Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-30
LATE TORNADO IN MASSACHUSETTS

The Boston Post Of Monday contains description Of
terrible tornado with which several in that ycin,
were visited Friday last We copy with cousider,b,
sbdgmen far respects the details of nurv done !
property
On Saturday visited the principal scenes Of the ds,.
on caused by the tornado between FIVE and six O'Clock On
Friday afternoon. The descriptions we received Of bs %
snaP color and course OF the terrific agent of devastation
were various me differences being attributable mainly 10 the
different points of view om which it was seen bv the a.
scnbes Immediately after sharp burst of lightning 10 the
southwest thick blak cloud was seen to rise in Wsyland
column o. smoke SO perfectly that it sup
posed inc ngnnng had set fire 10 building in the valley
from which the smoke The cloud shot up yey rapid
y but seemed to be connected with The earth by several
ecng points In height the coamn appeared to be about
and ne space covered the points in contact with the
earth about forty rods square, For few seconds vhs,
motion was Observed In the upper portion of the dense
and also fn luminous appearance among the pons a.
feelers below This was followed by whrng notion and
then u commenced rapid fight through Weston Waham
Waerown, West Cambridge, and Medford to North MAJ
den, where broke, the fragments disappearing n ,erv
lew seconds II parted the middle the upper portion
being then In the shape OF the tunnel and the lower part set
lied down and blended with the points that bad erazed the
ground the whole resembling huge irregular body Of smoke
which dissipated The time occupied in its nro
gress from Wsyland to Maiden very generally set down
at ten minutes Throughout nearly the whole Of its cour.
was preceded by cloud of DUST the appearance Of which
operated warning many persons in the fields roads
and even houses and induced them fly of the track Of
the approaching danger But for this circumstance the loss
Of life must have been immense That the sweep Of the tor
nado more destructive in the line of lin eonrs 4
planned by the peculiar fact that the main body did not de-
scend 10 range with the dwellings ees the somewhat
widely separated points only coming in contact with them.
although the extent OF the destruction is great, yet at no
point does It present any very striking cop dsLno very
awful accumulation of the swreck Of matter in any one
place. Though the devastation falls within clearly marked
track many prominent objects entirely escaped, while others
apparently not nearly much exposed were struck.
The cloud does not appear have acquired any great de-
gree Of destructive force until reached the north part of
Waltham, where commenced heavy operations by lifting
up and turning completely round barn, owned by Mr.
Baldwin On COL Peter Dunbas farm it destroy ed mum.
Der OF fruit trees, quantity of growing corn and several
fences Several trees upooted the estates Of G. W.
Lyman and Mr. Kendall and barn and other outbuidings
owned by William Sawyer blown down. Trees and
fences other farms in Waltham were also leyeled,
The principal of demolition in West Cambridge was
near the centre OF the town. Thomas E. Thops house was
torn down. and garden torn up The widow Whi,tsmore's
house and garden both entirely destroyed. Fessenden Whit
temo1e Co.'s large store eveiled to the ground
building owned by John Febown torn apart and scat
tered The stable and bowling alleys belonging TO Batess
down. the roof of the stable carried
yards The house Of David Horo unooed the chin
neys carried away, and his barn displaced from lis foun
daion. w. H. Whttemores livery stable was unroofed
The schoohouse the other side of the was also un
rooted. Gresham q Whiemore's card factory unroofed
and the dwelling houses occupied by the respective
parties, and the windows broken John Fowles store un-
rooted and chimneys torn down. William Clark harness.
maker shop partially unrooed and started from its founda-
ton with loss of chimney The houses Of Samuel Frost
Henry Frost and Mr.. Sawin partially torn down The
houses of Luke Aver Russell Proctor E. r. Prescott Daniel
Barker, the widow Frost Samuel Butman, Charles H and
Lotion Gassett were partially injured and unchimneyed
Thomas Cushngs shed smashed into fragments The
orchards Of Oliver Russell, William Hi and Dr.. yelling
ton were entirely destroyed The hurled through
the air to great distance. An icehouse belonging to the
Lombard estate, and another belonging George B. Rich
ardsop were entirely destroyed No lives were lost in West
Cambridge, nor limbs broken, far could gather
Having crossed Mystic river the tornado passed the
grounds OF l. r. Smith, Esq, at West Medford, leaving
marks OF It's fury three sides Of his elegant mansion but
doing damage to the building ITSELF One barn was leveed
to the ground and SO the caragehouses and the
rsges in them crushed peoes and the beautiful gar
den extending round two sides of the dwelling house
very much injured Some the finest trees and shrubs were
upooed and the VALUABLE plants DESTROYED The two
story ouo James M Sanford taken up and carried
about twenty feet across twotory house, nearly finish
ed, aid worth $6, OO0 torn to pieces which SO
scattered that even small pile of them be seen
The houses of Timothy Fagn and Mr. Nutter unroofed
An elegant house in process Of building for the Rev. Mr.
Haskins laid fiat. The house of a Mr. Huffmaster a
German farmer completely riddled and he was found
buried under the Fragments having received violent contu
sion Of the bran which proved fatal The house of Capt
Joseph Wyeh was so ripped up to be complete wreck
The l. part OF Mr.. Lanes house off and blown
down. So his barn and she'd Every window in the
house of Samuel Teee broken and the part unroofed
and his barn entirely destroyed One side of the Rev. John
Perpons house was unroofed his stable. part
OF the house owned and occupied by the Misses Brooks
carried away, and their garden entirely destroyed Mr.
Johnsons barn was ripped right up and the ruins carried
over to the Woburn road where they by anoer
flight Of ruins and they united in blocking up the road wen
ty feet high The windows Of the railroad depot were all
broken, and heavy baggage lifted from the track
and carried and rolled distance of hundred and fifty
yards. Several persons less injured by flying
timbes or bricks. Among them were George MAXWELL
whose skull fractured, and Luke Costello, who had an
arm broken. Both taken tile hospital The wife of
Mr.. CALDWELL residing the hill, while standing in the
doorway, caught up and carried the fields and
fences about five hundred yards, but received serious
injury.
In Medfod the old schoohouse was snatched up as it
were nothing but shnge, and dashed into thousand
pieces against buonwood tree The old elm tree the
pride of the village for hundred years. snapped off if
it were pipe-stem and carried off.
AT Medord Centre but little damage was done. large
pine tree uprooted carried into the air. and fell upon
Dr. Kidders house Forest street. Il broke through the
root, and of the made for themselves by
bursting out window.
The damage done to buildings gardens orchards, &c.
has been estimated at 100000, and will probably quite
reach that sum.
FIVE BRorHrRs BURNr.-One of the most terrible ca
lames that have been called chronicle took
place in the town Of Brighton, Eve miles from Cleveland,
Ohio, on Tuesday night August 49, We have gathered the
following particulars
Mr.. Onackers house was built Of wood stories m
height and frequently the the construct