The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-08-04
THE TORNADO'S TRACK
A Fearful Visitation Near
Philadelphia, Pa.
THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
Dealt Out in the Progress of the
StOrm-Heartrendi Scenes
and Incidents.
An Awful Affair

PHILADELPHIA, August "a terrific
cyclone, sweeping up the Delaware
River, this afternoon, struck this city
near Greenwich Point. demolishing a
portion of the works of the Pennsyl
vania Salt Manufacturing Company and
, injuring several employees. 1t then
took course across the river, wrecking
four river steamers. Major RevboId, and
the ferry boat Peerless. The storm blew
Pilot Emory Townsend and Captain
Eugene Reybold, of the steamer Reybold
into the river. drowning the former and
painfully injuring the captain. The
! Peerless was swept clean almost to the
waters edge. When the Major Reubold
left the dock for Salem, n. J., she had
on board about fifty passengers, al
though, as no tickets were sold, it is i'm
possible to ascertain the exact number.
There were also about fourteen officers
and deck hands. OF this num-
Der of people upon the wrecked boat
it does not appear that any lives were
Host. except that of the pilot, although
it is possible that some of the passen-
gers were washed off and lost. A steam
tug coming up the river after the disas-
ter. reports that the body of a woman
was seen for a few minutes floating
near the spot where the cyclone struck
the steamboat, but sank out of sight
and could not be found when the tug
made a search for her. B. l. Warner,
one of the passengers, describes the
scene. He was standing GU the upper
deck and saw. black storm approach
ing, but as it moved rather slowly he
supposed it was rain storm. When it
struck the boat he discovered that its
! immense force came from its rotary mo-
! tiOn. He and several others were thrown
through a hole to a lower deck,
and all the upper works were swept
away like chat. The confusion among
the passengers was indescribable sew
eral jumped into the river, but Warner
believes all were rescued. While the
cyclone was upon the vessel, everything
was black as the blacklist night; sofas
were broken to splinters and carpets
torn to shreds in the cabin as
if they had been paper The cyclone,
he thinks, lasted about minute,
and after it passed the vessel rolled and
pitched fearfully in great waves, and
came near swapping. The storm then
passed over to the Jersey side, striking
John Dialogues ship yards below
Kaighn's Point, and destroying the
buildings of the establishment; it then
took course along the New
Jersey River. demohshing all the
buildings in its path, up to
Bridge Avenue, Camden. At this point
| the cyclone took an easterly course to
Fifth Street, Camden, embracing in its
path all that section of the city between
| Second and Third Streets to the Del
aware River, which washes the north
ern section of the city. Passing over
the river, skirting Betty's Island, the
storm passed over to that part of the
TWenty-hfth Ward Philadelphia, known
as Richmond. In its ravages in Cam
den, scores of dwelling houses were
unroofed, and some of them thrown
down, and damage to business property
along the river front is enormous.
Hundreds of families are rendered
homeless, and one victim, Charles
Darcy, killed outright, at the Ameri
can Dredging Company's wharf. An
other, Harry Stevens, had his leg cut
off by a flying piece of timber, and will |
probably die. The track of the storm
through Richmond is marked with
almost due north from the Fort Rick |
mond coal wharves. About $50 dwelling
houses were wrecked or so badly |
dam ged as to be rendered unfit for |
habitation. and 200 families were driven |
from their homes TO be cared for by
neighbors. A number of persons were |
seriously, some fatally, injured. a |
girl of 10 years, Lizzie McVeaeh
was killed at her home, t.72f |
Melvale Street, in sight of Eher |
mother. who was herself pinioned to
the floor by falling rafters, a few feet !
from the dying child. The cyclone is |
described by those who witnessed its |
progress up the river as an immense |
black cone-shaped cloud with the apex
resting upon the water and the base |
mingling with the rain clouds, which |
hug in dense masses from the sky. It |
is impossible yet to estimate the amount |
of damage done.
BALTIMORE, Ausust 3.-Advices FROM
various points throughout the State /
show the storm of the day to be the |
most disastrous that has ever visited |
200 yards in width, through Cecil |
County. Houses, mills and bridges
were carried away. Trees were blown {!
half mile, and q :, loaded |
freight train, with all the brakes
down, was blown a mile along the track.
Two men were badly injured by being |
struck with flying debris. Through |
Middletown Valley very heavy damage
was reported. The loss throughout the |
State is roughly estimated at $4,000
and it may considerably exceed that.
John Dialogue, of Camden, whose
works were destroyed, says: Looking
out of the door upon the river l saw
the tornado's approach. could see
the building of the Philadelphia |
Salt Works on the Philadelphia side
going off like chat, then Che storm
struck the Major Reybod, which was
partly abreast Of my place. Portions of
her upper works were hurled fully 400
feet into the air. The moving fury re-
sembled dense mass of rolling black |
smoke and it travelled within
ten feet of the surface. of the
river. A singular .phenemon was
noticed not only by myself but by all
INV men in the yards. This was huge
bail of fire, fully ten feet in diameter,
which swiftly accompanied the storm
cloud. After playing havoc with my
establishment I saw this ball Of
FIRE explode about $50 yards north