Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-23

Terrible Tornado ln ClucInnari---Livos
Lont---lmmense Damage TO Property.
About three O'Clock the afternoon Of the
2lst, tremendous tornado swept over the city
Of Cincinnati The Commercial says;
We had observed. few minutes before,
that the storm rising in the southwest prom
ised 70 be one Of unusual severity. Violent
gusts of wind whirled the dust in fierce ed
dies about the streets, and made the sand and
gravel whiz and spin over the boulders and
sidewalks The air Suddenly grew dark, and
presently a craggy mass Of black and ashen
clouds were seen, laced and bristling with
streams Of lightning, rushing up the sky with
amazing velocity. So vivid and incessant
was the pity Of electricity, that the storm
cloud seemed like magazine Of rockets ex-
ploding and launching volleys Of fiery darts
in every direction. While the lightnings
were flaming above, the tempest was roaring
below, and as 1t advanced, the city was lost
TO view in the white and Kissing spray Of the
rain.
The force Of the wind was for this latitude
almost unexampled
In few minutes immense damage was
done. Steeples were prostrated, dwellings
overthrown, crushing the occupants in the
ruins; roofs whirled on high torn into shreds,
and scattered far and wide; shade trees up
rooted, twisted and broken by hundreds;
signs torn from their iastenings, and shivered
into splinters; chimneys beaten down; win
dows burst in; carriages overturned; per-
sons hurled from their feet and bruised against
the walls. We have, indeed, a long and dis
tressing catalogue Of disasters to present our
readers.
Our own share. in the general calamity is
serious.
COMMERCIAL oFFIcRss ssBUmDBe USROoFED.
The new building erected for the accommo-
dation of this office, being of great height,
and upon corner, was exposed 10 the full
| fury Of the maddened elements, and the cor
nice and roof, with the exception of few
| feet of the latter, are scattered about the
town. A section of the upper part Of the
east wall was overthrown and crushed
through the roof and floors of the adjoining
building, a mass of brick falling into Mrs.
Johnson's ice cream saloon, inhicting injuries
upon persons there, and doing great damage
to property.
The printers of this establishment, whose
room is in the highest story, had just observed
| that the storm was raging with wonderful
fury, when they were startled by an awful
crash and the flliug of bricks and mortar
among them. 1t is not surprising that they
concluded the building was about being de
stroyed, and retired Precipitately from the
scene of their labors.
They rushed headloug down stairs and the
U II.
from the beginning of the world to that mo-
ment, made such time as they made, down a
stairway. Fortunately no man was injured
otherwise than slightly bruised in the wild
run for life.
ACCIDENT BY THE FALL OF THE ROOF.
At the time of the catastrophe whereby
our new building was untopped, several per-
sons were sitting in Mrs Johnson's saloon,
1 Immediately east on Fourth street, partaking
| Of strawberries and cream. The rear of the
saloon is an addition to the main building,
and is but one story in height, with a skylight
upon the roof As the wind took effect upon
the upper part of the Commercial building, a
shower of brick and mortar descended in a
mass through the skylight beneath, into the
confectionery, tearing away great portion OF
the floor, and carrying with it a portion Of
the furniture, consisting of handicapped
tables and chairs. There was of course a
fearful excitement among the occupants OF
the saloon, and we regret to state that five
persons, including some slight injury to an
infant daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. johnson 8;
were more or less injured.
Over four columns of the Commercial are
filed with the details of the devastation,
principally in the city. The Gazette states
tue ascertained loss of life to be four persons
killed in the city, and two steamboat hands
drowned in the Ohio river The names oi
the killed in the city were Henrick Kissken
Thomas Cole, Mr.. Grey, and Mr. Brenkmeyer
Two were killed by the falling of new
building on Fifth street Mr.. Cole by the
falling of shed in his brickyard A larg,
number of persons were injured in variou.
parts of the of city, some fatally it is feared
OF the calamity on Fifth street the CONNER
cial says:
4 new three story brick building was erect
ed by Henry Frostinger, and the carpenters
FIVE in number-were at work in the inte-
rior, when in the midst of the storm the
building was felt to sway. Two of the meT
Immediately made their escape from the
windows, and third who was at work be.
low quilted by the door, when another hurri.
cane blast struck the fabric which tOttered
and crumbled into a wreck of brick, mortal
and splinters, in the midst of which the two
unfortunate workmen left in the building
were buried. The confusion and terror oeca
stoned by the crash induced the report tina
there were some half dozen victims, and
crowd was Immediately gathered, when {
portion of the lower extremities of human
being were seen protruding from the rubbish
which as speedily as possible was cleared away
and two bodies, buried within few feet 0
each other, taken out They presented
shocking appearance; their faces were horri
bly, disfgured and their heads were literally
smashed.
SCHOOL HOUSE UNRooFED-cHILDRES HURT.
The most terrifying incident ofthe tempes
was the unroofng of the Fourteenth Distric
School House, and the consequent scene
} among frenzied children. We quote from
: the Commercial 5 account: The teachers saw
j the storm gathering and closed the windows
The Tornado swept madly by from the val
t ley and struck the West gable of the devote,
E house, which .qnivered like leaf At the in
= stant no apprehension was entertained. Bu
: the tempest, as if maddened by opposition
! came back with fearful rebound and tn
f bricks began to rattle, the shingles few lik
8 hail-stones, and in an instant the whole roc
a was lifted and swept from the walls an
D dashed to the opposite side of the street.
e Miss Rachel Medkirk, who taught the infan
: class in the West room of the upper story
{ meantime comprehended the danger, an
with rare presence Of mind and heroic cou
age, fed to the school-room door, closed i
/ and placed her back against it to keep th
the frightened children from plungiDg in bead
: long confusion down stairs. But while th
B brave girl sprang to her duty she was struc
] upon the head and face by fnlling bricks, bu
? she stood at her post while the blood streame
e from her wounds until the roofhad taken il
4 niuht and her rnou svae a taribla rcana of am