Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-12-02
The Alabama Tornado.

-I.A .
The Alabama Tornado.
[Tuscumbis (Ala,) Letter to New Yerk Times
On Sunday evening last, as you hav
already been fully informed by telegraph
the town of Tuscumbia, in this state, wa
visited by tornado which destroye,
scores of buildings and caused the dealt
of eleven persous. To-day, l rode owe
the ground which was visited by the storm
and found that the damage was even NOR,
serious than at first reported. The WIND
blew from the southwest, and the fair.
ground, which is situated some half mile
from the town, is known to have received
the first violence of the storm. The fine
racing-stand and club.hcuses, which had
recently been erected, were completed y
destroyed. Not one plank was left stand
ing upon another. Hundreds of towering
live-oak trees were torn from their roots
and hurled to the ground. Many of them
were carried hundreds of feet from the
place where they had stood, and others
were torn aud twisted into fantastic shapes.
The ground for miles around is covered
with splnterel wood, the grass, too. was
dug up by the force Of the whirlwind, and
not q fence remains standing within sew.
cral miles of the race-course. Passing
away from the fair ground, and coming
toward the town, the storm encountered
an iron railroad bridge over little stream
known as Spring creek. The scene at
this point is remarkable one. The
bridge, which was securely built, was COM
rletcly lifted from its strong stone foun.
dations and thrown with great force iuto
the soft bottom of the creek. At the
same time it was carried some ten yards
from its original position, and, strange to
say, was not broken up. 1t now lies firm
ly imbedded in the creek, thown from its
supports as already stated, but in other
respects apparently whole and uninjured.
Here the railroad bridge, cotton ware
house and machine shop were situated
The shop was comparatively uninjured,
while the warehouse was completely des-
troyed and the cotton scattered in every
direction. At least dozen bales were
burst open by the force of the gale, and
the soft, white lint carried for miles into
the country. Many of the trees aud BUSH
es which remain standing are completely
covered with minute particles of the COT
ton: the ground in some places was treat
ed to coat of the same material. The
effect of this is such, that several gentle
men, arriving on late trains, this morning
and knowing nothing of the effects of the
storm, could not be persuaded that snow
had not fallen here during the previous
night.
Passing from the railroad bridge along
the track and then in northeastcrly dir.
ection through the main street, was
made fully aware of the terrible destruc.
tion that had visited unfortunate Tuscum.
bia. The population of the place is csti.
mated at two thousand, and it is no ex.
aggeration to say that of this number not
Ave hundred persons have been left with
an uninjured root over them. Fully one
hundred buildings were completely de-
and not one in the town escaped
without some damage. The entire road.
way is strewn with the splintered trunks
o. fallen trees. After the first shock of
Ihs storm was over, many of the startledf
inhabitants removed their furniture from
their falling dwellings. No sooner had
they done so. however. than most terri.
ole rain.siorm came on. In five minutes
the streets were knee deep with water, and
everything exposed to the storm was ut.
terly destroyed.
Tue first shock of the storm was felt at
usl $50 O'Clock in the evening, and in
wo minutes it had passed over. The
aln-storm destroyed good deal of per.
onal property and furniture, but at the
ame time was tho means Of saving the
own from total destruction. 1t seems
hat, as the houses were blown over, the
ires 10 the CRATES were thrown among
he falling timbers These at once started
nto blaze, and every house in the place
would doubtless have been burned if the
orrents Of rain had not extinguished the
Tres. The track torn by the storm is
rom three to four hundred feet wide, and
many houses which seem to have been
most exposed to its violence we're unharm.
ID, while others IN the immediate neigh.
oorhood were dashed to the ground. Not
me case of robbery is reported, and many
'aluabe articles are now lying unmolest-
ID, in broken.down houses and desolated