Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-08-10
The ST. Lawrence aud Connecticut River
Valleys and the New England Coast
Visited by Devastating storm,
Destructive of Life and
Property.
Houses aud Barns Destroyed and Fences
Swept AWay-Lightning Increases
the TerrOrs, and a Flood of
Water Takes What il and
the Wind has Left.
The Destruction at WaIllngfOrd, COnnec-
ticut-List of Men, Women and Chill
dren KiIIed-SOme Awful Exam
pies of Sudden Death-A
Dreadful Array-SOul-
Narrowing Details.

TORONTO, August 9-Dispatches from va
rlous parts Of Ontario report severe thun-
der and wind storm, accompanied by hail,
and doing great deal of damage.
The Worst Ever KnOwn at Meriden,
MERIDEN, CONN. August 9.-The severest
storm of thunder, lightning, rain and wind
ever known in Meriden occurred this evening
between five and seven CLOCK. The new
shop Of Bradley d Hubbard was badly dam
aged about the roof. Many chimneys and
trees were blown down, but no lives lost.
Church and Dwellings Demolished at
WaI.tngfOrd, Connecticut
HARTFORD, Conn, August 9.-Thls after
noon, about six O'Clock, tornado struck the
village of Wal'ingford, demolished the old
Catholic church on the plains, and then lev
eled some twenty houses in Wallace's row.
Other houses we're moved and injured. Co.
ing up the hill the tornado dashed to the
ground thirty thousand-dollar brick school
house and then passed over the hill, snap
ping big elm trees as if they were mere reeds,
and laying PROSTATE telegraph poles. Sew
eral persons were killed and many wounded,
and the village authorities have sent TO Meri-
den for doctors.
Railways and Turnpikes impossible.
WATERTON, n. Y, August 9.-Trains over
the local roads hereabouts, stopped by the
storm last night, are not expected to be run
ming again before to morrow night. The
turnpikes are impossible, owing to the de-
struction of the bridges. Whole helds of
grain, corn and other products were wholly
ruined; the grain harvested and stacked was
swept away by the food One man of this
city, awakened by his bed becoming wet,
found the front door of the house open and
water two feet deep on the floor, and a cradle
containing baby asleep floating around. In
some places live stock was swept away and
lost. The lightning was almost continuous
and painfully vivid. The storm last night
prevented the meeting this morning Of the
ThOusand-Island park camp.
Considerable Damage Done at Rye
Beach, n. I'll.
Boston, August ga succession of show
ers, accompanied by heavy thunder and sharp
lightning, visited this section to-day, and
considerable damage was done.
At Rye Beach, New Hampshire, at noon a
terrific sto:m is reported. Il was quite wide,
and at some places in its path whole sections
of woodland were blown down. The bridge
1t Bathing Beach was swept away, chimneys
were demolished, dwellings were flooded
and wrecked. and less substantial buildings
were Quilted. A boarding-houss near Bath
ing Beach was blown down, and N. Z. Gates
boarding house on the beach was cut IN two.
Acres of woodland have not standing stick,
and but few chimneys in the track of the
storm remain. At Cape Vincent, New York,
in the storm last night, the Presbyterian and
Catholic churches, the railroad warehouse
and a dwelling were much damaged by light
ming. The storm on the St. Lawrence was
terrible. The telegraph lines were all pros
tratad, no trains arrived to-day, and barns
filed with grain were burned. At Belleville,
Ontario, to day, the"wind and lightning did
much damage to houses, barns and outlying
grain, while in Toronto three houses were
considerably injured by the lightning.
The Destruction at WalIingfOrd.
WALLINGFoRD, Conn August ga ter
rible tornado passed over Waliingford about
six O'Clock this evening, aud blew over houses,
uprooted trees and caused the greatest de-
VISITATION. 1t is estimated that the killed will
number at present at least twenty, while the
wounded will reach twlce that number. Tel
egraph wires and poles were bio Tn down,
making 1T Impossible to communicate directly
with New Faven, or south, or Meriden, or
Hartford to the north. Word was finally sent
by the up seven o'clock train to the two lat
ter places, and on the next down express,
which leaves Meriden at half-past seven
O'Clock, came a number of physicians
and help. The greatest excitement
prevails, aud the widest rumors are afloat as
to the loss of life The tornado was con-
fined to a belt Of territory about half mile
wide, and the whole loss Of life took place on
the sand-plains, about quarter of a mile
north Of the railroad station, near the line of
the New York, New Haven and Hartford
railroad. At six o'clock, while the men were
leaving the factories, gentle rain began to
fall, and soon increased to a perfect deluge,
while almost continuous and vivid lightning
Illuminated the darkness of the sky as bright
as day, and the thunder relied with increas-
ing deafening roar. Without warning, a tor
nado, with hail and rain swept across the
northern part OF the town, from west to east,
and every thing movable in its track
a to 10 h,,E
moment, but its results were frightful. After
ward a light rain fell, but this soon ceased,
and at ght o'clock the moon shone brightly
down upon a scene of desolatIon. By actual
count forty dwelling houses were demolished
and at least fifty barns The following are
among the killed, nearly all by houses fall
ing: In the plains schoolhouse, on the chill
dren' S desks, lay the bodies of Mrs. Margaret
Mooney, John Mooney and wife, Matthew
Mooney, Co~nei1s Child, Tracy and wife,
Mrs. Jas. Hubby and infant child, Frederick
Littlewood, Mrs, John Boyle and Mrs John
lynch, making twelve in ALL besides John
Cashln, aged sixteen; young daughter
of Robert Sanders, and Robert Daily child,
Mrs. E. Downes, Katie Coughlln, aged IF
teen; Patrick O'Neil's child John Hayden,
aged sixteen, are all that are certainly among
the killed, and 1t Is possible one or two more
are m3ng the ruins. In addition, Patrick
O'Nel had his head and shoulders badly cut;
Mary Healy, aged sixteen, is dying; John
Ciyne, aged forty, had his arm broken; John
Cashin, aged sixteen had his skull fractured;
John Paden AMI wife were badly wounded;
Henry Saunders had his leg broken; Mary
Ann Rourk, aged fourteen, is dy-
ing; Mrs. Coughlin was badly injured;
Mary Tracy, wounded; John, son of Fred
Littlewood, dying; four of Thomas Mat
thews's family, wounded; two women in
John Nunson's family, wounded; Charles
Parmelee, leg hurt; Michael Kelly, wounded
internally; Henry Jones, hurt about the
head; Patrick Coughlin and Patrick O'Neil
and child, injuries unknown; Lawrence
Downes, injured badly, and daughter dying.
There are many others whose names could
not be ascertained. The scene was memoir
able one. The wooden houses were carried
clear off from their foundation, from a few
feet to one eighth of a mile. In the line
of the tornado nothing was left standing
and on each side of its track lesser damage
was done, chimneys, especially. suffering.
The Catholic church, wooden, and the new
brick high school were totally demolished.
The top Of the brick factory, of WalliDg-
ford community, was carried away. Fires
were communicated to the ruins IN many
cases by lamps and stoves, and but for the
rain the horror of the affair would have been
greatly increased. a youth named Mathew
Mooney was standing on the railroad
track and was struck by the tornado.
He was picked up fifty feet away,
almost beheaded. Mrs Hubby had