, 1840-05-23
From the Ratchez Free Trader of May 8h.
DREADFUL VISITATION OF
PROVIDE NEE.

from TIE 5fdtcHez TTce 4 TddeT ~ H0uy o"s
DREADFUL VISITATION OF
PROVIDENCE.
About one O'Clock on Thursday, the 9TH
inst, the attention of the citizens of Natchez
was attracted by an unusual and continuous
roaring of thunder to the south ward, at
which point hung masses Of black clouds,
som of them stationary, and others whirling
along with under currents, but all driving a
little east of north. As there was evidently
much lightning the continual roar Of growl-
ing thunder, although noticed and spoken OF
by many, created no particular alarm.
The dinner bells in the large hotels had
mny, a little before two o'clock, and most
of our citizens were sitting at their tables,
when. suddenly, the atmosphere was darken-
ed so as TO require the lighting OF candles;
and, in Il few moments afterwards, the rain
was precipiiated in tremendous cataracts
rather than in drops. in another moment
the tornado, in all its wrath, was upon us.
The strongest building shook as if tossed
with an earth quake; the air was black with
whirling eddies Of house walls, roofs, CHM
MES, huge timbers torn from distant ruins.
all shot through the air as If thrown from 4
mighty catapult. The atmosphere soon
became lighter, and then such and awful
scene Of ruin as perhaps never before net
the eve Of man became manifest. The great.
er part of the ruin was effected IN the short
space of from three TO five minutes, although
Ire heavy sweeping tornado lasted nearly
half an hour. For about five minutes it was
more like the explosive force Of g%unpowder
than any thing else it could have been COM
pared TO. Hundreds of rooms we're burst
open as sudden rs if barrels Of g%unpowder
had been ignited in each.
As far as glasses or the naked eye can
reach, the first traces of The tornado are TO
be seen from the Natchez bluff down the
river about ten miles, bearing considerably
west Of south. Sweeping across the Natchez
island it crossed the point below the plantation
of David BarlLnd, ESQ.,, opposite the Plan,a-
ton of p. NJ. Lapice, Esq.,, in the Parish OF
Cuncordia. Ii then struck the Natchez bluff
about a mile and a half below the city, near
the mansion called the " Briers," which is
but slightly injured, but swept the mansion
late Of Charles R. Greene, Esq, called the
I" Bellevue and the ancient forest in which
it was embosomed into 4 mass Of ruins.
1t then struck the city through its whole
width of one mile and included the entire
river and the village Vidalia on the Louisiana
shore-making the path Of the tornado more
than two miles in width. At the Natchez
landing on the river, the ruin Of dwellings,
stores, steamboats,. flat boats, was almost en-
tire from the Vidalia ferry to the Mississippi
Cotton Press. A few torn fragments Of dwell.
lings still remain, but they can scarcely be
called shelters.
Ia the upper city, or Natchez on the hill,
scarcely a house escaped damages or utter
ruin. The Presbyterian and Methodist
churches have their towers thrown down,
their roofs broken and walls shattered. The
Episcopal church is much injured in its 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 a TIM
Der standing, and hundreds of other buildings
are nearly in the same situation. The Court
House at Vidalia, parish of Concordia, is ut.
,ery torn down, also the dwelling houses of
DR.. M'Whorter and Messrs. Dunlap and Sta
cey, Esqrs. The parish jail is partly torn
down.
But now the worst remains to be told
Parish Judge Keeton of Concordia was in
%s,antIy killed while at dinner at the house
Mr.. Stacey. He was a noble and esteemed
MIN. No other person was killed IN Vida
liza although some others were hurt. At the
Na,chez Landing out of fifty or sixty fiat
boats. only six are now aloa,. Those best
acouninted suppose, as many as one hon.
dred fat boat men were drowned in the riv-
err, which sweIIed instantly to the height Of
six or eight feet.
The steamboats, Kinds, Prairie and the st.
Lawrence we're destroyed and sunk at the
Landing and the Vidalia ferry boat on the
river-more or less persons beng lost In the
two first named boats.
From the ruins Of the Steam Boat Hotel,