West-Jersey pioneer., 1867-12-27
THE TEXAS HURRICANE.

1otu, we hnus stne IolioWiug particulars OF
the terrible storm that caused so much
destruction on the Gulf coast, on the 7th
and 9Th ults: as 9s
From four to eight o'clock, P. M, Mon
day, the storm gradually increased in vi
olence; the atmosphere continued more
than ever oppressive; the clouds were
upon the ground, and as they went sweep
ing past, resembled driven fog-banks. Up
to eight o'clock, it was storm only, but
soon thereafter evidences of hurricane
were unmistakable. Gust followed gust,
and each time with increasing violence
Trees began to be dismembered and
crushed; buildings began to rock to and
fro with every y'blast, and the rain came
in sheets and dashes, like the breaking of
furious seas over the. prov of stranded
vessel. Before ten o'clock the hurricane
was inaugurated. There was a general
unroofng of houses, the weaker ones
yielding to the terrible pressure, and 60
ing with a crack and crash to the
ground Roofs, planks, timbers, and all
sorts of loose aud shattered fragments
were falling thick and fast everywhere.
If there were cries for help, no one heard
them, for the confusion and uproar had
become general.
The hour following, eleven o'clock, was
one Of awful and appalling grandeur.
The rain came like the dashing of ocean
breakers; there was constant crashing of
timbers>; debris rained upon the standing
houses; tin roofs were bodily banging
through the streets brick houses went
rumbling to the earth, and the hurricane
Kissed and roared, and made everything
shake and tremble which it could not
crush. During its greatest violence, the
cities of Brownsville and Matamoras were
converted into a bowling, earthly hell,
which pen could no more describe than
could man reproduce such hurricane.
At an hour when all expected to be
lost when ruin and destruction, general
and complete, appeared inevitable when
every trembling knee was bent in sup
plication to God for mercy and protec-
ton, the hurricane ceased, as if by COM
mand from on high. The very last was
the blast of hurricane and then all was
as silent and dismal as the tomb Not
zephyr, not breath of air broke the ST.
lence, the solemnity, the base mockery
and deception of the hour thatfollowed.
Between the hours of twelve and one
o'clock of the morning of the 8th, and
within one hour after the hurricane had
subsided, tornado came up from the
southwest with roar and leap and
bound. From the first blast it was tor
nado, and at once attained the fearful
velocity of from ninety to one hundred
miles an hour. For more than three
hours it reveled in the ruiss of the hur-
ricane, and well-nigh crushed all obsta-
cles'in. its path. Wherever the monster
bad opportunity to show its full power,
the strongest masonry yielded like reeds,
and the newly y-built wood tenements were
taken up bodily into the air, and wrench
ed into thousand fragments, and then
dashed back upon the city with fearful
violence, or borne beyond its limits.
Timbers were driven through brick
walls as though fred from cannon
Single story brick residences, stores and
warehouses, built in the strongest man.
ner, were leveed to the earth. The Pro-
testant churches went bodily to .destruc-
tion. The market house and hall, al
though superior to anything in the State,
were crushed. The courthouse and Jail
we're leveled. The solid ornament and
palatial structure, the Catholic Convent,
crumbled away to ruins. Iron buildings,
imported from France at great cost, were
wrenched in pieces. The Rio Grande
steamers, moored under the banks, were
torn in atoms, and the bulls of some of
them launched to the bottom of the river.
So awful, so appalling night, the hu-
man mind is entirely Incompetent to COM
prehend, from any description in the
power Of man to produce The lightning
flashed incessantly, but no thunder could
be heard. The rain, mixed with dirt
and filth and debris, came with the vio-
lence of hail and the sting of hornets
The sound overhead could only be COM
pared to ten thousand trains of cars pass
ing over thousand bridges at full speed.
The artillery of Heaven and earth COM
bined, would have been hushed into pig
my silence, and would have constituted
but an integral portion of the grand, roar
ing confusion. Ruin, deselation, and an-
appeared the inevitable, awful
doom of all things This whole people,
for hours together, momentarily expect
ed to be dashed or crushed to atoms
In those awful hours, all hope was dead
and prayers were but mockery. All
sounds, from the pitiable human voice to
the thunder's roar, were swallowed up
in one grand, defeaning howl, which
shook the very earth. The incessant
shock, concussion and rending of the at
mosphere overhead, constituted sound
incompatible to anything known to man.
Many persons, and in one instance, a
whole family had the clothing blown from
their bodies, and upon reaching shelter,
had not shirt or chemise to hide their ma
kedness. That the return storm should
have SO far exceeded, in velocity, the or
iginal blow, is a subject for the scientific
world to ponder over. We dismiss the
matter without venturing remark.
A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY. .-Apropos
of the walking mania now SO prevalent
throu ohOut the cnuntrv Mr. Tnnp Or;]l