The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-04-16
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
OBSTRUCTIVE TORNADO.

one OF the most destructive tornados which has
ever occurred in Pennsyivsnia took place on Sa,
urday. II commenced In Pttsburg. Pa. at o,clock
on Saturday afternoon. and pursued . South by
Southeast course until It reached PhilsdelphIs
which II did 1T 10 o'clock that night The Ledger
Of Monday says r.7''p7 !
The day had been sultry aud high westerlv
winds prevailed, blowing clouds of dust THROUGH
the streets. There were but few drops of rain
though indications of storm existed for many
hours. .tsasf =.tE ...-.;. ..sz.s .
Suddenly, at 10 o'clock at night, there arose
fierce roaring of the wind, preceded by q few
flashes Of lighting and followed withsa fall of hail
stones. Instantly there was . tremendous rat
tling of window shutters huttering of awnings
falling of signs, lifting of roofs and destruction
Of walls and even of buildings. The storm was
felt with more severity In the Northern part of
the city, where not less than hundred and fifty
houses have felt its effect in the demolition of chin
neys, injury to roofs and damage to walls. Some
of the best constructed houses apparently suffered
rs severely AZ badings of a less substantial char
acter. In kensiDgton, the effects Of the wind
to be seen in every direction. What Is very for
tunate amid all this destruction snd ang of bricks
and scattering of tmbers, scarcely any personal
injury was sustained. only few persona, far as
we have heard, having received any injury, and
that of no very serious character. 4.
The boiler shop of Sutton Css Franklin Iron
Works, on the wharf at Beach and Wood streets,
was entirely demolished. This was a frame build
ing $50 feet long by so wide, erected In 1850, at
cost Of 81, 900.
The Presbyterian Church building. in Frankford
road, above Franklin street. was damaged to not
less than $4,000. The entire roof was stripped off
and scattered in fragments A fragment fell upon
the roof of an old brick building on the opposite
aide of the street, cutting through the roof and
crushing in the brick wal between two windows.
Another fragment was carried about q hundred
ieet from the church, demolishing a two-story
frame kitchen attached to the dwelling of Mr.
James May, on Shackamaxou street. In the low.
er story st the time were Mr.. May, his wife, six
children, and Margaret Madden, 8 woman aged
about sixty-with the exception of the latter who
is severely injured, the family escaped Three of
the children were taken from the ruins. the table
and chairs having sustained the ceiling so as not to
crush them. The interior of the church presented
sad scene of destruction. The western gable
wall having been blown in the bricks crushed
through ceiling and floor into the session room in
the basement, carrying with it the pulpit altar &c.
This church was built in 1914. = p
The new and beautiful Kensington NJ E.
church, erected the site of the Old Brick church
at the corner of Queen and Marlborough streets,
was also partially unroofed. The front gable wall
was thrown inside, falling upon the gallery. A
served the interior from more serious damage
The repairs will ilvolS expense of about So
000. The clock was Jared by the wall falling and
stopped at minutes after 10 o'clock, showing the
exact time of the disaster. This church was dedi-
Gated in May, 1854.
On Eleventh street. below Montgomery, double
brick building, occupied as q pottery part of the
roof blown out of place, and portion thrown
down with the wall into the building Victor Har.
biek, German, with family, occupied q portion
of the premises they were all in bed MIR. H.
escaped with a blow and cut upon his head, and
the children were uninjured another German in
the house made also very narrow escape. The
tin root of nearly half of the new. and unfinished
Methodist church on the west side of Eleventh
street, below Oxford, blown off on three houses
on the other side of the street, doing them some
damage.
The roof of stable in Brown street. near Nine
teenth street, was taken off The roof of dwell
ling in Pagoda street. above Pennsylvania avenue
was taken entirely off Several loaded freight cars
which had been left on the track of the Reading
Railroad between Seventeenth and Eighteenth
Streets were carried up the road for some distance
and were stopped at last by their running off the
track. We understand that, in the vicinity Of
Marlborough, several barns were blown down, and
much damage done by the blowing down of fences,
sheds, &C.
The liberty pole in front of James McCreedden's
tavern, Front street, below Noble, was likewise
blown down and carried by the wind considera-
BILE distance below. The topmast was whirled
over the lots to Washington Avenue. -~ ~
Every part of the city has experienced the eff.
fects OF the storm. In the Neck" which includes
the First Ward, fences enclosing FARMS are blown
down for miles, barns and stables have been un.
rooted, and trees that stood for half century
have been uprooted. In Reed street, above Eighth,
the dwelling and stables of Mr.. Cassady were un.
rooted. -
The telegraph wires in the upper section of the
cry wete broken, and the fences for miles around
were thrown around in the greatest confusion.
The loss in damage to buildings alone is estima
ted at 100000 - -
THE MISSING STEAMER-Vessels Sent tn Search
of H9.-Ws have stated that the British govern.
ment has sent the Desperate and Tartarus. two
| sfeam-frigates, in search of the missing steamer
Pacific Thia WI tho
lished in the London Times, of which the follow
ing Is an extract: -.I -"
If her steam power failed on the Banks sba
might have regained the coast of Ireland by the
2oth 70 the 10Th OF February, provided she had
westerly winds all the way, as the Atlantic had
ON her return passage. Against head winds the
Pacific could make no progress Relying upon her
steam power, she spreads very little canvass Sbs
has NO bowsprit, and scarcely any head or after
sail With an imm snse hull high out of water and
large paddle boxes and deck houses she must drift
to leeward as fast or faster than she could reach
ahead t.t4 .s-TI----
Throughout the month of February strong
sOutheriy winds blew constantly between long IS
deg. and 40 deg west On this coast, extending
rs far West as Is deg. we have had easteriy winds
with occasional gales, almost without intermission,
since the 10th of February.
More than three hundred ships are over due
from the westward at the ports of Great Britain
and the channel ports of the continent, though
few (and among them are some of the best ap-
pointed packet shipsI that have recently arrived
from New York came rapidly over with the west
erly and southerly winds Until they struck
soundings thence they have battled for weeks
against .easterly winds. if= so
A ship arrived yesterday, fifty days from New
York, more than thirty of them used on soundings
as the coops of the Channel If such ships are
held in check for month, what is the fate of the
disabled steamer, with her retreat cut off by oppo-
sing winds In retracing her course across the
Atlantic the south winds must have driftsd her to
leeward north of the route of passing vessels. On
reaching the meridian of Is deg. her progress east
ward was effectually barred; she could not get to
the eastward or southwark In such an emergen-
cy she would have held on as well rs she could,
drifting slowly northwards on the western margin
of the easterly winds. .8
If afoat-and no good reason exists for doubling
that she isshe Is probably within 800 to 600 miles
W. N. w. of ireland, where she can be found and
rescued by searching squadron Of two or three,
or even one steamer, sent from these shores.
The New York correspondent of the PhiadeE
phia Ledger says;a go 4ttL-sgs
The latest report, reviving surmiss TO the fate
of the unfortunate steamer Pacific, is that of the
British bark Alliance, from Liverpool, the captain
Of which states that when in lat 81 90, lon II A.
(no date) saw the top part Of steanships paddle
box, painted black, with > new board in It.
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