Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-02
TaE sTORM-GeD.
Half a Minutes Work In Canton,
Miss.
Thirty Houses Lereled to the Earth
One House Struck by lightning and
Burned.

Dogs, Pigs and Poultry, Bricks,
Timbers and Outhouses Flying
Through the Air.
A Fearful ssene--One Person Killed
several Injured = mifacuIous Es.
capes-A Clean Sweep.
MEMPHIS, April 1.-The storm at Cam
ton, Hiss, seems to have been much great
or than was inferred from the mesger dis
patches. An extra issued from the Mail
Office Saturday morning says:
We had gone to press last night and had
begun printing off our paper when there
came up the most fearful and destructive
tornado ever experienced in this region of
country. The clouds had been very
threatening, and vivid and lncessant flashes
of lightning presaged q thunder storm, but
no one expected the fearful gale that sud-
denly burst upon us at about o'clock.
Families sitting peacefully at the Preside,
not dreaming Of danger, were In few sec
onds to be rendered homeless and barely
escape with their lives. The course of the
tornado seemed to be from the northwest
and its track was scarcely over seventy
Yards in width, perhaps not 90 much as
that, and lay through the center OF theto
Houses were utterly demolished and
blown away, leaving the bare walls stand
ing twisted and distorted in all manner of
shapes. Brick walls, buildings and solid
chimneys were blown down. Missiles were
sent through the air such as timbers, bricks
and pisces of wood with a fearful force.
The occasion altogether beggars description.
The Pearce House is sin ruins; and the
stores and shops above it, one of which was
a one story brick store; were leyelled to the
ground. The old stone house is wreck,
with the roofing, galleries and pillars all
gone. Dwelling houses are mere heaps OF
timber. Kitchens and outbOuses were
blown absolutely away. The yards were
swept clean of every living thing. Poultry,
dogs and all vanished utterly. Substantial
dwellings were torn from their foundation.
Heavily laden cars were blown from the
track. Huge pieces of timber were carried
many hundred yards and buried where they
| fell in the earth.
twill convey an idss Of the ruin accom-
| plished last night, al in about naif min
ute's time, that Mrs. PowelPs residence and
the one occupied by Mr.. Glengerland, the
neighboTing cottage, K. Z. Smiths resi-
dence, a cottage next to the old cemetery,
the colored Methodist Church, and small
cottage, occupied by a col0red man and
| family, near by were utterly demolished.
| The wife of the colored man was buried be-
meath the ruins and instantly killed. The
colored preacher was buried beneath a
chimney, but not killed, as was first report
ed. A number of people were hurt in this
| neighborhood. Robert G. Smiths resi-
dence was lifted from its foundation and
moved several feet. His kitchen, out
houses; and every living thing in the yard
were swept away, and nothing but crumb-
ling walls were left. j. p. Powelrs kitchen
and other out-houses were demolished, and
two chimneys Of bis residence dashed into
fragments. VIM. Baldwin's residence had
the roof STAYED in. This, together with the
injuries done to roofing, windows, fences,
etc., generally, is what was done in the
southeastern end of town.
But if anything, the damages on the
square and in the northwest quarter of the
town were even greater. The Pearce
House, as mentioned, presents the appear
ance of wreck; also Col. Jones' buildings
an adjoining barber shop, one-story brick
store; occupied by Mrs. Sulm as confec-
tionery and bakery establishment, all are
mass of ruins. Mr.. l.. Ludeman, who
was in at Mrs. Sulm's, had sn arm broken
the other inmates escaping unhurt, though
the house was utterly demolished. The
iron fence that enclosed the courtyard i:
partly down. 1t is twisted, bent anC
broken, opposite the Pearce House as if by
the might of a giant, and the courthoas'
tself, one side of it, is actually leanln:
eastward, while its roofing is in tatters.
We take up the track of the storm-god
and in the northwestern quarter of til
town we find families shelterless. and cot
tages piled Cup in fragments. Mr.. JohT
HaWcotts' house, new and substantial
building, was blown down, and either from
lamp or struck by lightning perhaps, tool
fire. In brief time all that remained Of
happy home and is comforts were charre'
ruins. Scarcely anything was saved. w
visited the spot where poor widow lady
Mrs. Harrison, with her family of children
were contemplating their wreck Of home
1t was levelled to the earth and not a tim
Der left standing. The family had proyi
, dentially escaped by going to a neighbor'
on the approach of the storm. Every
where in the path of the tornado, building
were RACED to the ground or left roo-ess.
Last night after the storm there was
! scene of the widest disorder. The fame
from Hawcott's residence shone against th
black clouds of the tempest while alon
their edges back came look of red fire
The fire bells rang and the people rushe
. hither and thither. Quantities of timbe
and trees INSTRUCTED the streets. Men wer
moving FROM point to point to rescue thos
in distress. The firemen were bravely {
= their post endeavoring to drag their engir
= to the scene of the fire. Women with IL
: fants in their arms went about the stree
- DISTRACTED, not knowing where to go.
1t is indeed miraculous that in all Il
: destruction of homes, where houses wit
u families in them were 80 destroyed that N
= one stone was left unn, another, that on
= one life was lost. There were miraculoI
II escapes from sodden and frightful dealt
Il A number of persons were injured mo-
or less. There is no calculating now Il
= amount of damage done to property. "
= stop our press to give what we have bee
q able to gather at this time. So tar there
- no news from the country.
- We visited the ruins of friends res
- dence, hearing that his house was blow
= down, with the view of assistance. L
! was SLauOlD8 SudTu over Tue pSCcoj a.
= was the only living, breathing person {
y thing anywhere about, having removed b
- family. BE greeted US cheerfully, clair
. ing to be the happiest man alive, th
y amid all th It wreck, and he pointed 70
- y he and his family escaped alive. He b
g been struck down senseless by somethi
= falling, and when he recovered found th
% % no one else was hurt. The kitchen, OF
:; y houses, dogs, pigs and poultry had all tax
- unto themselves wings.
- Mrs. Slingerland, we learn, was OF
y, ~ slightly hurt, although her house was
70 sbroyed. Among the miraculous escsp
- - was that of Mrs. Lucy Powell and fami
~ Her house was destroyed, and the que:
70 and boarders at the hotel and in the buil
90 ing near by narrowly escaped with tn
lives. All was done in the space Of
minute. The darkies thought it v
=, judgment day, and we don't wonder th
u should. Some thirty or more houses We
20 destroyed and larger number badly da
10 aged. One negro woman lost her ch
ny and it was Only found to-day at a hot
"a some distance removed from its hon
Ss where it had been kindly cared for.
~ was not much hurt in its perilous ride
y. "a the whirlwind. A negro man is report
a. missing, as are also one or two negro CT
= dren. 1t is wonderful that so few persc
~ were hurt, and it seems that the same Ha
= J. Ill