The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-04-29
TEMPEST AND FLOOD.
The Terrific Storm of Sunday
Afternoon and Its Destruc-
tive Work Ia This
County.
An Entire Family Swept Away by
the Bursting of a Waterspout
and Four Children rrou,na5

haps more violent, widespread
and destructive than any similar
visitation which has occurred in
great number of years. The rain
fall in many localities was certainly
the heaviest ever known, and the
mad caprices of the tempest as it
swept along on its mission OF death
and devastation were perhaps as
phenomenal as any on record in the
annals of the county. The rich
belt of country, extending from
Wales Station, In the direction of
Buford's, Lynnville and Camp
beilsville, embracing as fine an agri-
cultural region as is to be found IN
the South, was swept by tempest and
flood and scarcely a farm escaped
the bosom of destruction. We
have taken great pains to ascertain
the damage done, and the furthe-
oar inquiry stretches the broader
the work of devastation appears.
Up to the hour OF gong to press,
we succeeded in gathering the fol-
lowing particulars:
The storm reached Lynnvllle from
the west and southwest about $50
P. NJ, and for an hour it ragged with
unprecedented fury. The wind blew
gale and the rain descended in
sheets from great masses of pur
plish clouds piled high in the heav-
ems. Keen and vivid flashes of
lightning illuminated the appall-
ing scene and terrific claps of thun-
der, following each other in rapid
succession, shook the surrounding
hills. Trees were torn down, fenc-
es washed away and many fields un-
der cultivation entirely submerged.
AT Old Lynnville John Wag-
staff gin house was blown down,
and several negroes in the same
neighborhood, who fed from their
cabins, narrowly escaped drowning.
Several windows in the house of j.
NJ. Farmer, esq, were blown out,
his furniture was badly injured
and all the paper on the walls was
utterly ruined. Much of his tim
Der was also blown down. The
farms Of Mr.. o. S. Smith and Capt.
Andrew Gordon suffered severely
and the lands were never before so
badly washed. In this vicinity
considerable hail fell, some of the
pellets being as large as partridge
eggs. The storm overlook Prof. G..
W. Campbell, who was returning
home from Pulaski with Mrs. Tate
and Mrs. Mccall, injuring all three
more or less. Prof. Campbell was
severely bruised on one arm and
the ladies were roughly handled
and badly frightened.
The most dreadful effects of the
tempest were witnessed at the head
of Minnow branch, p miles north
west of Buford's, where the burst
ing of a waterspout spread death
and destruction around. In this To-
cality resided Mr.. Zachary Walls
and family, the latter consisting of
wife and five children. They lived
in badly constructed log Louise
situated at the conveyance of two
deep ravines, about 400 yards from
the head of the branch, and
about so yards from the main chan
mel of the creek. About five O'Clock
furious gust of wind blew open
the door of the cabin and Mrs.
Walls stepped forward to shut it,
when she heard a loud rushing and
cracking noise and beheld lurid
column of cloud shoot up in the
sky. She caught up her baby,
IL -. he oil FOL
ing her husband to collect the 9TH
er children, attempted to leave the
house. At this moment a huge
body of water struck the building,
and before the terrified inmates
could leave another tremendous
shock was felt and in an instant
the house was lifted from its foun-
dalton, the tim bers torn loose and
the entire family borne of by the
flood. The baby was instantly
killed by a piece of falling timber
and swept out of its mothers arms
into the eetAing torrent. The un
happy woman herself was whirled
toward the side of the hill and
managed to escape drowning by
clinging to the branches of beech
tree. She was rescued several
hours later, stripped Of clothing,
her flesh torn and bruised in many
places, and in a half-dead condi
ton. The four children who re
manned with their father were
swept down the stream for half a
mile, and three Of them, two boys
and one girl. aged ten, eight and
four years respectively, were drown
ed. Their bodies were found the
next day in pile of drift wood.
The remaining child, little girl,
was thrown in the direction of the
shore, where she caught In some
bushes and managed to keep her
head above water until she was res
cued. She was badly bruised, but
not seriously injured. Mr.. Walls
himself was carried over a mile
down the stream and at last hurled
violently into q mass of floating de-
bris where he remained for several
hours. When' rescued he was
speechless, but not unsconcious.-
His injuries are very serious and
may prove fatal. 1t is thought his
back is broken, and we we're in
formed yesterday that his physi
clan considers his condition very
critical. The bodies of the four
little children who were drowned
were buried in one grave Tuesday,
Rev. w. A. Turner conducting the
religious services. The scene at
the funeral is described as very af
fectlng, and much sympathy is felt
for the afflicted family. Mr.. Walls
neigh bors, with characteristic gen.
crosby, intend to rebuild his house
and replace all the household eff
fects he lost. 1t is pleasing to re-
cord charity so broad and consider
ate as this, and the world is all the
brighter for it.
The family of Mr.. Theodore Tay-
lor, living about a mile and halt
below Mr.. Wall0, made a narrow
escape. When the storm first APP
peared Mr.. Taylor went out in the
yard to save his chickens, leaving
his wife and three children in the