The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-06-19 00:00:00

GREAT STORMS IN AMERICA.

The American papers report the occurrence on the
Ist instant of destructive storms, extending over a
large area of country. Nearly all the railroads
centring at Indianapolis suffered more or less in the
loss of bridges and culverts. On the Indianapolis,
Peru, and Chicago Railroad, three bridges were
washed away. On the Indianapolis, Cincinnati and
Lafayette Road the bridges at Sionsville and Acton
were destroyed. An accident on the Bellefontaine
road was caused by the washing away of
the culvert near Fortville. Two men were instantly
killed. The country in the vicinity of Fort-
ville was inundated. A despatch from Cambridge

City says :—" The heavy rains have been veil,
damaging to the crops and property throughout White
Water Valley. The west fork of the White River has
overflowed its banks, flooding the fields and washing
away the tracks and fences at the race-ground.
Poison Creek, a small thread of a stream, was swollen
to a rushing torrent, and besides damaging property
along its banks to the extent of thousands of dollars,
it has taken a slice out of the Wayne Turnpike, and
carried off the bridge on the White Water Valley Rail-
road and several bridges below it. Half a mile east of
Cambridge City an engine and three freight trains, west-
ward bound over the Pan Handle Railroad, were thrown
from a sunken grade and badly wrecked. There is a gap
of 240 feet, and the bridge at Knightstown is reported
giving way. The east pier of the bridge at Charlottes-
ville is washed away. One mile south of the railroad
to Shelbyville the waters have made a fissure forty
feet wide, and carried off part of the track. The long
trestle over Simon Creek is three feet out of line, with
its abutments badly washed, making a new structure
necessary. Travel is suspended in every direction.
The loss in this region is estimated at over a quarter
of a million dollars,. - - -

A special despatch from Richmond, Indiana, states
that the tornado there blew in the gable end of the
Methodist Church, which crushed through the ceiling
and demolished the organ and pulpit. St Andrew's
Church, the largest in the city, was struck by light-
ning. The steeple and clock were damaged and the
slate roof torn off. The German Lutheran Church
was partly unroofed. The main building of Ertl tbam
College was about half unroofed; Wiggins' tannery
was partly unroofed. The tin roofs of the Post
Office building and two or three stories were
taken off. Robinson's machine works were
partly demolished. Garr, Scott anr-I Co's manu-
tactory was badly damaged. The smoke-stack
of Nordyck, Morman and Co. was blown down and
the buildings and stables at the Fair Grounds were
badly injured. Many chimneys were demolished in
all parts of the city. Shade-tree 3 were broken or up-
rooted, and a number of small buildings were blown
from their foundations. Several mills along the
river were considerably damaged. The storm was of
short duration, and was followed by a perfect calm.
The middle portion of thA large Masonic Widows' and
Orphans' Home at Louisville, Kentucky, just completed,
but unoccupied, was levelled to the ground, leaving the
north and south wings uninjured. Many houses were
unroofed and large tree 3 blown down. Several buildings
were demolished in the extreme southern portion of the
city, including the Catholic Hospital. Another heavy
storm occurred at Indianapolis, on the evening, of the
2nd inst. A large amount of damage was done by the
wind and flood in various parts of the city. The whole
northern section was overflowed to a depth of from
three to five feet, filling the cellars and lower stories
of a large number of private dwellings in the best part
of the city. The old skating-rink building was blown
down, and a coloured man named Robinson was buried
under the ruins and seriously injured. The damage to
all the railroads was very severe. The trestle -work of
the Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Western Railroad,
five miles west of the city, was washed a way, and the
Eagle Creek bridge on the Indianapolis, Cincinnati,
and Lafayette Railroad was destroyed.

At a meeting of the Birkenhead Improvement Com-
missioners, on Tuesday, a bye law was adopted prohibiting
"preaching, lecturing, or any public discussion on any sub
ject, or a.,y meeting for the purpose of making any political
or religious demonstration, or the holding of any religious
service in the public parks." A serious disturbance took
placki in the Birkenhead Park recently, arising out of public
preaching, and it is with the view of preventing such an
occurrence again that the Commissioners have adopted this
bye-law.
The meeting convened in London by the Prince of
Wales, at NI ariborough House, for the purpose of establishing
free Scholarships in the National Training School of Music,
was largely attended by representatives of the City com-
panies and the mercantile community generally. The Duke
of Edinburgh moved the first resolution, affirming the desir-
ability of forming a committee to found musical scholarships
In the city, which was carried by acclamation During the
meeting a letter was read by the Prince of Wales from Mr.
Freake, offering to the National Training School, as a free
gift, the building which he has erected for its accommoda-
tion, and which he had previously promised to give for fiv,e
years rent free. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr.
Freak..