Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-05-29
co N G II + S SIGNAL.
SENATE
MONDAY. MAY "a, 1858.

! Mr.. Brown presented memorial in rela.
ton to laying a railway track along Penn
:, sylyania avenue.
MIR, CLAY, from the Committee on Com
mcrce, reported a bill in favor of improving
the Dismal Swamp Canal
4 Mr.. Douglas introduced bill for facili-
tating communication between the Atlantic
and Pacific States by telegraph. Also, a
bill to restrain and redress outrages on the
flag of the United States, empowering the
President to act according to his discretion,
without asking the sanction of Congress.
! The Senate discussed bill to repair and
secure the harbor Of Chicago.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
The H ouse proceeded to the consideration
of business relating to the District of Col
umbia; this being one Of the two days set
apart for that purpose.
Mr.. Goode moved that the bill for the or
ganization of Fire Department in each of
the cities of Washington and Georgetown
be put on its passage
/ Mr.. Morris, of Pennsylvania, from the
Committee for the District Of Columbia, Of
fered substitute proposing to organize a
paid Fire Department dispensing altogeth-
er with the voluntary system appropriating
$l5, 900 for four steam fire engines, and
$4,000 for a fire alarm and police tele-
graph.
The bill together with the substitute, was
referred to the Committee Of the whole.
The House went into Communicable.
Haskins in the chair-and took up the bill
appropriating three thousand dollars, for five
years, for the benefit of the Columbian In
stitution for the deaf, dumb, and blind in
the District of Columbia. It was laid aside
to be favorably reported to the House, with
a recommendation that it pass.
/ The Committee took up the Senate bill
regulating municipal elections in the city of
Washington, proposing to repeal so much
of the law as divides the wards into two pre-
cincts, and that every male white citizen
twenty-one years Of age, excepting paupers,
! Migrants, felons, persons non compos mentis,
who shall have paid the school tax, ETC., re-
side IN Washington twelve months. and in
the ward thirty days, shall be entitled to a
vote, ETC., provided he be citizen of the
! United States at the time
! A debate took place as to this clause of
the bill, involving the question of Know
Nothingism, etc.
WAsUSGToS, May IS.
Senote.-The day was spent in debating
Mr. Stewards amendment to the S15, 900 :
600 loan bill
On the proposition for II home valuation
of foreign imports Mr.. Hunter raised the
point Of order, that such an amendment was
not admissible to the loan bill.
House. The House was engaged on Dis
trict of Columbia business. The bill to in
corporate the Washington National Monu-
ment Association was tabled.
The Ohio contested election case was set
tied by giving Vallandigl am the seat in
stead of Campbell. The former was then
sworn in
The House then went into a committee
Of the whole on the Scna cs amendment to
the Civil Appropriation BILL
!, The Tornado III l!lineis.
The Peoria cub Transcript gives vivid
description of the recent fearful tornado in
Illinois as it swept over that place, where
its power was severely felt The hurricane
commenced Just before six o'clock in the
afternoon and lasted about three-ouartcrs
Of an honr
"For fifteen minutes previous to it's COM
mcnccment the sky was thickly overcast
with dark green clouds, and the city pre-
sented a sombre and gl"on,v appearance,
which seemed foreho,ling of the terrible
catastrophe, that was 50 soon to overtake it..
: 40 breeze came from any quarter: on the
lake not wave rIpplei On the tree not a
t leaf futtered. All nature seemed hushed ;
above naught but a gloomy green; in the
, city solemn silence. la the midst of this
scene vivid blaze Of lightning shot up APP
parently from every quarter of the horizon,
and for three or four minutes was accom-
! panied by no thunder. Suddenly, however,
f the city was shook by loud and heavy
clap, and instantly the hurricane commenc-
; ed, sweeping through the city with terrible
, power from the west. With it came the rain
in torrents. We never saw such deluge
, Of water. In less than three minutes tie
, hailstoncs, as large as hickory nuts, CON-
mcnced beating down like leaden bullets,
7 and the hurricane mean time increased in
frightful power.
t ''Ihe scene was now terrible Hundreds
5 of chimneys in every direction were twisted
7 Oft, and the bricks sent crashing through
| the streets and over on to neighboring roofs,
} large dry goods boxes were picked up and
| hurled furieusy through the air until thew
struck against some immovable object
awnings and signs were torn from their fast
, enings, boards, billets Of wood, stones, brick
every thing movable in short-went fy-
: ing through the streets an over and against
buildings; boats a. the wharf, becoming
r perfectly unmanageable were tossed over
the waves to the opposite shore and to sure
, destruction. For moment the terrible
gale seemed to have spent it's fury, but it
r was only for moment. Again it swept
T through the city, and this time with the
; sinews of a giant. Church steeples were
, snapped off and went crashing through the
r roofs; exposed frame buildings were fairly
lifted from their foundations and crushed
into heap of ruins roofs were torn up and
shattered into fragments, and large brick
buildings in process of construction we're
blown over upon the roofs Of smaller ad-
joining buildings. With the pelting rain
and hail, the vivid flashes of lightning, the
terrific claps Of thunder, the roar of the
, hurricane and the noise of falling chimneys
, and buildings, the scene was one of great