Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-03
The Calamity at Louisville

The full telegrophic accounts of the recent
calamity at Louisville have left few of the ma
terial facts connected with it unrelated. The
Louisville papers received by mail, however.
afford some incidents, connected with The storm.
that will be read vita interest. The Courier,
Of Tueslay, says:
Tho extreme western limit of the rayages
Of this storm was at Inc locality Of tie German
Protestant Orphan Asylum, and the eastern
was at the store OF the Brothers Scmple. on
the corner OF Sixth and Main. Parallel lines.
drawn from these two points, would enclose a
space over thirty-hve hundred feet in width,
but as the storm obeyed the law of meieorolopy
which guides thess accelerated currents in
hnortheastward'y direction, the whole
width OF that space was Il )t swept by the storm.
The large hemp factory belonging to w. A.
Richardson, esq. was stripped Of its entire roof,
and 1t was one Of the most substantial in the
city. The factory stands on Twelfth street.
near Chestnut. The timbers in the roof were
forty feet IN length, and were very heavy and
substantial. The entire roof was lifted BY the
storm, carried about one hundred and fly yar1s,
ana deposited, bottom upwards, in a peach
orchard. lnclinirg northesstwardly from Thai
point, the storm struck the LIS Of the building
OF Mr. Lilly, fine, large. suburban dwell
ing, on the west side Of Tenth between Cl a.
not and Broadway The roof Of The Ia were
destroyed, and Inc walls much Injured. The
STounoS were strewed with leaves Of the trees
At IS not in the power OF pen or language 10
describe tho, varied scenes and incidents Of
yesterday. Mothers IN frantic agony seeking
Their children, wives their husbands, children
their parents, as they wandered through the
assembled crowd, filing the air with cries Of
mourning, causing ali to drop the sympathetic
tear and desire 10 invoke The same vast Power
70 RAISE the fallen structures, and restore the
dear ores sought But alas each piercing
shnei reveals the fact that some new dead
form has been brought TO light Here comes
iother borne along by friends who take him
rom his bed Of death next the mother, then
the daughter and two SON, all crushed, mutt.
lated, dead Truly this Z house Of mourn.
ing.
Next cones . taken. haired girl, scarce four
yearS OF age, borne in the arms of sturdy
man, streaming with perspiration, begrimmed
with dirt who had discovered her under huge
pile Of timbers which falling across q beam.
protected her little form from death As she
was brought forth before the people, she looked
tuVeN WIN ihce lull OF wonder, which was
heightened by the shouts ofgrattude that went
up from the assembled multitude In praise 10
her noble .deliyerer, Lni thanksgiving that one
father end saother's heart was not ade DESC
late by the untimely death Of their little one.
We noticed 9 young wife hurrying with dis
racted steps through tne crowd, rending the
air with her agonizing shrieks, seeking her
husband, who she thought was bnrie..il IN the
ruins. The husband ives also seeking his
wit@. Tearing her cries, he made his way to
her side, and with o shrill cry Of Joy she rushed
into bis arms, eXclaiming, thank God you
are safep All responded hearty amen, in
Thanksgiving to God that he restored them TO
each others arms. Pages would not serve 10
give all the incidents Of this melancholy scene,
with so few enlivening features to relieve its
terrors, and we can only supplicate that AL.
mighty Power which directs all His sisitations
in unerring wisdom, to support and comfort the
bereaved in their great affection.
The Democrat of the same day says:
Twelve o'clock, August 9th, 1854, will long
be remembered as q terrible epoch in the his.
tory Of Louisville.
With that hour came death TO many persons
assembled In the house Of God, engaged in