Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-05-29
From the Natchez (Mss.)Frce Trader Extra,
DREADFUL VISITATION

| a
About one O'Clock on Thursday, the 7th inst,
the attention Of the citizens Of Nachez was at
raciei ty an unusual and continuous roaring Of
thunder TO the sCu'hward, at which point hung
masses OF black clondS, some Of them stationary,
and Others Whrling along with under currents
but all driving a Little east of north A. there was
evidently much lightning the continual ,oar Of
lowing thunder, although noticed and spoken Of
| ty many, created no particular alarm.
The dinner bells /. the large hotel. had rrng,
little leiore two o'clock, aud most Of orr citizens
were sitting at Their TALES, when, Suddenly the
atmosphere was darkencl, so as 10 require tho
lighting Of cand!e+, and, in few Ininu>c> aIer-
wards, the ram was precipllaIcd in tremendous
ca'aract> rather than in drops. And in one mo.
| ment the tornado; in all lis wrath, was upon US.
The strongest uIding> shook a. if to>, ed with an
earthl axe the air was llacI; with whring ed.
dies Of hol,e wad>, roof, chnnie>, huge timber
torn from distant ruins, all shot through the air a,
! If thrown from mighty caiapuli. The Amos.
| phere soon ecame lighter and then such an aw-
inl scene Of RUIN a perhaps never ketore met the
eye Of man Eecame manifest. The greater part Of
the ruin elected in The short space of from
| three to five minutes, although the heavy sweep.
| ing tornado lasted nearly halt an hour For
aIom five minutes it was more like the explosive
force OF gunpowJer than any thing else it could
have leeu compared TO. II indrel> of rooms were
burst open a sudden as if barrels Of gunpowdes
| had cen icni,ed in each.
| A. far glass or the naked eve could reach,
the first traces OF the tornado are TO lie seen from
the Nalchez LAD down the river a ont ten miles,
tearlng considerably wet Of SOUTH Sweeping
| across the Natchez island II crossed the point le.
ow the plantation Of David BarIand, Esq, op-
po>ite TO the plantations OFF. NJ. Laplcc, Esq,
in the parish OF Concorda. Ii then struck the
! Natchcz llui about mile and a half lelow tho
city, near the mansion called the " Brers" which
is but slightly injured but swept the mansion
late Of Charles b. Greene, Esquire, called the
"BeIlevae," and the ancient forest in which il
was eml o>emed. INTO mass ofruln>.
| 1t then struck The city through lis whole width
Of one mile and included the entire river and tho
village of Nidalia on the Louisiana ,hore-making
the path of the tornado more than two miles IN
width At The Natchez Landing on the river the
RUN of dwellings, store, steamboats,, fiat loats,
was almost entire from the Nidaa ferry 10 tho
Mississippi Cotton Press. A few torn fra gments Of
dwellings >riii remain but they can scarcely 10
called shelters.
In the upper city, or Natchez on the hill,
scarcely house escaped damage or utter ruin
The Presbyterian and Methodist churches havo
their towers thrown down, their roofs broken, and
walls shattered The Episcopal church is mnch
injured IN us roof Parker's great Southern Ex-
change >lcvel with the dust. Great damage has
cen done 10 the City Hotel and the Mansion
House, both beng unrooted, and the upper stories
broken IN. The house Of Sheriff lzod has not a
timber standing, AM hundreds ofolher dwellings
are nearly IN the same situation. The Court
al Wdlle, ndIl>Ii Oh YONG OTulu, II ultTIy
torn down, also the dwelling houses of DR.. NJ
Whorler and Of Me>srS. Dunay and Stacey Esq.
The parish jail Is partly torn down.
But new The work remains TO he told. Parish
Judge keeton, Of ConcOrdia, was instantly killed
while at dinner AT the house of Mr.. Sacy.He was
a noble and esteemed man. No other person was
killed in Ndalia, although some Others were
hurt AT the Nalchez Landing, ont Of fifty or
sixty fiat boats only SIX are now anoa Those
hes, acquainted suppose as many as one hundred
Hat boat men were drowned in the river, which
sweled instantly to the height ofsix or eight feet
The steamboats,, Kinds, Prare and the 81.
Lawrence We're destroyed and sunk at the Land
ing, and the Nldalla ferry boat on the river--more
or less persons leng lost in the frs, two named
boats.
From the ruins Of the steamboat Hotel, Mr.
Alexander, the landlord, his lady and bar keeper,
were dug ont alive, as also Timothy Flint, tho
historian and geographer, and his son, from Nat.
chroches, La, besides DR.. Taliaiero and many
/, others. Mrs. Alexander is considered dangerously
injured Two Of 5es children we're killed IN hp