The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-09-06
A FATEFUL STORM.


and Cspsizsd. Carrying Fourteen Passen'
gers TO Death-Otber Casualties.
EVANSVILLE, IND, August 30.
When the storm ceased and view OF
the damage was obtained it presented
terrible sight. The city had been raked
from one end to the other. Not e man
ufactory In it entirely escaped injury.
The most seriously damaged are: The
Evansville Cotton Mills, loss Sl5,O00;.
Wooden Mills, $1,000; Plow Works,
SO, 900, and the Armstrong Furniture
Company, $4,000.
A large school building in course Of,
construction, which needed but q roof
for completion, collapsed totally. On
every street cellars are flooded. Tele-
phonic and telegraphic communications
are almost entirely suspended. Hundreds
Of small dwellings and stables are RACED
to the ground, and families left without
shelter. These will be cared for by the
authorities. u. a. rrur.. ,~
The scene on the river was awe-inspir-
ing. Waves dashed themselves with un-
speakable fury, dashing twenty and thir-
ty feet high. Small steamers and tugs
were broken from their moorings and
grounded or blown up the river to sand
bars, where they were hard aground.
The Louisville & Nashville transfer barge,
with six cars, was blown from the rail-
way dock and went hard aground on
bar two miles from where IL Started. The
steamers Josh V. Throop and Silver
Thorn were caught by the wind, chin
neys blown overheard and the boats
otherwise badly riddled. The James
and swamped.
But the most horrible and saddest
news of all is the sinking of the transfer
steamer Belmont, and the drowning of
fourteen passengers who were on board.
The Belmont left here at 80 a. m, with
southbound train on barge. About
eight miles below here the storm came
up and part of the passengers, horror.
stricken, fled from the cars to the steam
er for safety. The barge was torn Yrom
the steamer and driven in shore hard
aground, while the cyclone seized the
steamer and capsized it, the boat going
down bottom upwards. The pilot, cook
and engineer jumped on the barge as the
steamer went down. All the others were
in the cabin and unable to escape The
only officer of the boat lost was John ".
Smith, the captain. Those lost are as
follows:
Mrs. NJ. S. Lyon and two daughters.
Mrs. Sallie Bryan. 4@
Miss Laura Lyon.
NJ L n nd of al
Mrs. Woodville, of Henderson.
Mrs. Addie Murray and chlld, Of
Brookville, Ala.
| Captain John Smith.
Miss Alice Bell;
Two colored women, and an old gentle.
man and wife-name unknown.
Three bodies have been SO far recovered.
| They are Mrs. Murray and child and
| Mrs. Woodvillp. Those who remained
| in the cars on | he barge were compelled
| to sit with idic hands and watch the
death of their companions. After the
storm abated, the Houston Coombs came
up and towed the barge to Henderson.
In conversation with one OF the SUE.
vivors last night, he said:
sit was such scene as | shall never
forget. We were trying to get into the
bank. The women were huddled In the
cabin, some weeping, others sitting
| quietly, fearing the worst, yet prepared
Tor the inevitable. Suddenly, without
warning, the boat careened on her side,
the guy ropes to the barge swapping.
jumped for the barge, and had Just
reached it when heard a gurge, and
looking about, saw that the boat had
gone down head first, and there was
nothing visible but the bottom"
The boat lies in fourteen feet of water,
and will be total loss. She was built
in 1881 and cost $4,000; insured Tor
$4,000. She has been running as a trans
Ter packet about year and a half, and
has weathered several gales. Boats are
now at the wreck and the bridge diver is
at work getting out the bodies. A list OF
survivors is not obtainable, as no reg
lister was kept, and many went on to
Nashville.
The round-house at the Louisville &
Nashville depot is a total wreck. The
roof was blown off and walls crushed N,
covering four locomotives with brick
mortar and other debris. Several hun
dred persons were more or less injured
by falling timbers and trees.
A negro laborer at Hartlett's railroad
camp, a few miles below here, was STRUCK
by flying timbers and instantly killed.
IL was the most destructive storm thai
ever visited this section. The loss IL
the city and suburbs will be between
100000 and 100000. Workmen ar,
already engaged in rebuilding many o
the damaged places.
News has been received that Carmi
H., is in ruins, but the report can no
be authenticated.