Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-04-19
A TERRIFIC STORM.
A Furious Blow and a Fine Rain
this Morning.
Several Houses struck by Light
ming.

being / inch and 79-one hundredths.
Vegetation no longer thirsts for moist.
ure, and gardeners, planters, in fact,
agriculturists OF all classes are in a
smiling mood to-day. The rain was
badly needed, and it could not have
fallen at a more opportune time.
NATURES PICTURE GALLERY.
AT sunrise, a dense bank of soggy,
black clouds covered the eastern
skies, aud forked streaks of light
ming flashed and darted through
and across them, while thun-
der ratified and roared at a lively
rate. There was a clear spot in the
sky, exactly where the sun peeped
above the zenith, and its bright glow
of golden light reflected wei the
angry clouds, forming a picture Of ex.
treme beauty and terrible grandeur,
worth any artists while to have cop
led. 1t seemed to be a farewell spec
tacular effort on the part Of the storm
king, as he took his departure, for the
rain had ceased, and none fell after
NOCTURNAL DISTURBANCES.
In the early hours of last night the
wind blew half a gale from the south
east, its rate Of speed ranging from
10 to 20 miles an hour, coming in
itful squalls and making doors, win
dows and house foundations culver
and shake, sometimes in a threatening
manner. Many a citizens nerves and
slumber we're disturbed by it. Be-
tween two and four o'clock in the
morning the wind attained a velocity
of from "a to 30 miles an hour, and
its violence caused many to feel con-
Siderably alarmed lest its fury should
tear house tops away and expose in.
mates to the unsheltered rain, which
had begun to descend in torrents. The
air had been unusually close when
the wind shifted and all through yes.
terday the temperature was as high as
it often is in midsummer.
The wind shifted during the rain
storm, moving around to the south,
and then to the southwest, changing
to the west this forenoon
and blowing fresh. The
rain passed on toward the northeast,
and at sunrise a thunder storm pre-
vailed at both Nashville and Louis
vile. The storm center was to the
north OF this point a couple Of hun
dred miles or such a matter, hence its
shifting disposition.
The Geographic wires were prostra-
ted at various points eastward, and
no news came to the cotton exchange
regarding the fluctuations Of the mar
ket up to a late hour. Between 10
and II a. m. they came in as usual.
A soAKER.
The heavy rain here soaked the dry
earth and turned our highways into
sloppy mud and water pools in spots
and places. The sewer lines recently
laid were soaked and the loose earth
sunk along their respective courses.
Woe to the vehicle driver who had
the temerity to let his wheels roll into
the miry clay. Dozens of mishaps of
this kind were reported, and
in some places, it required several
hours and several men to extricate
teams from the sticky mud into
which they had stalled.
FLOATING CRAFT ALL RIGHT.
As far as heard no damage occurred
to the water craft on the river. Every
thing in the harbor rode out the storm
in safety, and boats above and below
experienced no other trouble except
detention beyond their usual time,
having been compelled to lay by
during the worst Of the blow.
oovINGToN, TENN, SUFFERS.
News came in from Covington
Tenn, forty miles up the Paducah
railway this morning that havoc had
been made by the storm and the
lightning in that vicinity. The court
house was hit and its cupola badly
wrecked. The railway station was
also struck and slightly damaged.
Three miles this side of Gov
ingtOn, the railway track
was INSTRUCTED by fallen trees,
a strip Of timber having been twisted
into splinterS by the fury of the blow
and scattered pell nell in all direc-
tons. The trees we're not torn W
by the roots, but we're broken of
fifteen or twenty feet above the earth.
FREAKs.oF THE LIGHTNING.
A number of houses in various 10
c%alities were struck by lightning. A
man named Allen had a new and nea
structure, not far from the Mississippi
and Tennessee railroad, demolishe,
and wrecked. An old house on Web
ster street, near the Peabody schoo
building, occupied by darkies, had it
/, front torn of and was otherwise in
y 1888