The Rodney telegraph. (Rodney, Miss.) 1838-1840, 1840-05-16
From tho Natchez Free Trader.
FRiDAY EVENING, May 8.
DREADFUL VISITATION OF PROVI-

Sutne VI tt0tIl stddoudTy, anu OtnefS WDlIl-
ing along with lnder currents, bu, all dri-
wing little east of north. AS there was
evidently much lightning, the continual
roar of growing thunder, although noticed
and spoken of by many, created no particu-
lar 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 dark
ened, so as to require the lighting of can
dies; and, in few moments afterwards, the
rain was precipitated in tremendous cata-
racts rather than drops. In another moment
the tornado, in all its wrath, was upon US.
The strongest build ngs shook as if tossed
with an earthquake; the air was black with
whirling eddies of house walls, roofs, Chin
MES, huge timbers torn from distant ruins,
all shot through the air as # thrown from
mighty catapult. The atmosphere soon be-
came 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, although the hea-
Wy sweeping tornado lasted nearly half an
j
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 gunpowder had been
ignted in each.
As far as glasses or the naked eve 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 Match
ez island it crossed the point below the plan
tation of David Barland, Esq, opposite the
plantations of p nj Lapice. Esq. in the
Parish of Concordia. 1t then struck the
Natchez bluff about mile and half be-
low the city, near the mansion called the
"Briers," which it but slightly injured, but
swept the mansion of Charles B. Greene,
Esq :, called the "Bellevue," and the an
cient forest in which it was embossomed in
to a mass OF ruins.
1t then struck the city through its whole
width Of one mile and included the entire
river and the village OF Vidalia on the Louis
lana shore-making the path of the tornado
moro than two miles in width. At the Match
ez Landing on the river the ruin of dwell
lings, stores, steamboats,, fiat boats was al
most entire from the Vidalia ferry TO the
Mississippi Cotton Press. A few torn frag
ments OF dwellings still remain, but they can
scarcely be called shelters.
In the up er city, or Natchez on the hill,
scarcely house escaped damage or utter
ruin. The Presbyterian and Methodist
churches have their towers thrown down,
their roofs brokon and wolls shattered,-
The Episcopal church is much injured in its
root. Parker's great Southern Exchange is
level with the dust. Great damage has
been done to the City Hotel and the Man.
sion House, both being unroofed, and tn
upper stories broken in The house of sher-
if Izod has not timber standing, and hun
dreds of other dwellings, are nearly in the
same situation. The Court House at Vida
liza, parish of Concordia, is utterly torn down,
also the dwelling houses of DIR. M'Nhorter
and of Messrs. Dunlap and Stacey, Esqrs.
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 at dinner at the house
of Mr.. Stacey. He was a noble and es-
teemed man. No other person was killed
in VidalIa although some others were hurt.
At the Nafchez Landing out of fifty or sixty
flat boats only six are now afoat. Those
best acquainted suppose as many as one
hundred fiat boat men were drowned in the
river, which swelled instantly to the height
Of six or eight feet.
The steamboats, Kinds, Praire, 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.
From the ruins of the Steam Boat Hotel.
Mr.. Alexander, the landlord, bis lady and
bar keeper, were dug out alive, as also
Timothy Flint, the historaaand geographer,
and bis son from Natchitoches, La, besides
Doct Taliofero and many others. Mrs.
Alexander is considered dangerously injnr-
ed. Two of her children were Killed in her
arms. As many as nine dead bodies have
been dug from the Steam Boat Hotel.
THE DENOUEMENTO OF THE CALAMITY.
Z SABBATH EVENING, the 10th May.
What we wrote on Friday, the day after
the calamity, has since proved far too low a
computation and far too faint a sketch of the
ruin which has befallen our noble-spirited
yet devoted city. -
The estimate of lille more than mill
lion aud quarter Of dollars for the damages.
donesto the buildings merely may be nearly
correct for the compact part ofthe city; but
to cover the loss Of merchandize, provisions,
goods Of various kinds and furniture destroy
ed there should, nlhe opinion of some of
our practical and clear headed men, be, at
least four millions more added-makingthe