The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1846-06-16
The Frightful Hurricane.

iul HuTIlCdfits WHICH iCOchtiy boHNo
over the town of Grenada. Mississippi.are
furnished by the Greada Chronicle:-
1t appears that the storm of wind con-
sisted Of two channels before it reached
Grenada, one of which was sweeping
due North, and the other East. After
having torn up trees as they came Tor
perhaps several miles, (and the latter
dealing destruction on the house of Gen.
Waul. occupied by w. Eubanks, killing
that poor man, and wounding Mrs. Eu-
banks and all of her children, and tearing
the roof from the house of ]. Sims, they
met at or near the residence of ID. Rob
~inson, in the western part of the town,
when that from the west proving the
stongest, turned the course Of the other,
and together they came in one body,
forming a whirlwind, for mile perhaps,
then proceeded with somewhat of an IN
clination northward. Besides these two,
there may be seen traces of three other
channels oil wind, though not SO heavy.
The first sign that was visible In the
Heavens was dark cloud, which thick
ened in the west, and as we stood and
watched it, we could see clouds of rcd
smoke rise, as if from earth. The roar
of the thunder was deafeing and the fash
es of lightning almost binding. A short
pause, and the cloud appeared to have
blown past us, and those who were stand
ing with us, near the Post Office, look
ing on the black floating element, began
to think we should have no rain. After
short time, however, we could observe
the sudden turn in the wind, and, look
ing sonthward, we could plainly perceive
another cloud coming up from that direc-
ton. The wind, in the mean time, was
forcibly felt in town, as trees were tum-
bling down every instant, and shingles
from the roofs of some of the houses
were seen to fall, even before we had any
idea of Tornado. The wind continued
to rise, land the rain descended in torrents;
all around us trees and fences were fall
ling, and houses cracking, as if to warn
the inmates to leave them. This was
followed by scene more terrible than
one can easily imagine, and lar beyond
our power to delineate.
When the winds met, we could hear
the crash as they came togethnr,
which sounded like a nightly thunder
as as they passed through the town,
the noise was heard at the dis
tance of IL or Ia miles. A glaring, and
at the same time dismal flame burst up
on the first appearance of the hurricane
in the western part of the town, which
continued throughout as terrible and d. es-
tructive as it was sublime. In coming
together, the tornado took up the house
of Samuel King occupied by d. Robinson;
his wife, father, sister, and two children,
being in this building, Mr.. Robinson HIM
self being down town. Mrs. r. was
blown considerable distance in the air,
and found about one hundred and fifty
or two hundred yards from the site of
the house, literally cut to pieces, the head
cut open, and the brains running out;
near the house, Mr.. Robinson, Sr., was
found dead and wofully cut and bruised;
Mrs. Dougan and Mr.. Robinson's two
children were also found dreadfully man
gled, and one of the children has since
died. Portions of the house were seen
several miles from town, and of the i'm
mense sum of money lost by Mr.. r.,
only about $l20 has been found. Gen.
Waul's house, occupied by DR.. r. f.
Purnell, was also torn to pieces, and two
negroes killed; but fortunately, as it was
singular, Mrs. Purnell, and her children
and nieces, who were in the house at the
time, saved their lives, though they es-
capped not being wounded, by getting un-
der the piano, which was heavy and
strong enough to withstand the crush of
the falling timbers; all the furniture IN
the house,sav this instrument, was blown
off, but large portion of 1t recovered,
though damaged considerably; the Doc
tor, we believe, saved none of the vaiua-
bic books which constituted his library.
At the foot Of the hill on which these
two houses were situated, stood house
which was occupied by a poor family by
the name of Deal, who were in it at the
time, and though the house, with all their
clothing, &C., was blown off, no person
was killed: large oak tree was there
left standing, around which. another, e.
qually as large. is twisted, and the bark
taken off as completely as if it had been
done by a man, thereby showing in some
degree the velocity of The tohirl, from the
centre of which this is about twenty or
thirty yards. The fences blown down
we cannot note, as nearly every fence
within three or four hundred yards OF the
immediate vicinity of the tornado was
torn to atoms.
The trees in the route of the storm
were thrown aside, and almost uninter-
rupted it came upon the Baptist Church
a large brick building, and we supposed
the strongest house in Grenada, and at