St. Landry democrat., 1879-09-13
A Terrible Tornado.
LIVES IDST-PROPERTY DESTROYED.


was visited with one OF the most violent
storms that has been witnessed slnce
1856. About ten o'clock the wind rose
to perfect hurricane, and blew with
unabated and amasing force iOr about
seven hours. The damage done during
this brief period WAS most appalling.
Sugar houses and dwellings, were blown
down Or unroofed, factories destroyed
or injured, crops and fences ruined,
trees uprooted, and the surface OF the SOIL
for miles around was completely sub
merged. Several lives were lost, and
the damage inflicted on buildings, crops
and fences is almost incalculablc. The
ice factory. back Of the Live Oak liotel,
was completely wrecked by the gale,
not a stick was left standing, and all
the expensive machinery it contained is
said to be very much damaged. The
old market house. belonging to the cor
poration, which has beer uSt rented to
Mr.. Louis Delcambrc, situated OF Vain
street, was leyeled to the ground. The
roof Of Mr.. Trainor's planning null, next
to I.aughlin's wood yard, was displaced,
but we are happy to learn that none OF
the machinery was materially damaged.
Messrs. Lehman Hayem & THylors dry
goods store, one of the largest estA bilsll-
ments of the kind i'll town, suffered
very severely from the storm. The
rear gallery and outbuildings were en-
tirplv blown down, and the rear para
pet of the roof was also destroyed.
The new store recently opened by Mr.
Z. Eirlisl, nearly opposite Mr.. l4ehnlan's,
had almost its entire front blown III,
aud the stock of goods almost totally
spoiled by torrents OF rain. The roots
of Mr., Lees drug store amt OF MI:
Campbell's grocery store were stripped
OF their zinc coverings. portions OF
which We're found at the distance OF
half mile from the houses of winch
they were blown. The Photographic
gallery of Messrs. Anderson X HoWey
this brick building WAS blown ont, and
the stock almost totally ruined, it being
of il nature very readily injured 10y
wafer. Grousset7s coffee house, Il brick
building, had its front wall split on
both sides by the tempest. Nj. T.. klls
house, one of the largest residences
back of the town, WAS blown chi1re y
down and its furniture, etc, utterly
ruined Mr.. Taylor, OF the iiim OF
Lehman, llayens i Taylor, llaG his
kitchen blown about one hundrcu leet
away from where it stood. All the
gardens and slrubteries around the
town were more OF less injured. Mrs.
Dccuir's wood house was blown over
the fence, and all the trees on her
premises were blown down. st. laUl's
colored Baptist church, adjoining the
Catholic graveyard, was totally de-
mOlished, not Il plank was lett stand-
/ ing. 1t will require several hundred
dollars to replace this building, which
was the best edifice belonging to the
cOlored denominations in New, iberia.
1t had Just undergone a thorough repair.
St. Josephs cOlored church, just back
of the town. was also utterly wrecked
by the gale. This was new building,
erected not more than q year OF two
ago. Another coiOred place OF worship,
| situated on Weeks street, which was
not yet entirely finished but was already
used by its congregation, was blown
partially down but viii require to. be
| rebuilt before it can be again occupied.
A house on Centre street, tcnanted by
, Mr.. Steen, lost the greater part Dt It's
roof, and the kitchen was entirely
broken up. 4 cabin belonging to Mr.
Neazey, was torn to pieces by the wind;
1t was occupied by a negro woman and
! her child. A portion Of the tlmhers
| falling OH the infant wounded 1t fatally,
while the mother escaped with some
| severe bruises, The rear OF Alr. bout
! tG's stalle, on slain street, was thrown
down by the storm and several new
stages intended for carrying the mall
were irreparably damaged. Tie large
two-story dining room and kitchen at
tached to the Iberia Hotel, was so
wrenched that it will probably require
to be rebuilt. Temperance Hall Jared
ahout tie same. :, part OF Air. Gnll's
saw mill, Iear by was also unrooted.
A cabin, occupied by colored man
named Alphonse, situated at the upper
end of the town, just offered sufficient
warning to the inmates TO enable them
; to ESCAPE before the ruof was blown IN.
There was not even time 20 save their
clothing. Mr.. Thomas Balch's resi-
dence, close by, was blown otf the
blocks, and the family were forced to
take refuge in his fatllerinlaW's house.
The kitchen of the house occupied by
Rev. Z. c. Cleburne, the minister Of
the Episcopal Church., was blown from
it's blocks, and the wind so shook the
dwelling that the occupants took flight
in the midst Of the hurricane and
travelled with wonderful celerlty, aided
10y the blast, over the flooded prairie to
a more substantial shelter.
AZ MIS. NltSJty ti >. uUOuh tb ulIit tdth
of town, the kitchen and dining loom
werefbloWn down, and u couple OF. wag-
ons broken and all the onthouses ruined,
At ner son, Jules, tile kitchen and corn
crib were blown down, and d hack de
molished. ID
At Mr.. Calls plantation almost every
1 building was swept off the place, and
five mules killed. Considerable stock
from the plantations, Oh both sides OF
tue bayou Teoho, were drowned.
Mrs. Duga's house, at Eausse Ponte,
was smashed by II great tree being
blown down On it, and Mr.. Gabriel Dn-
gas lost his life under the ruins, and lis
mother and sister We're wounded, AR;
.ectilnue's residence was also leyeiied
to the ground His child, running fol
shelter, was crushed to death by a tall
ing limb of tree. The Catholic Church
there was utterly destroyed, and num-
bers of dwellings unroofed and other
wise damaged.
! The bayou was raised almost ten feet
above its normal level, and the loss OF
split lumber, logs, ETC., will undouoted-
fly prove very great. j.,
At ,]eancrette, the Catholic and the
Methodist churches were ruined. The
damage to dwelling houses was very
/ GREAT