The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-21

ST. Louis, Feb. 20.-Mr. II. s Reardon, con-
ductor Of the Louisville 81 Nashville train which
was caught In the cyclone ~ MT Vernon, H..
last evening. and who had n shoulder dslocated
by having "A big trunk hurled against him by the
wind. arrived here last nght and eives the fol-
lowing account OF the disaster; .slt was ali over
IL minute" said he. ''The thing that most
impressed ms was the destruction Of tho county
courthouse. q MAGNIFICENT ,hree-story building.
The courthouse stood In prominent place, aud
could easily be seen almost from the tower TO
the ground. IL looked to me though the huge
pile Of brick and mortar had been struck by
gigantic hattering-ram, or, II you please, by big
club in the hands OF power strong enough to
knock IL down at single blow. Ii seemed to
collapse at once. spread out, crush and bury the
buildings surrounding It,"
Marcus Aarons. drummer for Philadelphia
house, who was passenger on tho train, says:
1T was terrible calamity. + never Witnessed
anything 30 frichtful in my life. On reaching
the Mt Vernon station 1t began to thunder and
lightning. Presently 1t began to rain and hail.
driving every one TO shelter. just about this
time portentous black cloud. funnel-s -shap ed,
was seen over our heads Some of the eople
knew in q moment what was coming, and beg an
to cry ont words Of warning. The cloud bur st
in minute after forming It came with the
roar and crash Of q mighty ball. Houses of all
descriptions went down like wheat before tho
fail Men. women and children ran hithsr aud
thither, screaming and praying in their peril and
fright. The county courthouse was utterly
wrecked. and a three-story mill was blow n
across the track just behind US. Our train was
lying in the track of the cyclone
down the track. The engineer could NOT
control the train. and, fortunately for us, the
III
cars lifted cleaniy off their whesls. The passage
OF the cyclone must have occupied At least two
minutes think that fully half the town
totally wrecked and to add TO tho horror Of the
wind many fires broke out among the ruins.
From the train conld see tho smoke and
flames rising from dozen different houses
Our train did not wait long enough iu the town
for us to learn the accurate loss of life and prop
erty, but the devastation was terrible. A strange
thing that three minutes after the cyclone
the sun shining brightly and serenely on
the scene Of desoation."
j. ". Wallace. agent Of tho Southern express
at Sh-lbyviile, Tenn.. also saw the storm from
a train window, and described il thus: ~ be-
held fearful black cloud coming from the
northwest IL was in the shape Of n large in
verted cone. and it could be plainly seen to bs
revolving around an imaginary axis, and at the
same time to be bouncing up and down through
the air, with wonderful and frghtful speed. Ii
grew denser. and the blackness assumed fierce
ness that appalling The wind in our i'm
mediate vicinity was now blowing with almost
incredible velocity as the cloud approached.
causing the standing coaches to rock and sway
on their trucks like cradles Men and WON On
on the streets blown TO the ground In a
moment the whriine cloud arrived at the town,
and is could be dipping down
here and there. and tearing off house
roofs and then rising higher into
the air again like a swaying balloon; 1t would
float along with lightning like rapidity. but soon
swoop down again upon the defenseless little
town in another spot. razing the houses and
trees licking the sides of buildings and tearing
great holes in them, and leaving devastation
along every part of it's course. AS the cloud
would dip down and rise again. IL would carry
trees upward into the air and throw them TO the
ground with mighty force a hundred yards
away. Parts OF house roofs, trees, boards,
bricks with all kinds of debris, fying
through the air at a fearful rate. and left piled
in inconeruous heaps along the track OF ths
cloud. The passengers on our train were fright
ened. and veritahle panic ensn~d Women
screamed from fright. and rushed into the arms
of their husbands and escorts for protection.
The cloud dipred down the north sida OF tho
train and demolished house, but just before IL
arrived at our position IL arose aud passed over
us with magical swiftnass and dropped down on
the earth TO the south of the train. where il
completely destroyed another building and