Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-06-22
YHE TENNESSEE TORNADO.
Fran the Nashville Republican, June 0
70 tic Editor OF the Nashville Republican,,


IFram the Nashville Republican, June OF
70 tie Editor of the Nashville Republican.
SHXBTvuLH, June 5, 1880
Dear Sir. As it may not be uninteresting your
readers know something about the particulars of
most an fu visitation of providence that bef.l our
and its inhabitants Monday night last il is
deemed advisable to furnish you with such statement
a. abe to make
storm, rather Tornado, the ike of which
few people nov living ever witnessed before, visit ell
ns abont midnight, and has, literally, left our once
pleasant and comfortable village ndiscriminate
heap of puins. The cloud which was pregnant with
destruction devoted town, arose about 10
O'clock the west, and al first it seemed to porend
little more than ordinary shower of rain with a
gust of Wind-Ihese appearances to people who
were accustomed TO storms at this of the
produced apprehensicns of danger, and our Gill.
zrns retire., as TO their wonted repose--!n n
shor, time all h.d resigned themselves into the arms
of sleep Alas how little did some of them supnose
tbat The Esp which they then invited would be e,er
major shat they awoke they would be landed ON
that country, 'ron whose bourne travelley
eyer returns
About midnight, man, Awakened by the unn
sual violence of the wind and the ceas,less voice of
the thunder which begun TO come peal after peal in
such rapid succession TO inspire fearful appreheu.
sops the breast of some, tho the sumbers of many
who slept in close rooms, were still undisturbed-
but it was only tor moment The already agita,ed
elements. now worked up to the highest nj, CHI
of FURY, until it seemed that the very spirit of the
warlwini had been let loose to scatter desolaon and
death far anu wide with unreientng and an unre-
train q
their real dangeri Or ra''er CONSERVATION and despair
bad completely tasen possession of them. that fe
culd tell where they ~err or no they situated
MANY who had gwen ep in Inn ne GU
rity only an hour two before, themselves be-
tpre they we're full, aware, blova into the stress and
public square at considerable distance from their
hdeines where they that they we're surroun.
Sed by so many strikng Indications Of destruction
that they almost ancied themselves suddenly trans
,or,eJ TO another wnrld.-The transition from the
en;oyent of sleep, in close and quiet rooms to the
nj q
mat none could ELL fer the moment where they were
ar whence they had come. All Was horrur aud wild
alright.
,,hurs heard long, loud rambling nese without. By
some it was mstaked for 'under. and by others, for
the falling OF the adjacent timber; But the melan-
oh NV evidence of their flashed upon them
.hnn,!er II as no,-fallng timber ii not. II was
thu. ..otui crash IF hundred 6emoiisted buildings
more than half OF them private dwellings. Offices,
work shops and houses OF business, including, with
one or two exceptions, every valuable building in the
place. Butthis was not alb
Fnr tie angel Of deaih spread his wings the blast
Aud the eye. of the sleepers deadly and chill
Mad Their but heaved and for ever were SIN
FIVE -four yeupg men -ieli victims o the iurv Of
the Storm Thelf names were Air. james r. New
ton editor of the western lnteIlgencer; Mr. Arnold
u Young gent ennan dong BUSINESS as elerk IN The
store OF MIR. James Reed, uud Mr. Wbirann., NJ
Rde6ut, and Mr.. Caldwell, young men v.rkiny Mt
the saddllug business They were all ne,s5ms Of
most anabe characters pnb Iem,ah III. tier mo
and remarkable for industry ard attention Ia bus;
uess.
The three last were taken out of heaps of rubbish
Of fallen buildings, under which they were literally
buried. Their features much distorted with fractures
aud bruises. Mr. Newton who had been blown up.
wards of hundred yards from his Office when he
was sleeping; ms bed anu bedstead along with HIM
was found IN he morning amidst masses of broken
fragments of timpcr maDged mutilated l,l;;,n of
mortality. Mr Arnold who did not die until Some
far no l.
cut his left side by the tenon of a door that blew
against him wnie he was attempting TO escape from
his "dg with so much force asto tear out con-
siderable portion OF bs liver Their remains we're
eli dressed and lam side by side IN the same house
until the nezf TaorBng, when three of them were |
buried ~ one ave, the other two Inyhp been taken
to the country by their friends |
IN town S" small as ours, you need not be inforul-
cd t"t he >Ighi OF five young men who had no lon
GER than the morning b"f;re enjoyed all the veor of
health and boom If youth side By side decked out
IN the sad hubmSnls of dcarh,--and The annearance
OF Three clhns moving slowly along our streets fol-
lowed by vast crowd Of astonshed and melancbolo |
Inhabitants of town and Country vos snlen,n o,I
Impressive IN the extreme. and powerfully colculn cd
d cpiy to impress rejecting minG wu6 snnee orI
-he uncertainty OF human life The vanity of earth
" pursuits and the de,usiye nature of blv homes
and earthly prospects. Bu such is the fate If man
Eight or ten other ctrans badly wounded and manv
sore signify injured Aicf all VI reflect moment upon
ne eyteDtof the devastation 'at has wrought the nu
az Of houses that aznd earth before snoc &C
heir inmates had an opportunity and the m rae
winch many were preserved were blown
on out their beds Of rbsn from the rpper ri
largest buildings IN the place. instead WONDERING thai en-
lost their lives Is stheT matter of profound astonis
ent that twenty tiesthe number did meet tie same On
nelly fate Had calamous visitation came upon us in the
time j, is thought our Citizens or women and
en- have fallen by sCch the # III
tas.rote any attempt escape om the danger ot
ma rent the moneDt would have nearly Instance
Houses falling every where and the anos
was fail Of G5ins u'rbss apd the eiscss,anoe rl