Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-08-23
DISASTROUS STORMS.
A Great Gale Sweeps over thGSOuth
A TORNADO At MARQUETTE, MICH.

GREAT DESTRUCTION AT NEW ORLEANS.
New ORLEANS, Aug. 20.-An Easter
ly gale has prevailed since P. NJ. on
Saturday, with fitful gusts of the veloci-
ty of As to 90 miles an hour. Great
damage has been done in the city and
along the river front. Several buildings
were unrOofed, fences were blown down,
trees were uprooted and the coal fleet
of the Pittsburgh and Southern Combi-
nation suffered severely. Fifty boats
are known to have been lost. They
were valued at $1,000 each.
The Louisville and Nashville and Hi
nOiS Central trains were DELAYED by
washouts. Great damage has been done
to the rice and sugar cane crops. Tele-
graph wires are Frustrated in every di-
rection. There has been no cOmmuni-
cation with outside points since 8 P. NJ.
on Sunday. The city was in darkness
last night. The electric light plant was
shut down on account of the contact of
the electric light wires with the tele-
phone and telegraph wires.
IN TENNESSEE AND STATES SOUTH.
MEMPHIS, August 20.-Heavy rains
have fallen all over this section of coun-
try during the past three days, and still
continue. All the small streams, eSpe-
cially to the South, are bank-full, and in
many localities have overfowed and
flooded valuable farming lands. Tele-
graph wires between Memphis and New
Orleans have been Frustrated, and only
very meager news can be obtained. A
local storm of unusual severity swept
over COffeeville, Miss, to-day, doing
considerable damage, and if the present
spell of weather continues much longer
very serious damage will be sustained
by the cotton crop.
Reports coming in show that the rains
have been general and disastrous in
their nature.
Last week drouth was threatened in
many localities, but now floods are fear
ed, and more serious injury will follow
The Western Union Telegraph COmpa-
ny tonight report all wires down lead
ing to New Orleans, which city is cut
off from any telegraph service from
Memphis.
In the vicinity of Vieksburg and the
YazoO Valley the rainfall has been un-
precedented, and very serious injury to
cotton and corn has resulted.
TORNADO AT MARQUETTE.
MARQUETTE, MICH, August 20.-At
2:20 o'clock this afternoon terrific tor
nado passed over the city. When di-
rectly over the center of the city it sud
denly dipped, and for four minutes the
greatest havoc prevailed. The storm
moved in a circle. The roofs of many
business blocks were torn off, telephone
and telegraph wires were prostrated,
plate glass windows were demolished
shade trees were torn up, and the streets
were blOckaded with debris. Rain and
hail fell in torrents, and poured through
the unrOOfed houses, running thousands
of dollars worth of merchandise.
THE GULF OVER ITS BANKS.
MOBILE, ALABAMA, August 20.-The
Southeast gale which began Saturday
afternoon increased to fifty-seven miles
an hour to-day. The waters of the gulf
have been driven up, flooding the low
lands, and the railroads are submerged.
No trains were run to-day except on the
Meriden and Selma Railway. Many
stores in the lower part of the city are
flooded, but the damage is not extensive. |
Wires being down everywhere, details of |
the damage outside the city have not |
been received.