Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-08-16
TERRTBLE TORNADO IN WALKING
rom, CONN.

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TwENTY-THREE PEOPLE KILLED OUTRIGHT, AND
NEARLY HUNDRED BUILDINGS DESTROYED
WITHOUT A MOMENTS wAnNrNG--A TOTAL or
TwENrY-N1NE DEATHS FROM THE DISASTER.
Last Friday was a remarkable day through
out New England for the violence of its local
storms In very many places, violent thunder
storms, with wind and rain, prevailed, and
the record Of lightning strokes is long one.
But it was at Wallingford Connecticut, that the
violence Of these atmospheric disturbances
eliminated. Early in the evening, a terrific
tornado swept over n section of this place,
killing % persons instantly, and utterly de-
molishing 10 dwelling houses aud 30 barns.
In loss Of life this calamity was only less Sc
rous than the Mill River disaster in Massa-
chusctls four years ago. The destruction Of
property was much less however, the build
ings destroyed being mostly Of poor charac-
ter, occupied by mill operatives and small
farmers.
Walingford is place of some 5000 inhab-
itants on the line of the New York, New
Haven and Hartford railroad, and is principal
ly known to the world MS the seat of the
Oneida branch community. The path of the
tempest was about half a mile wide, passing
over the northern portion of the village on
what are known as the sand plains, near the
railroad depot, and the houses destroyed were
chiefly the homes Of poor people and factory
operatives.
The storm is believed TO have risen near
Meriden about o'clock in the afternoon,
when a dark cloud was observed gathering
over the mountains in that direction. The
wind was blowing from the southwest, and
observers at Wnllingford believed that the
storm, which was a long time gathering, would
pass of in the opposite direction as usual in
such conditions The storm on the mountain
| grew more furious, however with heavy tlun-
! der and lightning, and toward e o'clock the
wind shifted to the west blowing strong down
! the mountain. and the accumulated tempest
| began to move with fearful rapidiiy toward
! the fatcd village. A gentle rain led the way,
| quickly increasing TO q torrent mingled with
| heavy hailstones, and the next moment the
| full force Of the tornado burst forth, laying
waste everything in its path. The rain did
not last over five minutes and the gale spent
its force in ten Minutes. Il entered the town
ut the edge Of the Wallingford community :
pond lifting the wntcr almost in Il solid body
| and carrying of the roof of their factory.
! Tho old Catholic church was next struck
and levelcd TO the ground like IA child's play
house. The two upper stories of the Walnut
high school a substantial brick building, were
demolished From this point along the lower
streets Of the village. near the railroad, was
the scene Of great devastation and loss Of
! lif. Tho egauee in tbis district xKarl lparf -
rending tha horror-strcken people who sur
vived the general ruin being so overcome by
the sudden calamity as to be incapable Of
action. In one or two cases. whole families
were killed and in others only one or two
members of large families were left. Many
had run for some distance to get home from
their work at the shops before the rain only
to meet death there. Bodies Of the dead
were found scattered in all directions and
mutiated in various degrees Great trees
were wrenched from the ground by their
roots and rolled over and over on the ground,
and stripped of all their branches. even 10
the smallest twig. Even the monuments in
the Catholic cemetery. about the church.
were blown dewn and every shrub cleared
from the ground On the hill where the more
costly residences were located, the damage
was less general but severe.
The loss of human life was confined to the
stated, was hardly in sight Of the village foi
10 minutes. and it can easily be judged how
little warning or chance of escape they had
who first felt its force. One man who was
sick abed rose to shut the window. heard a
scream down stairs. turned around and was
struck down by falling chimney before he
could cross the room. boy on the railroad
track was blown violently upon the roof Of a
house and killed One woman that wa.
D 1t.I far ba-h
and every particle Of clothing torn from hel
10y the wind and the articles she came in con.
tact with. Some OF the escapes were no lesI
marvellous. one man advanced in years was
blown about % feet from the porch outside OF
his house TO a corner Of the cellar. Two in
valids buried 10y the ruins in one house were
slightly injured. A woman and her foui
daughters escaped from their house which wa.
| crushed. but could not tell what started then
nor how they came out.
As soon as the first terror had passed ant
the people were able to rally from the stu
pefgction Of the moment. the scene bccam,
one of unreasonable woe. and heartrendinl
cries for the dead and appeals for help fol
the wounded. Husbands and fathers wor,
returning home from their days work TO fnC
everything gone Wives and children wer,
dead and the homes that had looked so brigh
a few hours before were in utter ruins Nov
the search for the dead began. and by /:
O'Clock all the ruins had been examined. Tn,
remains of the victims as fast as found, wer
removed to the Plains school-house, wher
they were identified 10y relatives and friends
Six Of the wounded died on Saturday max
ing the total number Of casualties. up to Sun
day morning, %. 1t is a singular fact tina
all these were Roman Catholics, with the eN
ception Of one man. who had a Catholic wife
The funeral services Of all wero Sunday after
noon, and the bodies buried in the littl
Catholic cemetery which was devastated b.
the storm. From 10000 10 1000 stranger
were in the town during the dny