The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-03-19
THE STORM.
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.
WIND AND RAIN.
TIE LIKE NEVER WITNESSED IN
CAIRO BEFORE.
HOUSES BLOWN DOWN-OTHEKs
UNKOOFED.
BUILDINGS DELUGED WITH
WATER AND STOCKS DES-
TkOYED
FULL RTICULARS.
To tell the readers OF THE BULLETIN tina

city already knows; but to those who hay,
not had an opportunity of going about Ia,
lower end OF the city and
VIEWING THE DESTRUCTION
| occasioned by the wind and rain, 1t may b,
interesting ~ know Just what that dstrrc
| ton amounts To-, and who were the princi
pal sufferers by II. This being the case, VIZ
| will give our readers ~ full and correct
statement of matters as they existed yes
terday morning as we have been able I,
gather.
A. IL well-known Tuesday was an exceed
ingly warm day for this season of the year
the thermometer at one time going up n,
high a. - degrees. While the ky was free
from clouds during the day. the air wa.
heavy and towards evening the barometer
began to sink rapidly. Between six and
seven O'Clock Mr.. Booth. chief officer of the
signal station In this city. announced that
there was
STORM APPROACHING,
and that 1t would probably strike Cairo be.
tween ten and eleven o'clock at night. This
Information created considerable uneasi.
ness, and II was noticed that commanders
OF steamers then in port were making pre-.
parations for the worst by putting out extra
cables and putting their vessels in trim to
withstand high winds, rain, etc.
But the hours slipped away, and at nine
O'Clock the ,ky was perfectly clear of any.
thing like clouds, and the stars shown out in
all their glory. Ten, eleven, twelve o'clock
and there were no signs of the .wrath to
come" Those who were still on the street.
had about arrived at the conclusion that
"Od lbobs" had "gonc back" on Mr..
Booth, and that there would be no
storm. one O'Clock. and still.
while the sky had become partially
obscured by clouds, it did not seem that
the storm would amount to much even ii il
did come. Two o'clock arrived, and thsn
we went out onto the street where we could
get an unobstructed view OF the heavens In
every direction. There was good many
clouds skipping about" and the air was
oppressive, and then we began 10 believe
"Old Probs." had not lied, and that the
storm would come. Fiom two o'clock TO
half-past three the winds were low, and
there was no sound Of thunder nor aashipg
OF lightning. But at abou;
TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE FOUR
a low, rumbling thunder wa, heard ano
slight flashes of lightning We're visible
This condition of affairs continued up to
four O'Clock, when the heavens were illum-
mated with liyid lightning. and peal upon
ii q IA. Ia,
ter four o'clock,
ONE TREMENDOUS, AWFUL
blast Of wind came that shook every build
ing in the city. The storm center did not
seem to be more than half mile wide, an
passed over only that portion of the city ~
ing east Of Fourteenth street. With til,
wind came heavy rain, and an immens,
amount of water fell within the fifteen min
utcS following.
THE DAMAGES.
Commencing with Fourteenth street an,
following the direction of the storm il va
found that much damage had been done.
ON the east side of Fourteenth between
Walnut and Cedar streets
TWO COTTAGES,
one belonging TO colorcd man named Clark
and the other 10 a man named Brown. wer
blown OIL their foundations and "landed' il
five feet OF water. The inmates were in be,
at the time, and when the houses Went dow
found themselves in water up to their neck,
and had TO wade out.
ON FOURTEENTH STREET
back Of Cedar a two story frame house b,
longing to a colored man named Carter wa
blown over, but not seriously damaged
The inmates escaped without injury.
Passing down further We hear OF IL
ther damage until we reach
MIR. LEO KLEB's HOUSE
on Sixth street. This house was badly dam
aged, the roof being torn of and carried
onto the roof Of the house adjoining, where
it still lays. MIR. Kleb's whole house wa
deluged with water, and will have to be re-
plastered throughout. We understand tina
one Of MIR. Kleb's children narrowly escapet
death from falling plaster. M
ToPPLEp OVER.
A small frame house on Washington ave.
nue., between Fourth and Sixth streets, was
lifted from the stanchions on which it rested
and lodged against the residence Of Mr..
Hartman Able. The house, or shanty rath-
er, was occupied by couple Of colored wo.
mon, and was pretty badly shattered.
The brick house on the corner of Fourth
street and Washington avenue, owned and
occupied by
W. Il. GILBERT, Esq,
was BADLY damaged. About one half of the
roof ON the west side was blown of, and the
house flooded with water, causing much
damage to furniture, carpets, etc. Mr.. Gil.
bert is in Springfield attending court, and
Mrs. Gilbert and the servants were the only
persons III the house at the time the roof wa,
torn OIL.
THE GAS WORKS
came in for its share Of the damages, which
will not fall short of $1,000 and may reach
$500. The slate roof Of the gas house wa,
badly torn up, one of the smoke-stacks and
the frame of the old holder were
blown down and broken to pieces.
THE ST. CHARLES HOTEL.
The roofOf the st. Charles hotel was much
damaged. Mr.. Wilcox estimates the mum
ber of slate shingles blown oil at from
eight hundred TO one thousand. The wind
carried many OF these heavy pieces Of slate
out ~ far as the edge of the river, and sew
eral were picked up on Fourth street, q full
block distant. A number Of windows were
blown in, and the house flooded with water
Mr.. Wilcox thinks his loss will amount Il
between six and eight hundred dollars.