Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-05-25
VIOLENT ToRNADoEs.
Further accounts from Observation-Disclosures Da-
mage Terrible Sceae ia School e-Lossc q
Il

I>tc,
Various sections Of country appear TO have ben
visited on Monday ni;ht 10y violent storms 81 wind
and rain, destroying u large amount Of property,
| AMI in some instances involving loss OF lie.
The Cincinnati papers bring US extended de-
tails af the terrible hurricane in that city and VIZ
cini,y, ON Mon lay afternoon, "f which We gave
/ m account by telegraph. The fDmmerciaf, after
noting slight Indications oil the APP reaching STORM
| savs
The air suddenly grew dark, and presently
craggy mass Of black and ashcn clouds were seen,
laced aud bristlng with streams of lightning.
rushing up the sky with amazing velocity. 80 VI
yid and inceS.an was tho play Of electricity, that
the storm cloud seemed like magazine of rock
cts exploding and aunohin, yJlleys ii fiery
darts in every direction. While the lgh'n'ncs
we're flaming above the tempest was roaring be-
low. and ms il advanced. the city was lost to view
in the white and Missing spray Of the rain.
The force Of the wind was. for this latitude, al.
most unexamJled In n few minutes immense
damage was done. Steepeswcre PROSTATE, dwell
lngs overthrown, crushing the occupants in the
ruins roofs whiiied on high torn into shreds, aud
scattered far and wide; shade trees uprootei,
twisted and broken, by hundreds signs torn from
their fastenings and shivcrrd into splin,ers: chin
| news beaten down; windows burst in carriages
| overturned persons hurled from their feet and
bruised against tho walls.
The Commercial here gives n long account of
hundreds Of houses unr" led churches Damaged
shade trees and shruhl"ry swept of, and oher
property destroyed. The following terrifying in
cidcn of The tempest, by the uaroafns 81 The | lh
district school house, and the !rez.cd children, u
gwen by the paper:
The Teachers tie storm gn.hcllh.. ani
closed tie wni,ms. Ihr torna 10 SWEPT n.a..ly
up from the 'allcy ani struck the west eniir I
the devoted h,u~r VIII. gniscrod ltk" lea! NJ
the instant, 10 pp'tp'a'iuHs VI ere chiel tanned.
But the ,empes', az # ma1dencd by oI'ru'.l.i II.
In.,i 1 F. -, L
begun To rattle the slin -,c- flew IL had tunes,
aud in an instant the Whuic tun hted and
swept from the walls AMI dashed Ia The opposite
side of the street. Miss Rachael Medkilk, who
laugh. the infant class III the west room I'll lr up
! per stoiy meantime cninprchend"I the dagger,
and with rare presence oi mind aui bcfair cour.
| age, fed 10 lie srh"l room dour closed II. and
| placed her ilck against II To keep the frightened
! children ir III Iinn.'r. ia hcr i u. ctiItl>i"n
! down stairs. But vHilc lie brave riti sprung 10
! her duty she was syuth ulon the lead and face
/ by falling bricks, but .he stood Al her post willie
/ the blood strcamel from her wounds, until the
roof hal taken its flight and her room was n ter
/ rible scene of confusion and devastation.
II being impossible to calm the frcnzed chil
/ lrrn. Miss Mcjkirk now fled down stairs, prescn-
/ iing herself Idteou~ spectacle 10 Mr. Sands the
principal, who iii now was ignorant Of the de-
struction above and demanding his assistance.
I sped bnck h. her charge. Mr. Sands was keep.
! iny the children in order down stairs, but Las
tened up; AMI upon presenting himself in the
| ROOM, the little ones cnspcd him by the logs and
body and clung to him with the energy OF des-
pairing terror, shrieking to save them. Such II
scene could not be portrayed by human language.
| cloud of thick dust was whirling in the room {;
the tornado howlcd dsmally overhead bricks and
the debris Of The devastated building Il ying
about like tennis balls, aud the poor children kept
| up an agonzing chorus of shrieks, so that it was
impossible to determine tie extcn, ofthoir misery.
| BY persuasion and earnest exerton of authority,
Mr.. Sands and Miss Mcdkirk restored their charge
| ~ .ome degree of composurc, when he repaired to
the al joining rooms to render like assistance
Here were also scenes ofwild disorder and dismav
but the teachers-Miss Josephine Medkirk, Miss
Jackson and Mr.. Goss-dischargcI Their trust
faithfully, and were soon enabled 10 restore de-
gree Of confidence to the t,rror-strckeu pupils.
Before tho storm had settled, the facts, mag
nifed thousand fold, reached ears of.hundreds
of parents, who sped tranticay to the school
house, expecting TO find their ofsprings buried in
u heap of ruins. The. wild frenzy of mothers
was described to us Ivy Mr.. Sands as something
fearful. Some would snatch up auybody's chill
dren, sean their features Us il they would devour
the little Ones drop them if they did not rceog-
nizc their own, and rush through the mass Of
ycarninS hearts. crying, MY child, my child, or
calling it tundly by name. Throngs Of them
thrust themselves up the school.huusc stairs, and
would not hear remonStrances or assurances. Onc
crowd shouting crazy for her Mickey" Mr.
Sands assured her he was s.,ie. y little urchn
| hard by nterpnscl, ''Nn he aiu't. he's Killed |
saw him deal" The poor woman ,aslel and
seemed turned to stone. When sine found her boy
alive. but wounded she almost fell in "a swoon.--
Other and similar incidents were narrated by eye.
witnesses. but the rca ier easily imagine The
terrible agony 81 parents heart in such tr,al.
Mary Seler. aged nne wears. was found lying
under the wreck OF Miss Mrdkirk's table. Her
body had been r'tcrtcl Tie ,al.lc under Which
she had crawlel for safety, but the cap -tnle at
the building fell upon her rss and ir1kc ti.rm
both off below her knees, AM man led her limb,
sadly. She was carried home sun RIA murl, agony
Five others were more or less iijurcd. The rca,cr
will agree with Us that it Is won lcrful that
scores of children were natkiel. There Nerc 700
children in the building and Il teachers.
Ca Fifth street, opposite Wonl II new luiid;ns
fell with a terrible crash, hy which Frelerick.-
Brinekeneyer AMI Henry llickcr, the former IA
young unmarried man, aged about 20 years, the
latter about 80 years ola, were Instantly killed.
Another victim was Thomas Cole. who was Kill
led in his hrick-ya hy the falling Of shed.
The United States marine hospital suffered
loss of 81 800, aud the C',ngton and Lexington
railroad about $4,000 Three Catholic churches
(St Joscplrs Trinity and st. Au.u>ne) wee in
Iured, the iormer to The extent of $1,000. Two
Presbyterian (the Tabernacle ana First and St
Johns (Episcopal) churches also damaged
to some extent. The total ais, in the city and Vi
entity IL c'timatcd at about $500 600.
The Commercial concludes its account thus:
There was universal conformation throughout
the city People lost faith in the roris over aud
the walls around them, and ran no the streets
| Notwithstanding the rain. f,r safety. The sun sat
IN u sky OF crimson and orange The western
sky was Illuminated as if by II vast conlagratloi,
heavy rain set in early in the evening aud con,
tlnued until after midnight drenchcd the habita.
tions made roolless by the tornado, which is con.