Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-08-07
Te,rft,c Thunder StOrm---FeRrful Gale In
Chicago.

Terrific Thunder StOrm---FeRrful Gale In
Chicago.
On Monday night heavy gale and
thunder storm passed over Cleveland, but
did no material damage. By the follow
ing from the Chicago Tribune of Tuesday
it will be seen that a terrible war of the
elements visited that city on the same af-
ternoon and evening;
"One of the most terrific storms which
has ever visited this section Of country
swept over Chicago yesterday afternoon
and evening. The morning was intensely
sultry and hot, but there were few signs OF
rain. About noon great masses Of threat
ening clouds, piled up in the most fantas-
tic shape. began to gather at almost every
point Of the horizon, cumulating IN cones
and pyramids, in a few minutes changing
to spiral whorls, and again massing like a
vast army for final desperate charge-all
the time travelling and approaching each
other with inconceivable rapidity.
About three o clock, heavy black bank
of clouds, ridged with jet-like ragged fur
rows and enveloped as with a veil in a
thin aeecy scud, came racing up from the
west with velocity almost like that Of a
flash of lightning Almost instantane-
ouslv il grew dark. The entire heavens
were clouded over. Binding clouds of
dust filled the air; sticks, stones, leaves
and boughs of trees few in every direc-
ton. The advent of the gale announced
itself by hollow moaning, followed by a
full and unmistakable development of its
presence. It burst upon the city in the
twinkling of an eye-not with gradual
J ly increasing wind, but with terrible,
rushing, overpowering volume. Huge
trees were bent to the ground; smSller
trees, more especially cOttonwOods, were
twisted off at the base as one would twist
a straw. In every part of the city branch
es were snapped off like pipe stems
Chimneys, steam pipes, signs and avn
! ings few about indiscriminately. Tin
roofs were rolled up like scrolls. Flags
were torn to ribbons, and Aagstatfs came
tumbling down into the streets to the i'm
minent danger of the few pedestrians un-
lucky enough to be exposed to the fury OF
the gale. Dry goods boxes, barrels and
bales went insanely rushing through the
streets in the most reckless manner, as II
PLAYING John Gilpin. The wind was no
respecter Of persons even, and bare head
cd men were as plenty as blackberrles,
and unfortunate ladies were rendered en-
GishaJiIEe in the most shocking manner.
For fully an hour the gale prevailed
without abatement, accompanied in the
meantime with a drenching shower, with
the surroundings of heavy thunder and
vivid lightning. The tempest spent itself
about half past four. The wind died away.
The lake which had been lashed into fury,
subsidized to q calm. From half past four
until half past eight the rain pattered
down gently as if fatigued, but really get
ting ready for another onset, which com
menced about nine Oclock.
The oldest settler cannot remember a
more terrific thunder storm than that OF
last night. It was not so much storm as
a whole congregation of storms suddenly
let loose. They seemed to come from eve
ry quarter of the heavens. 1t was grand
gathering of the storm clans, and they
charged with banners flying rattling with
musketry, booming and crashing with can
mons. and lighting up the whole sky with
fiery signals. The rain poured in broad
drenching sheets For fully two hours
| the heavens WBTS III U1C SUutAAuCN JIG ~
of fire. Long ribbons and radiating forks
of fire flashed at once from the zenith te
all points of the horizon, bathing every
thing in their lurid reflections. SHARP
Parrots, growing rifles and booming Co.
lumbiads pealed, crashed and rumbled in
cessantly in a manner which might have
driven Napoleon crazy with delight. Al
the present Yriting-eleven o'clOck-th'
storm has passed over with occasional me
mentoes in the shape Of sHllen muttering'
far away where the storm ia still holding
high carnival. Taken all in all, q more
fearful or more sublime elemental display
we have never witnessed. In some IL
stances the discharge and the fash wer'
simultaneous, seeming like a YOlley of
million muskets. At other times, solemn
heavy, rumbling peals crowded in uPo1
each other so rapidly that it was impossi
BILE to punctuate them-if thunder clapl
sllow Of such literary iberties-and al
the while the heavens wrapt, as it were, il
one general confagration and mapped viii
fery parallels and meridians."