The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-05-21
STILL LATER.
Free Trader-erfra. }
NutcheS, Mss, Mau 8, 1870. {

About one O'Clock on Thursday, the
7.h 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, some Of them stationary, and
other whirling along with under currents,
but all driving little east of north. As
there was evidently much lightning the
continual roar of growing thunder, al
though noticed and spoken of by many,
created no particular alarm.
The dinner bells in the large hotels
had rung, little before two o'clock. and
most of our citizens were sitting at their
tables, when, suddenly the atmosphere
was darkened, so as to require the light
ing of candles and, in few moments
afterwards, the rain was precipitated in
tremendous catarac,s rather than in drops.
In another moment the tornado, in all its
wrath, was upon us. The strongest build
ing shook as if tossed with an earthquake;
the air was black, whirling eddies of
house walls, roofs. chimnies, huge tim
bers torn from distant ruins. all shot
througllthe air as if Thrown from mighty
cataput. The atmosphere soon became
lighter, and then such an awful scene of
ruin as perhaps never before met the eye
OF man became manifest. The greater
part of the ruin was effected in the short
space of from three to five minutes, al
though the heavy sweeping tornado lasted
nearly hall an hour. For about five
minutes it was more like the explosive
force of gunpowder than any thing else it
could have been compared to. Hundreds
of rooms were burst open as sudden as if
barrels of powder 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 Natcllez bluff down the
river about ten miles, bearing consider
ably west of south. Sweeping across the
Nalchez island it crossed the point below
the plantation Of David Barland, Esq,
opposite the plantation Of p. NJ. I.apice,
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 it but slightly
injured but swept the mansion late of
Charles B. Greene, Esq. called the Belle.
vue, and the ancient forest in which it
was embosomed into mass of ruins.
l,then struck the city through its whole
width of one mile and included the entire
river and the village of Vidala 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 entire from the Vidalia
ferry to the Mississippi Cotton Press. A
few torn fragments of dwellings still re-
main, but they can scarcely be called
shelters.
In the upper city, or Natchez on the
hill, scarcely house escaped damage or
utter ruin. The Presby terian and Melho.
dist churches have their towers thrown
down, their roofs broken and walls shat
tered. The Episcopal church is much
injured in its roof. Parkef's grea, South
ern Exchange is level with the dust.
Great damage has been done to the City
Hotel and the Mansion House. both being
nnroofed, and the upper stories broken in.
The house of Sheriff Izod has not tim.
Der standing, and hundreds Of other dwell.
ings are nearly in the same situation.
The Court House at Vidalia, parish of
Concordia, is utterly torn down, also the
lweiling houses of DR. M'Whor,er and off
Messrs Dunlap aud Stacey, Esqs. The
parish Jail is partly torn down. Il
But now the worst remains to be told.
Parish Judge Keeton of Concordia was
instantly killed while at dinner at the
house of MIR Stacey. He was noble and
esteemed man. No other person was XII
ed in Vidalia although some others were
1urt. AT the Natchez landing out Of fifty
or sixty fiat boats only six are now aAoat.
Those best acquainted suppose that as
many as one hundred flat boat men were
lrowned in the river, which swelled in
;tantly to the height of six or eight feet.
The steamboat Kinds, Prairie, and the
St Lawrence, were destroyed and sunk
1t the landing, and the Vidalia ferry boat
IN the river--more or less persons being
ost in the two first named boats.
From the ruins of the Steamboat Hotel,
Mr. Alexander, the landlord, his lady, and
,ar-keeper, were dug out alive, as also
Timothy Flint, the historian and geo.
,rapher, and his son from Na,chitoches,
Ia, besides Doctor Taliaferro and many
,thers. Mrs Alexander is considered
injured. Two of her chill
lren were killed in her arms. AS many
IS nine dead bodies have been dug from
he Steam Boat Hotel.
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
ist Of the names Of the killed, wounded,
md those missing whose bodies have not
'een found.
Meanwhile we beg the indulgence Of
,ur kind friends and patrons for few
lays, in which time we shall be able to
,etour Office i'll some order. The Free
Trader office building has been crushed
n, and much shattered. We are all in