The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1869-04-29
THE GREAT STORM.
Damage to Houses, Fencss and
Forests in Middle tennessee.


= says: "a fearful storm passed ey'
=, : this place on Monday night last frigh
- - ening many Of tho inhabitants almo
i out of their wits, but otherwise dom
. no damage" The Columbia Heral
- of the 23d inst. says: "Wc regret t
learn that the fine residence Of MajC
Iss Mart Cheairs, in Spring Hill, was vi
rooted In the late storm, and very muc
. injured by rain" The Franklin r.
:, view says ofthc storm In Williamso
county.
! Our county has again been visite
by a sudden and terrific tornado. Las
y year few days earlier we had a visi
, from the "Wind Cod" which will b
remembered for generations by on
people. The destruction Of life AM
; property then was terrible. This las
visit, although not US destructive a
the former, was wider in its operation
thad q sweep of more than twenty
miles in it's devastating march. From
all portions of our county, we learr
that the destruction to houses, fences
and stock has been alarming. In town
the panic was general, on the approach
ofthe "Wind Demon" Trees were
blown down, chimneys thrown off,
rooflngs torn loose and scattered far
and vide. The courthoure had two of
the chimneys cast upon the roof, and
the tin covering considerably damaged
Our fellowtownsman, w. O. N. Perk-
ms had the roof to IN from his fine new
residence and the plastering and paper
badly damaged by the influx of the tor
rents of rain. Mr.. Henry Reams, 'liv
ing at the "Halfacre place." suffered
more than any one we have heard Of
The house is one of the strongest and
best built in the county. The roof
was carried entirely off and some Of
the walls thrown in, the carriage house
destroyed, barns overturned, stock
killed, fences blown away, and forests
destroyed, there and in the neighbor
hood. Connected with the destruction
at Reams' is thrilling episode, that
ought to convince the most skeptical
that there is certainly much truth in
the doctrine of special Providence.
The Misses Halfacre, sisters in-law of,
Mr.. Reams, were up in the second sto.
ry in room Immediately over the
room in which Mr.. Reams and family
were sleeping. At the first distant
muttering Of the tornado's tread they
became alarmed, and got up and await
ed its approach. Nearer and nearer
it came until finally the young ladies
just had time to rush into the room
where their brother-i n-law and family
were, when the very room which they
had left in such haste was exposed to
the pelting rain, and the very bed in
which they had been sleeping was fill
ed with the debris of the broken walls.
The house was nearly destroyed but
the room in which the family were shell
tered was unhurt, while around and
above them was destruction danger
and death. What man is wicked
enough to say that this was chance ?
No it is not a blind fate and chance
which rules the world. No, sir; we
believe in a special Providence; and it
has rarely ever been clearer exemplifed
than in this case. Mr.. Frank Harde
man lost twenty-five or thirty acres of
excellent timber.
The Lebanon Herald and Register
reports the ravages of the storm in Will
son county: tsa.
"Three miles from Lebanon, on the
Nashville Pike, the storm ragged with
great fury. Large trees were torn up
by the roots and twisted OIL fifteen and
twenty feet above the ground. We no.
ticed in that neigh borhood seven or|
eight large trees around the residences
of Mr.. Philpot, none of them hundred
yards of, and some of them, if they
had fallen in the right direction, close
enough TO have shattered the house to
pieces. Our friend Haynes two miles
of town, who had his fences
all blown down Two or three weeks ago
came in for his full share of damage
His fences were oil leveled again. In
the neighborhood of Gainesville, ten
miles southwest of Lebanon. the trees
were upiooted by the hundred, and
the fences nearly all blown away. Va.
rious portions of the county su ffered
more or lass. We have heard OF no
damage being sustained more serious
than the uprooting oftimber and blow
ing away Of fences" '.'
"My son." said the veteran at the
foot of the stairs. Warise and ace the