Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-22
Remarltableo Escapes, Singular
.. Incidents, &C., .f.-o


Incidents, Sc.
c0,Ccs "a -.Ld4FT8o aaFo
Our city was visited, yesterday afternoon,
by probably the severest gale ever witnessed
in the West. About three o'clock, the sky
in the west-north-west suddenly became
dark, and seemed to porfend a thunder
storm. The Cyclops forged few bolts, how
ever, but the Cave of Eolus was suddenly
opened, and a hurricane passed over the CITY,
causing more or less damage in almost every
thoroughfare. 5 ,.. ,, s.'a, ,.'f...tgh
The gale lasted about fifteen minutes, but
this was enough to cause loss which will
amount in the aggregate to nearly half
million of dollars. 1t was accompanied
by heavy rain, and some lightning, and
abounded in all the elements that go to make
up magnificent storm, save thunder. m
During the former part of the day the
weather had been extremely fine. The lazy
rays of the SUM- rushed rapidly toward the
Earth, and the atmosphere was delicious as
the breath of May only can make it. The
sky was calm and blue, of soft, delicate
color, SO often seen in the canopy,of our beau
tifhl valley, and in every respect the day was
lovely. .'.-..-. ..''' 7N-- 'A' ~
And fashionable thoroughfares were crow
ded with elegantly dressed women who had
been wooed from their boudoirs by the balmy
kisses of a delightful breeze which seemed
quite as invigorating as the sunbeams were
warm. The entire city appeared TO be more
than usually animated and the evening
promised to be as pleasant as the morn had
been rosy.
Suddenly the heavens grew black; the day
dark, almost, as night; clouds Of dust arose
in the streets awnings we're torn; signs, shut
tiers and trees blown to the ground; conster-
nation seized the promenaders, who rushed
cbpltnr Of ttyifI la
belief that the final destruction of the planet
was at hand; the rain fell in torrents from
sky ever and anon livid with electric fire;
the streets were deserted and, in the short
space of half an hour, many of them had been
made impossible by the ruins of the very
things which had most tended to render them
beautiful t..fIt % ..f"H .'rr'ra I' .
Of course it is almost impossible to learn
the entire damage caused by the hurricane
In every part of the city houses were un-
rooied; in some places buildings were lev
eled with the earth, and in the extreme north
western portion of the town the streets bore
the appearance of having been deserted for
many years, so thoroughly had the storm
King prosecuted his work of destruction.
The most remarkable feature Of the gale,
however, was the fact that SO far as we
could learn, but four lives were lost. The
escape of our citizens, when we consider the
number upon the streets, and the time at
which the greatest damage was done-half-
past three in the afternoon-seemsp almost
miraculous The roofs of houses were, some
of them, carried squares away from the build
ings on which they belonged and shattered
to pieces upon the ground and yet the entire
damage, comparatively speaking, was done to
inanimate matter.
CHURCH STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. ~
The Church of the Holy Trinity, on Fifth
street, between Smith and Park, at some time
during the storm, was struck by lightning.
The fluid tore a hole in the roof about twelve
feet square, and passing into the building
seriously damaged the organ, which is an
excellent one and valuable. Apart from this
the building was not seriously damaged, al
though an immense stone from the cornice
weighing perhaps several tuns, was driven
from its place by the force of the shock and
fell into the street. A man named Peter
Kroeger, who was in the church at the time,
was Somewhat shocked by the electricity, but
was not dangerously injured. 81,
DAMAGE TO OTHER CATHOLIC CHURCHES. .,
ST. Augnstine's Church, on Bank-street
was also considerably damaged One of the
corner steeples was blown entirely off and
the rear portion of the building was un-
rooted. --1- a EFN 'i GE.0.G
The roof of the rear building connected
with the Convent of the Good Shepherd, ad-
joining the above, was torn off and the shrub
berry in the yards almost wholly ruined. "a
About seventy feet of the steeple of st. Jo-
sephs Church, situated on the southeast cor
ner of Linn and Laurel-streets, was blown
off and fell with a terrible crash upon the roof
injuring it so badly that it will almost wholly
A new church on Pendleton-street, north
of Hunt, was partially unroofed, but the dam
age, we believe, extended no further. 70
METHODIST CHURCH UNRooFED.
The roof Of d Methodist Church on Carr
street, near Eighth, was blown entirely off
by the gale, and fell into the street. A dray-
man named +. Fitzberger, who happened to
be passing at the time very narrowly es-
capped death. He was upon his vehicle when
the roof fell, and although his horse was
killed, a few bruises, which will readily heal,
were only inflicted upon him. n "aIllF q
INJURIES TO THE soHooL-HoUsEs-oNE OF THE
CHILDREN KILLED AND SEVERAL WOUNDED.
Several of our public school-houses were
more or less damaged. Marvellous as it may
seem, however, the pupils escaped the hor-
rible death with which they were threatened
with the loss of but one of their number.
The Fourteenth District School-house, sit
uated on Baymiller-strect, between Bank and
Dayton, was unroofed, the wind seizing 1t in
its arms and dashing portion of il against a
large brick building an hundred feet distant
upon the opposite side of the street.
The upper story was used for recitation
room, and number of the pupils were in it
at the time with Miss Metker. The noise
and the suddenness with which they were
left with no covering, save the Memphian
sky, caused the greatest CONSERVATION and
in the hurry to escape, six of them, including
the teacher, were severely injured. One
little girl, six years of age, named Mary Sell
fert, was taken home upon q bier with both
legs fractured, and died from her injuries
within few hours, .....''... d..
The teacher was severely and painfully,
although it is said not dangerously, wounded
in the head by falling brick. The other
pupils injured by detached portions of the
roof which fell in their midst are not seriously
wounded, although several of them, with
broken limbs and bruised bodies, will be con-
fined to their rooms for some time. Wi iu4itl,.
The Third District school-house on Ellen
street, between Lock and Baum, was wholly
unroofed but no pupils were injured. The
house will be closed FOR repairs until further
notice.
The new portion of the Eleventh District
.School-house, on Clinton-street, between
Linn, and Locust, was partially unroofed,
while the old part of the building, which has
always been considered unsafe, remains un-
harmed Gif
The school-houses in the Tenth District,
Vine-street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth,
and the Sixth District, corner of Elm and