Telegram-herald., 1888-02-21
sroslss OF eYg WITNESSES.


81 Iou1s. FEB. s0.-H :. Rssrdon.
conductor % the Louisville a Nashville
train which was caught In ths cyelors .:
Mt Vernon last evening sna Who hsS hss
shoulder disl0csted oy having big trunk
hurled against hin by the wind. gives the
fslioxins brief account Of the SCENE
1T was ali over ia . minute fhe thing
that most impressed me VAS the destruction
Of the county court house. . magnificent
three story brick building The court house
stood ia prOmi nent place aad could cas- y
be seen almost from TIE tower TO the
ground. IL looked - me as though = huge
pile OF brick and mortar had been suack oy
a gigantic bztIering ram. or by big CLUB Ia
the hands Of = power strong enough 70
knock II down a, : slagle blow. IL seemed
10 collapse al At once. spreading out, crush
ing and 0urylng the buildings surrounding
IL.
Marcus Aarons. = drummer for 8 Phils-
delphis house, who was passenger on the
train. says:
1T Was terrible calamity. | never wit
messed anything 50 frigalful in my life On
reaching Mt Vernon station, II BEGAN TO
thunder and tighten. Presently II began
TO rain and hail driving every ole TO
=
black cloud. funnel-shaped, Was seen over
our heads. Some OF tie people knew IN a
moment what was coming aud began 10
cry out words of warning. The cloud burst
ia minute after forming IL came with
tue roar and crash of a mighty battle.
Houses of all de scriptions went down like
wheat before the hail. Men. women and
children ran hither and thilher, screaming
snd praying in their peril and fright. "A
be
track Just behind US. Our train was lying
in the path OF the cyclone. and was taken
at flying rate down the track. The en-
gineer could not control the train. and
fortunately for Us the brakes were not on.
Trees were uprootea aud cars lifted cieanly
of their wheels. The passage OF the cylone
must have occupied ~ least two minutes"
j. w. Wallsce, agent of the Southern Ex-
press at Shelbyville Tenn. also saw the
storm from the train window, and de
scriOed IL thus:
IL beheld fearful black cloud coming
from the north west IL was in the shape
of a large inverted cone. and could be
plainly seen TO be revolving around on an
imaginary axis and al the same time TO De
bouncing up aud down through the ali
with wonderful and frightfui speed. II
grew denser and the blackness assumed a
hcIceness that was appalling. The wind IN
our immediate vicinity. now blowing with
almost incredible velocity as the cloud was
approaching was causing the standing
coaches 10 rock and sway on their trucks
like a cradle. Men and women on the
streets were blown TO the ground. Ia a mo
meat tae whirling clouds arrived al the
town and could be seen dipping down here
and there and tearing of house roofs, anC
| then rising higher into the air again. like 8
/ sTaying balloon. liz would float along
with lightning-like rapidity. but wonic
soon swoOp down again upon the defense
! less little town in another spot, raising
/ houses and trees, licking the sides of build
| ings and tearing great holes in them and
/ leaving devastation along every part OF IT.
course. As the cloud would dip down anC
rise again, il would carry trees upward into
tne air aud throw them 10 the ground will
mighty force, a hundred yards away
| Parts of the house roofs, trees, boards
| bricks, with all kinds OF debris, were tiyinG
| through the air at fearful rate ana lei
| piled IN incongruous heaps along the tracs
f. of the cloud.
The passengers on our train were fright
ened. and verltaole panic ensue6. Women
I screamed from fright and rushed into tn
, arms of their husbands and escorts for pro
/ lection. The cloud dipped down on TIT
| nori Il sido of the train and demolished
/ house. but just before it arrived at GU
position it arose, passed over us will
magical swiftness and dropped down ol
the earth TO the south of the train, where il
! completely destroyed another building anC
| passed on to the town IN its work OF des
truction. Thus, you see, our train had
| miraculous escape"