Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-10-04
CHARLESTON Is, CT Sept. 90.
TORNAnO

The public has been often favored with
singular descriptions of the dreadful an
pearances and destructive effects of lorna
does and storms, which have been frequept.
ly witnessed in various parts of our country,
to the terror and experience Of many per-
sons ; but 1t is presumed the following re-
markab occurrence will justly excite the
astoniShment ct the reader. On the 18th
instant the dwelling house of Cant Tho
MAS EN- CLIsH, in Kershaw Dis riot, was
nearly demolished and partly carried away
by violent wind. The weather previous
ly TO this distressing event, had been quite
clustering aud rainy for nearly twenty four
houvs. At about twelve O'Clock In the day
black cloud of incsnsiderable size appear
Ell collecting in the east. Distant thunder
and a roaring were loon afterwards heard;
but the appearances of the cloud excited no
uncommon degree of alarm. as the eastern
part OF the horizon had frequently present.
ed similar prospects in the course of the
forenoon. The collected mass of clouds
passed from the east to tho west with almost
nconceivabie rapidity, when suddenly the
dwelling house Of Captain f.. was raised
rom its foundation ard carried the distance
1t five feet, where it met with forcible rtsis-
tance from firm stump, which probably
arrested its earial motion.
lhe house was of the most weighty de.
Scripton of wooden buildings; he main boz
dy was SO feet long, 90 wide. low pitched,
built at logs dove tailed, & shielded all refund
with she'd 10 feet deep. The top of the
house was entirely Carried away by the wind,
and the main body stripped of nearly all its
shedding. Though the logs were dove tailed
and compactly put together, the violence Of
he wind was so great, that a number of
them were forced out, and great part Of
the weather boarding and Ceiling also torn
of and carried away. One of the top plates,
large piece of square timber, so feet long,
was raised to a considerable height in the
ayr. twisted into several pieces, and the bro>
ken fragments thrown with great violence
IN various directions. number of out
buildings standing in the yard near the
dweltng-hOuse, shared a similar fate; one
OF which, large frame smoke-house. was
taken up and carried entirely away. and Sc
veral negro houses completely stripped of
their coVeFing.-So many houses being sud-
denly demolished, and their shattered frag.
| ments carried away by the wind, presented
a scene at the instant To the eyes OF several
spectators who were not far distant,
truly sublime and awful terlific-Ihe
air Tor several hundred wards perpen~
dicuiarly was charged with the broken frag-
ments Of several demolished buildings,
| crushing and rearing, as though the four ele-
| ments were at war, and ONE dire destruc~
| t'on about t. fall on the land But Fortunate
| y TINS scene Of horror and despair lasted
but few moments, when tie cleaning rays
| ofJoy and hope weSe realised in the foster
| ing hand of PROV ence, and the clouds Of
! impending danger once more Dispersed
But what must ftrke The mind of the reader
WI admiratiort is the divine favor Of the
Ornipoteut Being displayed amidst this
| awful scene of destruction and despair, in
preserving the lives of those unfortunate hui
man beings who were most eXpfsed to dan
ger. Mrs. and Miss Esslish Here the only
white persons in the house at the moment
OF The ; orm.
The former was down stairs in the ves-
tern end of the house with negr girl;
hnding the house had given way, ms is
'ress and girl cleaved together and q CEN
ded into the yard, from whence they were
carried by he wind 60 or 20 yards into an
adjacent field. Mrs. f.. received no mate
rial injury, except "a slight bruise OF one
shoulder. The negro girl had one arm b-o-
Ken, and some hat injured in the BODY.
MISS l.. who was up stairs, was scarcely
apprlzed Of the storm. when a window sash
forced from its france struck her In the
breast, and laid heron the floor with,ut
"J"t y io"i rhti6e Sie iound her-
self incapable of noting until tie storm, had
passed over. Capt. T.. was in Ills saw-mil.
so yards distant frkm his <Rwe9liug house,
also several of his negroes; bit none Of
them were injured. The mos5bf the poul-
try IN the yard was destrOEetH The scat
tered fragments Of the demolished buildines
were thrown in various directions, some of
them even to the distance of a mile and the
very heritage growing in the yard was mcs.-
ly torn from the earth. Cap. Fps. loss
cannot be estimated at less than twenty five
hundred or three thousand dollars.