Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1840-05-28
From The Nasclez liiss.J Frss Trader, Estra.
FRIDAY EvEEINO, May SO o'clock
DREADFUL VISITATION OF PROVIDENCE

~, FRIDAY EvEEINo, May SO o'clock.
DREADFUL VISITATION OF PROVIDENCE.
About one o'clock on Thursday the 7th
inst, the attention of the citizens OF Natcnez
was attracted by an unusual and continuous
roaring of thunder to the southwark at winch
point hung masses of black clouds, some OF
them stationary, and others whirling along
with under currents. but all driving q little
east of north. AS there was evidently mucn
lightning, the continual roar OF growing
although noticed and spoken OF Dy
many, created no particular alarm.
The dinner bells in the large hotels hao
rung, a little before two o'clock. and most OF
our citizens were sitting at their tables, wnen
suddenly the atmosphere was darkenec, SO as
to require the lighting of candles, and, IN a
few moments afterwards, the rain was pre-
cipitated in tremendous cataracts rather than
in drops. In another moment the tornaoo'In
all its wrath, was upon us. The strongest
buildings shook as if tossed with an eartn-
quake the air was black with whlrllng eo-
dies of house walls, roofs, chimnies, mug nm
bers torn from distant ruins, all shot through
the air as if thrown from mighty catapun;;
The atmosphere soon became llgntef' anu
then an awful scene of ruin as perhaps new
er before met the eye of man became mani
SLs
ed in the short space of from three to i've
minutes, although the heavy sweeping lorna
do lasted nearly half an hour For about
five minutes it was more like the explosive
power of gunpowder than any thing, else !,
could have been compared tn Hundreds VI
rooms were burst open as sudden as if bar
rels of gunpowder had been ignited in each.
AS far as glasses or the naked eye can
reach, the first traces of the tornado arc to be
seen from the Natchez bluff down the river
about ten miles, bearing considerably west
of south. Sweeping across the Natchez isl.
and, it crossed the point below the planta-
ton of David Barland, Esq. opposite the plan
tation of p. M. Lapice, Esq, in the parish Of
Concordia. 1t then struck the Natchez bluff
about mile and half below the city, near
the mansion called the Briers," which il
hut slightly injured, but swept the mansion
late of Charles B. Greene, ESQ.,, called the
Bellevue" and the ancient forest in which
it was embosomed, into mass of ruins.
1t then struck the city through the whole
width of one mile, and included the entire
river and the village of Vidalia on the Lou
isiana shore-making the path of the lorna
do more than two miles in width. At the
Natchez Landing on the river, the ruin Of
dwellings, stores, steamboats,, fiat boats, was
almost entire from the Vidalia ferry to the
Mississippi Cotton Press. A few torn frag-
ments ofdwellings still remain, but they can
scarcely be called shelters.
In the upper city, or Natchez on the hill,
scarcely house escaped damage or utter
ruin. The Presbyterian and Methodist
their roofs broken, and walls shattered. The
EpispocaI church is much injured in the
roof. Parker's great Southern Exchange is
level with the dust. Great damage has been
done to the City Hotel and the Mansion
House, both being unroofed and the upper
stories broken in. The house of Sheriff lZod
has not timber standing, and hundreds of
other dwellings are nearly in the same situ-
alton. The Court House at Vidaiia, parish
of Concordia, is utterly torn down, and the
dwelling houses of DR.. McWhorter and of
Messrs. Dunlap and Stacey. The parish
jail is partly torn down.
But now the worst remains to be told
Parish Judge Keeton, of Concordia, was in
stantly killed while sitting at dinner at the
house of Mr.. Stacey. He was noble and
esteemed man. No other person was killed
in Vidalia, although some others were hurt.
At the Natchez Landing, out of fifty or sixty
flat boats, only six are now afioat. Those
best acquainted suppose as many as 100 fiat
boatmen were drowned in the river, which
swelled instantly to the height of six or eight
feet. #4
. The Steamboats, Kinds, Prairie and the st.
Lawrence were destroyed and sunk at the
Landing, and the Vidalia ferry boat on the
river--more or less persons being lost in the
two first named boats. s3
From the ruins of the Steamboat Hotel,
Mr.. Alexander, the landlord, his lady and
barkeeper, were dug out alive, as also Timo-
thy Flint, the historian and geograplier, and
his son, from Natchitoches, La, besides Dr..
Taliafero and many others. Mrs. Alexan-
der is considered dangerously injured. Two
of her children were killed in her arms. AS
many as nine dead bodies have been dug
from the Steamboat Hotel. nj
The number of burials which have taken
place to-day is about fifty, and many are
still in dangerous and dying condition.
AS soon as possible, we shall publish a list
of the names of the killed, wounded, and
those missing whose bodies have not been
found. add
Meanwhile VIC beg the indulgence Of our
kind friends and patrons for lew days, in
which time we shall be able to get our office
in some order. The Free Trader office bull
ding has been crushed in'and much shatter-
ed. We are all confusion, and surrounded
by the destitute, the houseless, the wounded
and the dying. Our beautiful city is shat.
tered as lift had been stormed by all the
cannon in Austerlitz. Our delightful China
trees are all torn up. We are peeled and
desolate. H5
The neighboring planters are generously
sending in large gangs of slaves to assist in
clearing the streets and digging the dead
from the ruins.
Mr. Rufiner and s. ]. Boyd, Esqrs. have
been at the trouble to go over the whole ex-
- Ask~ -
mate Of the damages. which we endorse, as
far as our observation extends.
Total amount, $l,260.0O0.
In addition to the above, the N. O. Pica.
yune has gathered the following particulars:
The steamboat Gen. Lawrence went down.