Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1851-05-09
TERRIFIC TORNADO!

TERRIFIC TORNADO!
Between 8 and A o'clock, on Sunday afternoon
last, our City was visited with a most frightful
Hurricane, which for its violence and the dam
age occasioned by it, far exceeded any thing of
the kind ever known to our oldest inhabitants.
It entered the City on the Southwest side and
made its track in a straight line to the North
east, prostrating trees, demolishing buildings and
unroofng some of the most substantially and Sc
curely covered houses in the place; spreading
alarm and CONSERVATION through the entire COM
munity.
We were in the Eastern suburbs of the City,
visiting a sick brother, and the wind beginning
to pour with considerable violence into the room
we stepped to the door to close it, when we re-
marked the threatening and fearful appearance
of the cloud. Almost by the time We had re-
sumed our seat, the wind was heard raging with
great fury a little North of the residence we
were in, when suddenly a loud explosion was
heard, similar to the report of distant heavy
thunder, and on rushing into the yard W. dis
covered the most awfully grand and imposing
scene we have ever witnessed. 1t had prostra-
ted the orchard and fences of Mr.. Sylvester
Smith, within a hundred yards of us, had come
in contact with the frame of a twostory house in
the course of erection, by James Litchford, Esq.
and literally demolished Twisting every tim
Der apart and removing every piece from its
foundation-and was making its way with light
ming speed towards the main business part of
the City. Large limbs or trees, timbers, and
other heavy materials, were plainly to be dis
tinguished high in the air, in contradistinction
r from the body of the raging cloud, which was
l black as midnight, and boiling as the eruption
, from q burning mountain.
Its course was continued on through the
squares on which reside B. F. Moore, Esq, ]. R.
; Jones and Mrs. Tucker, throwing down fences,
twisting up trees, demolishing out-houses, &c
; The chimney of the Standard office was blown
D down and the building slightly injured; as was
also the residence of Mrs. Wheaton. The taste
l fully decorated pleasure grounds of Mrs. Taylor
were sadly mutilated by the wind and falling
trees, and her delightful greenhouse, the pride
of the place, almost totally destroyed, with it:
/ rare exotics and choice %shrubbery, by the falling
/ VI tut CliltiiltAD vi tlN Ouo ulIOu L pussy tn
closure. Several very large trees were blown
down Immediately around the dwelling, which
luckily, were thrown in a direction to miss tn,
building, thereby, doubtless, preventing the los
of life, as their weight must have carried it witt
It them to the ground.
ID But when the storm reached Fayetteville St
IA it seemed to summon all its force and fury
4 Go-on,1 r+ooor --.o -.-4;Jl-. IL H. It'll
stripped of their heavy tin covering; some
them having the strong rafters broken in two
re The large brick building, in which are the Bool
rs store of Mr.. H.. D. Turner, Mr.. McKimmon
SStore, Palmer d Ramsey's Jewelry Story an
Mr.. Thompson's establishment, suffered great
on 1t was almost totally u~nroofed, and a consider
he BILE portion of the rear of the tenement total
he carried away. The Kitchen ofDr. W. W.. Ora
nat in the Northeastern suburbs of the City, W
ifv blown entirely down, in which were sever
| it negroes all of whom escaped with little or
- iniury-Yery large trees were also twisted
two and carried some distance from their stuml
nd We have not heard of the ravages of the Stol
no beyond the City, but if it continued long,
must have done great damage throughout its {
TIRE pathway
the 1t gives us great pleasure to state that no l1
were lost, which can be regarded as nothi
ing short of the interference of Him "who rideth up
uch the whirlwind and directs the storm" Y
the have heard of several persons being iniur,
who were out in the storm, but we believe nc
of them seriously.
n We have been something of a traveller in {
L. n~1 H. " /
pest over the Praries of Alabama and the sal
hnu' of Florida, Louisiana, &C., but never before l
; to we stood and gazed upon the terrific march
the tornado and whirlwind in such uncurbed
Y of ry and we pray we may never see it again.