Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-03-20
A NIGHT OF DISTURBANCES.
a Terrific Gale and its EGects-De-
mOnIRc Negro DemOnsIrafiOn-Pa Pan
demOaiun Let Loose at Midnight
Africa RiValing ihe Elements.

n IefE1hc GAle ana 1IS kuects-ue-
mOnIRc Negro DenOnsIrafiOn-Pan
denlOaiuEn Let Loose at Midnight
Africa RiVallng the Elements.
From the Memphis Ledger March II.
The elements, celestial and terrestrial,
conspired to render last night hideous below
and terrific above, and which of the two
contributed most to the contamination of
this end il would be hard to decide. With
due respect for the celestial, however, we
are disposed to award the palm TO the
terrestrial. The clouds which thickened
portentiously in the sky, as might drew
her sable mantle round" were but counter
parts of those that mustered below. The
deep peals Of thunder and shrieks of the
gale were but feeble accompaniment to
the more startling, wild and halfcivilized
yells of the clouds overcharged with
lightning whisky from Loyal Leagues.
THE GALE
which swept over the city between the
hours of ten and twelve O'clock last night,
was one of the severest and most terrific that
has ever visited this region. In almost an
instant, the wind which had been blowing
briskly from the west during the evening,
stifiened into hurricane and swept through
the streets with force and fury we'll calculs-
ted TO awaken alarm. Every obstacle to
its progress rot firmly secured, gave way
before it, and loose shingles, signs and
the like, were born off like leaves upon the
autumn blast. No actual damage, how
ever, that we have been able to ascertain,
was done in the city. The ruins of an old
house on Second, near Beal street, recently
Quilted by fire, was blown down and the
fragments scattered for several blocks
| around. Several trees in the vicinity of
the State Hospital were taken mp by the
roots and a number of fences in the same
vicinity were entirely swept away. Two
negro shanties in Fort Pickering we're
overturned and their inmates required to
seek shelter from the rain in another quar-
ter. AT the levee il is only to be wondered
at that greater damage was not done to the
shipping. The Lady Gay and CONNER
cial, lying in port at the time, had their
chimneys blown over, those of the former
falling upon Larry Harmstad's wharf
boat, and breaking in the roof. The En-
| peror reached the landing this morning
minus her pilot house. She encountered
the gale near Fort Pillow, and very mar
rowly escaped more serious injury than she
received. In the country the effects of the
storm were quite damaging in several To-
| calities.. We learn that in Lafayette coun-
! ty miles of fence was swept away, and
orchards seriously damaged. A car stand
| ing on the side track of the Memphis
! and Charleston railroad, at Colliersyille.
was overturned by the force Of the wind,
and found this morning several yards away
J from where il was last evening
Much alarm and nervousness seems
to have been occasioned wherever the storm
| prevailed, but we have heard of no one
being seriously hurt. A gentleman passing
| up Madison street, was struck on the shout
der by fragment of a swinging sign, which
had become detached from Tomlinson's in
surance Office, but was only slightly bruised
thereby. That the gale was general through
out the country, or Of very broad sweep, is
evident from the fact that the telegraph
wires we're blown down on all the lines
leading TO the city. This fact is also estab-
lished by our noon telegraphic report in
this issue, and further news will be anx-
hiously looked for from those quarters where
the fury Of the storm seems to have beer
spent.
AFRICA LET LOOSE.
But TO turn from this wild freak of ma
ture to q second chapter of last nights dis
turbances. Scarcely had the excitemen
and nervousness occasioned BY the storm
subsidized and the peaceable and respectabl,
portion ofthecommunity again sought theil