The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-01-24
The Western T0rnad0-The Sweep Of
the Hurraeane Through Kentucky
The Awful Scenes at the Destrue-
ton of Cave City.

The Awful Scenes at the Destrue-
ton Of Cave City. gfr
The Cincinnati Gazette Of Wednesday
has letter dated at Cave City, KY, on
Monday, giving the following vivid descrip-
ton Of the total destruction Of the town by
the hurricane Of Sunday:
The particulars Of the doings of the tor
| nado which cut off and demolished nearly
one-third of this little town yesterday
morning, so far as could be obtained, were
telegraphed last night. Full particulars
will never be known. The storm had
beginning end an end, and the end was not
more than two minutes later than the be-
| ginning; but description Of the scene
during those two minutes, or of the sad
havoc which was the result, of the storm,
can have no beginning, and can never be
made complete. So ) ia ,.s. ..r ..:.
Professor A.. II. Williams, one of the
sufferers, says that he was awakened about
O'Clock by, the heavy fall of hail which
beat against and demolished the windows
of his house. The hail-shower continued
but o moment, and Immediately upon the
cessation'of the hail-storm there was long,
continuous sheet of fame, making most
powerful light, which continued but another
moment. He then heard the approaching
wind-storm and anticipated the danger, but
thought his house, which was strongly
built, would stand the storm but he pre-
pared himself for the worst results.
His wife having become alarmed,
made on effort to get out of the house,
but Professor Williams caught her and
| x6roru ho,. fho ho1 onI r1orQnt.
ed her from going out. The house stood the
first attack bravely, but it was afterwards
picked up by the storm, lifted from its
foundations, and turned completely round
in the air two Or three times before being
! parted asunder and demolished. There were
unmistakable evidences of this fact, be-
sides the Impressions of Professor Viii
liams and other inmates of the house. Sc
veral persons were sleeping in the house Mt
the time. Those who were sleeping in the
back part of the house were found in front
of where the house stood. Professor Will
liams had deposited his clothing carefully
on chair in his bedroom On retiring. His
pants were found hanging upon a stake half
O mile west of the site of the house; his
coat was found three-fourths of mile in
| an eastward direction, and the vest was
found nearly two miles west of the house.
Mr.. Williams and wife found themselves
separated and covered with debris, he in
sensible, and both of them hurt, but not
badly. He regained consciousness soon
and began to collect the scattered frag-
ments of his family, and found that none
| were in immediate danger. The most ter
rifle rain-storm Immediately followed the
wind and lightning. No words can portray
M idea of the scene. Those who had wit
messed the most terrifying battle scenes
say they never saw, or heard, or felt, or con-
ceived, of anything SO perfectly hideous
and terrifying as the bowling of the
winds, the vivid flashes of lightning,
the crashing of houses, the drenching
rain, the hcart-rending shrieks and pite-
Gus waiiings of the terrified and the
wounded, the whole of which occurred in
two minutes, or probably less time. The
wind shrieked, screamed, howled, and
roared. By the occasional flashes of light
ming it could be seen that the air was filled
with flying trees, timber, houses, fragments
of houses, stables, and buildings of all
kinds, furniture, stoves, and cooking uten-
sils, clothing, bedding, animals, fowls, and
every conceivable thing animate and mani
mate that came with the range of the
storm. If the fend had form, it was that
of heavy, angry cloud, which swept the
earth and tore everything it touched from
its fixed place.
The crash was quick and terrific, but the
noise of the breaking houses was music
compared with the believing winds that
preceded it. The destruction was complete.
About fifty houses we're demolished, and
there is not to be found O portion of build
ing, n piece of furniture, an article of jew
elry, an article of clothing or bedding, q
book, or piece Of ware of any kind, that
is worth the sum of fifty cents. The re-
mains Of the houses may serve for hrewood,
the fragments of furniture for kindling,
the clothing and bedding for old rags; but
there is nothing left within that track of q
half mile in width, and extending at least
twelve or fifteen miles in length, except in
two or three singular instances, that is
worth farthing, or ever will be, in the
way it was originally designed. Professor
Williams had large library, worth thou
sands Of dollars, of which not single book
has been found that can ever be used again.
A single cup and a solitary plate is all that
has been found of 500 worth of china
ware belonging to Professor Williams.
The total loss can never be estimated. 1t
is enough to know that several hundred per-
sons are homeless, without clothing or food,
except such as they have received from
kind-hearted citizens. Most of the desti-
tute are poor and unable to purchase cloth
ing or furniture, or even food, even if they
could find houses to live in. Eleven will be
taken to their narrow homes to-day. II
is indeed wonderful that this number is SO
small. How any creature could exist in
that storm and survive is mystery be-
yond the comprehension of even those who
were in the thickest of it. Many of the
survivors were terribly lacerated and
bruised by the flying splinters and timbers,
and some of the dead we're shockingly
crushed and mangled.
The names of the killed and wounded
reported last night by telegraph are not
all correct. The following are the names
of the killed and wounded as far as ascer-
tained George W. Poynter, wife and child
Mrs. Margaret Sterrett, wife of I. W.
Sterrett; Andrew J. Davidson John S. Nc
Gown and child; Mrs. DR.. Juel Y. Wilson !:
O child of Mr.. Fite at Prewett's Knob; and
two persons named Vaughan. These are
all of the dead. Mr.. Fite, reported dead
was still living in hopeless condition this
morning. Another child of his will proba
bly, die.
Be DANGEROUSLY WOUNDED.
J. ". Sterrett, son of Colonel Robert
Sterrett, of Hart county Joseph II.
Brown, chest terribly crushed Joseph H.
Foster, injured on the head, insensible;
Miss Muttie Drane, Miss P. Neville, D.
McKinnie and wife, DR.. J. Y. Wilson, ].
Edwards, and W. Parrish.