~ buex ere crosett
nest, noriiuests north, snd the nort
I thins this 1a dasestent die
licbtring 204 T 19 sot mean) hoorin: jhundcre
photorrachse ‘1so you
thie letiere
