The Portland daily press., 1870-01-26
DAILY PRESS.
Wednesday Morning, January 26, 1870.
The Great Tornado i'm Keniucky-aw-
full Scenes.
PORTLAND &.


A correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette,
writing from Cave city, KY, under date of
January 1s, has this 10 say of the fearful tor
nado which swept over that region, accounts
OF which we have heretofore given bv tele-
graph:
The particulars of the doings of the torna-
do which cut off and demolished nearly one
third of this little town yesterday morning
will never be known. The storm had be-
ginning and an end, and the end was not more
than two minutes later than the beginning:
but a description of the scene during those
two minutes, or of the sad havoc which was
the result of the storm, can have no begin
ming, and can never be made complete.
The storm began about o'clock in the
morning, with heavy fall of hail which
continued but for moment, and was imme-
diately followed by a long, continuous sheet
of flame, lasting another moment. The wind
storm then commenced its terrible work. No
words can portray an idea OF the scene. Those
who had witnessed the most terrifying battle
scenes say they never saw or heard, or felt or
conceived of anything so perfectly hdeous
and terrifying as the howliug of the winds,
the vivid flashes of lightning, tine crashing of
houses, the drenching rain, the heart-rending
shrieks and piteous wailings of the terrified
and the wounded, the whole of witch oc-
CURED in two minutes or probably less time.
The wind shrieked, screamed, howled and
roared. By the occasional flashes of lightning
it could be seen that the air was filled with
flying trees, timber, houses, fragments
of houses, stables and building of all
kinds, furniture, stoves and cooking uten-
sils, clothing, bedding, animals, fowls, and eve
ry conceivable thing, animate and ipanimate,
that came within range of the storm. If the
fend had form, IL was that of heavy, angry
cloud, which swept the earth and tore every
thing 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 were demolished, and there is not to
be found a portion of a building, piece of
furniture, an article of jewelry, an article OF
clothing or bedding, book or piece of ware
of any kind that is worth the sum of fifty
cents. The remains of the houses may serve
for tirewood, the fragments of furniture for
kindling, the clothing and bedding for old
rags, but there is nothing left within that
track of a half mile in width, and extending
at least twelve or fifteen miles in length, ex-
cept in two or three singular instances, that
is worth farthing, or ever will be. in the
way it was originally designed. The total
losscan never be estimated. 1t is enough to
know that several hundred persons are home
less, without clothing or food, except such as
they have received from kind-hearted citizens.
Most Of the destitute are poor and unable to
purchase clothing or furniture, or even food,
even if they could find houses to live in.
Eleven will be taken to their narrow homes
to-day. 1t is wonderful indeed that this num-
ber is so small. How any creature could ex-
ist in that storm and survive is a mystery be-
yond the comprehension Of even those who
were in the thickest of it. Many of the sur
vivors were terribly lacerated and bruised by
the flying splinters and timbers, and some of
the dead were shockingly crushed and man
pledr