Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-08-03
D. 3. MILLER, Secretary.
STORM IN INDIA. :

The following report, from \ correspondent
on whom we can rely, of an awful phenomenon,
happily unknown in temperate climates, will be
read with establishment;
AT 3 p. m. Of the 10th of April, while we
were measuring the circumference Of large hail
stones that fell lightly about Us. terrific storm
passed to the southwest of the station, about
seven miles off. The accounts brought by
natives next morning were so strange that did
not believe them, but after some gentlemen had
visited The spot ard confirmed all, |, too, went
to see the wreck left by the hurricane. As some
DAYS i; d elapsed since the occurrence, ! found
it Impossible TO approach the chaos from the
pu,rca,ion Of numbers Of dead bodies. An
eve witness told me that while it was blowing
pretty sill FSm Gg gf fs fgnAtHfS aAStf and II 5most touch
ing the ground, was seen to approach; another
similar mass advanced rapidly from the oppo-
site direction. They whircd round each other
The heat became intense, and cnvclopcd in the
greatest darkness: houses, bamb0s, trees, men,
women ard cattle were hurled in the whi:lwnd
dashed in all directions against trees. impaled
OH bambooS, or buried in the ruins. On the
sides of the track Of the storm hail stones fell
of the size Of bricks. The track was about
5000 wards broad; its length is-nol known, nor
The extent Of the devastation lscertaned go
dead bodies were counted b. gentlemen who
went there, Is persons with broken arms and
legs are in The hospital. Repor! says that 800
have been Killed no end Of cattle. think ii
very probable.
"As the natives build their houses, each fami-
" in little separate farms bid in the c!umps Of
bamboos, with intermediate feds, the scene pre-
scn,cd is that of undistinguishabe masses of
clumps of bamboos, and trees torn up, crossing
each other in every direction, and blocked up
with earth and materials that had formed houses,
so entirely broken up that nothing could be re-
connised rs having roof or sides. In f-ct boxes,
beds and things made Of planks were so broken
into pieces of Il foot or two, and thrown about
that il WAS not always easy to imagine what they
belonged to. From under the masses Of rubbish
jackalIs and vultures were pulling out the re-
mains Of human beings and cattle: in small
puddes, dogs goats, &c, were drowned and
rottng. The fields were covered with the skele-
tons of human beings, while the short thick
branches Of trees that stood leafcsS and barkless
supported numbers Of vullures. Vulturrs cOv-
cred theplaus, too gorged 10 fly at our approach,
and hundreds were soaring in circles high over
head in the clear sky, marking in the heavens
the course of the Storm. One poor, furnished
distracted being, with his head bandaged and
body scratched al over. bruised and cut, limped
UP to me he had lost all his relations father.
mother, wife and childrcn-a had been destroy
ed, and he could not find where they had been
carried away. 1t would require hundreds Of
men to remove thespi!es Of uprooted bambOos.
&c that mark the homestead of the missing;
under them will probably be found those that
were killed. while some, probably. had a living
grave, hoping-aas, in vain-that rescue would
come at last. a bugalow of 4 reminder, at
Dumduma on the river Chougut was blown TO
smithers, across the liver; in The roof two men
found flying passage, and strange TO say
survived.-Calcutta Englishman.