Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-02-08
1ailu Aennebet yommal.
rRE GREAT TORNADO In KENTUCKY.

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Ga.
zette, writing from Cave City, KY, under
date OF January 18, has this to say of the
fearful tornado which swept over that re.
gion, accounts of which we have hereto
fore given by telegraph:
''The particulars of the doings OF the
tornado which cut off and demolished
nearly one-third of this little town, yester-
day morning, will never be known. The
storm had beginning and an end, and
the end was not more than two minutes
later than the beginning; but descrlp-
ton of the scene dnring those two minutes,
or of the sad havoc which was the result
of the storm, can have no beginning, ana
can never be made complete. The storm
began about ) O'Clock in the morning, with
a heavy fall of hail, which continued but
for moment, and was Immediately fol-
lowed by 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 terri
flying battle scenes say they never saw or
heard, or felt or conceived 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 heart-rending shrleks
and piteous wailings 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, frag-
ments of houses, stables and buildings OF
all kinds, furniture, stoves and cooking
utensils, clothing, bedding, animals, fowls,
and every conceivable thing, animate and
inanimate that came within the range OF
the storm. If the fiend had form, it was
that of a 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 bel
lowing winds that preceded it. The de-
struction was complete. About fifty houses
were demolished, and there is not to be
found 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
NAV serve for firewood. the fragments of
furniture for kindling, the clothing and
bedding for old rags, but there is nothing
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. The total loss can
never be estimated. 1t is enough to know
that several hundred persons are homeless,
without clothing or food, except su ch as
they have received from kind-hearted citi-
zens. 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 indeed won
derful that this number is so small. How
any creature could exist in that storm and
survive is mystery beyond the compre-
hension 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 were shockingly crushed and man
gled."