New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-25
9tb 0rlsans 9aiIp Grssesut.
The Great Storm Along the Ohio River,
BUILDINGS IN LOUSY LIE AND cIxcfsNArI DE
plg MOLiSHED.


=1l MOLIsHED.
Loss of Life and Immense Damage to
Property.
From the Louisville Courier of Tuesday we ex-
tract the following account Of the fearful tornado
which swept over that city and the adjacent county
on the previous day:
little after o'clock yesterday the city was
tornados ever known. During the morning it was
pleasant, but towards noon it began to eioad nm.
and about O'Clock the heat was oppressive In tie
extreme. The threatening clouds were gathering
IN heavy masses in all directions, with not breath
Of air stirring in the streets; but that storm was
brewing was apparent to the most casual observer
OF the elements. The scene soon fearfuIIy changed
with most singular change in the appearance Of
the cloudsI which varied in color from black to
green, and then to straw color, followed bv Ter.
rible tornado which luckily lasted bat a few min,
utes, Or the destruction would have been immense
me Guy IN twinkiing was completely enveioped
IN dust, houses unroofed and demolished trees nm
rooted, and the utmost confusion prevailed h III
almost cymerian darkness that elcomnassed Tho
city. The wind shifted from the southwest Il IA
northwest, and amid the clashing Of the elements,
amld Inc lightning and loud peaIs of thunder tie
rain poured down in torrents--a miniature deluxe.
intermixed with heavy storm Of hail, &
Although the storm was Of short duration. ii
was destructive IN the extreme extending all over
the city, and not confined, as heretofore to anv
particular course. The most serious disaster was
to new two-story brick building belonging to q,
Klinzer, a grocer, on the corner of Fourteenth
street and Portland avenue. A party of workmen
were shingling the roof at the time, and FASTENED
to escape the storm, but it fell upon the house
with fearful force, rendng it to atoms, literally
leaving not one stone upon another. All of the
men were more or less injured, and one killed out
rsOtx& Il. - ~
skull was fractured by brick. He was German
laborer of the name of John Ready, and leaves a
wife and six children. OF the Others who were
injured, it was thought two of them could not sur
yive the night. boy jumped from the second
story window of the falling building, and was the
only one uninjured.
The roof the United States Marine Hospital on
High street, road to Portland, was blown of, but
no one injured, and the Brewery near upper Port
land was partially unroofed In Portland, several
buildings on Commercial street and other localities
were damaged, and the gable end of the house
taken completely out. A horse, wagon and driver
were taken up by the wind, the two former dashed
against the fence, and the driver wen grown man
thrown over the fence.
In the city the roof Of Peters, Webb & Co. s piano
factory, corner of Fourteenth and Main, was blown
off; the cathedral on Fifth street, slightly damaged
in the roof the roof of Mrs. Davis boarding house
corner Of Jefferson and Eighth streets, was blown
of, and portion of end fell in, seriously in
juring Mrs. Tyndal and slightly wounding child.
On Chestnut street, Mr.. Casseday's residence was
somewhat damaged, and the entire back part of
the residence of H. Schroeder, on Third street,
just beyond the Customhouse, was unroofed, the
roof being carried a distance of 40 or so feet.
Along Second street trees were uprooted and
Frustrated, and the warehouse OF Schrodt q Laval
was wholly unroofed, the rafters being tossed
about like feathers in the wind. The sforehouse
of Newcomb y Bro, fronting on Bullitt street, was
completely unroofed, o portion of the roof being
thrown against the brick part of the store Of Sher.
ley, Bell and Co., on Wall street, breaking through
the windows, and causing much damage to both
houses, especially by water, the rain was pour
ing down in torrents. The force Of the storm ex-
tended to McClaran & Co.'s planning mill on Shelby
street. and unroofed it. It also unroofed tie
Broadway. bridge mill and several chmneys in the
First Ward were blown down, and children burnt.
Some twenty trees were blown across the track
of the Frankfort Railroad at Wenzel street. and
other points, extending many miles out; and the
residence of ]. L. HIATT three miles above the city
was unroofed, and divers other accidents of tri-
vial character occurred all over the city.
Along the river the storm was equally fearful
and destructive, occasioning the sinking of ten
coal boats and barges at the upper landing, in
GLIDING two barges of G. Millers one Of Armistead
4 Cornells, one Of James & Co.'s, of Memphis, one
belonging to ]. S. bravo, two of kellogg & Co.'s,
and three flats of the Crescent Citys, all in a
space of three hundred yards. The wheel Of the
Pink Marble No. 2 was much damaged, and the
Argyle, from New Orleans had her chimneys
blown overheard at Utica, where she was com
Grey Eagle, at Portland, had her chimneys knock
cd overheard, close to the deck, one of them fall
ing on the Lancaster alongside, breaking in the
roof of the latter.
We also heard that the storm visited New Al
bany with fearful violence, unroofing the Catholic
church and other buildings and causing the loss of
several lives.
The picnic party, for the benefit of the Catholic
Orphan Asylum, which assembled in a grove some
twelve miles up the river, on the Indiana shore,
had terrible time in the storm. The party num-
bered nearly 1000, including women and children,
all of whom were exposed to the rain, and came
home thoroughly soaked with mud and water.
Just as they were about to partake of the dinner
that had been prepared in the woods the hurricane
burst upon them in all its fury. Trees were broken
and snapped in two like reeds over their heads,
the trunks and limbs crushing the tables, and scat
terng the viands and dishes in all directions in the
midst Of which tree was struck by lightning, and
the widest scene of confusion ensned among the
women and children, yet strange to tell,
we heard Of but one person being seriously hurt.
Miss Q. Reagan, who had her shoulder dislocated.
The whole party came home with even worse than
a fshermans luck. They were in the heavy pelt-
ing rain for an hour or two with no shelter, and
had lost their dinner by the devastating storm.
In the evening we had two more severe storms
of wind, rain, hail, lightning and thunder and the
streets were again flooded with water.
This terrible storm reached Cincinnati at little
past O'Clock, and burst in all its fury upon that
city, causing loss of life and great damage to
property. The Cincinnati papers are filled with
accounts of the feafnl havoc of the tornado. From
that in the Gazette we extract the following:
One of the most terrific tornadoes ever known
visited our city yesterday afternoon between
three and four O'Clock, which resulted in the
complete demolition of a large number of build
ngs, the partial destruction Of churches and hum
lreds of dwelling houses, the death of four men
in the city and of two drowned in the river,
injury of several women and children smashing
up Of an engine and baggage car on the Goving-
ton and Lexington Railroad, and the miscellaneous
tearing to pieces and turning upside down and
inside out of things generally. The elements of
express purpose of demolishing everything above
ground.
The storm came from the northwest; and when
viewed from a point high enough to give one a
clear view of the horizon, appeared to be o cloud
densey black, extending about two miles in
breadth, and rushing forward with fearful rapidty.
ltwas accompanied by lightning and thunder and
torrents Of rain, which were swept into every cre
vice. The wind struck with fearful force. A
friend of ours, who was a witness to the damage
done by the great tornado which swept over Hi
nos and part of Iowa about two years ago, states
that the storm of yesterday was far more terrific.
The great force of the storm WAS spent In about
twenty minutes. In the evening, at sunset, the
western horizon presented of the most brilliant
scenes we have ever witnessed. The sky, as far as
the eye could reach westwardly, was a brilliant
red, deepening into blood-red the distance in
creased from the sun
As far as we have learned the particulars, there
were four persons killed in the city, and two
steamboat hands drowned in the Ohio river. The
lxsII, Az. Ia.