Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-03-29
The Death-Dealing Tornado

Inc UGdlQ-OcduuS 4oAN0No
The tornado which struck the city OF
Louisville last Thursday night Will douot-
less be recorded in American history as one
of the most destructive elemental visltations
that this country has ever experienced.
The latest dispatches show that the loss OF
life will oe about enc hundred and fifty, ara
the damage to property from one to three
million doilar5 cotb.
Ailtbe evening the storm had been gain
.,i1n an6 the l;ehtning and thunder were
omiSons. At about o'clock it began 10
rain. and the storm gradually increased IN
valance. The rain changed to nall, anu
neonIe kept within doors. The sigral ser
pice in the afternoon had predicted 6
clone. but no one thought 1t Wouio st!lSe
louisville. At S:25 the heavens were DiacK
as ink. Then there was oeep, awful
thrilling roar as the cyclone struck the
southwestern portion OF the city. buiioiDsa
crumbied like egg shells, and broad path
of devastation was cut through the oesV
mart of the city. Ga the streets the air was
full of flying bricks and signs and roofs, ano'
tn sdd TO the horror of the occasion, every
t,inp was inkv darkness. The roaring,
crashing sound seemed to pass on into dark
mass. and in the track left by it there sprang
M ia every direction long sheets of lame
bv which the scene could be exam
ined Then from the masses OF rulns
which the flames lighted up came shr!eks,
sobs and means. The whole thing
WAS over in minute aud bali, aud
oeople living outside the track OF the
storm were unaware for some little time that
ANYTHING unusual had happened. The gray
daylight of morning revealed scene OF
desoation that was sickening ID witness,
and which no pen can describe. At least
one hundred families are homeless in the
streets. Walnut, from Thirteenth to Fill
teenth Chestnut, from Thirteenth to Sew,
enteenth Broadway, in the neighborhood
of Eighteenth and Nineteenth, are filled
with debris and destruction.
The early night train on tpe L., st. l.. and
| T. Road. had race for life with the demon
of the elements. Soon after crossing the
! Salt River bridge, 20 miles below Louisville,
/ the engineer heard an indescribable noise,
ard queer cloud in the southwest told nim
of more danger than ell the RED ignts that
had ever dashed on the steel rlooons before
his engine. The track there 10 perfectly
| level for some miles, and he kneW tnat TO
be caught in that place meant instant oeata
| to himself and passengers A slight eleVa'
ton of earth was Jour miles in front Of him (;
to gain it would only be email and
geak protection against the foe no man
could fight, but he would do his best.
| One wild, long, weird blast of hls
! whistle, and the throttle was placed at the
limit. Madly. frantically rushed the engine,
swaying from side TO side, while perfect pan
demonium regned among the crew sad pas
seugers. Faster flew the wheels. and in one
mi lute the noise OF the tornado drowned the
clatter Of the wheels and the sky was inpen'
etrabe. When oil hope seemed gone TIE
| tornado crossed the track in front of the fly
ing train, and the dreadful suspense was
over. By miracle the train was saved /;
| but The passengers reRlizsd their danger
| when they pulled into the city and found
the track from Fourte enih to Seventh streets
covered with tret s and houses of all descrip
tons and the West Fad u mass of ruins, re-
samoling only in ghastliGess the great
Charleston earthquake.
Marion, KY, was devastated by the Same
storm that wrought such ruin at Louisville.
There was great loss of life.
At Racine, Wis, the roof of the stage Of
the new opera house, where Nine. Janau.
schek was performing, was blown off, Great.
ing panic among the performers.
News is just beginning to come in f5om
number OF emali places through LIMOS,
Ohio and Kentucky telling Of the damage
wrought by the storm. The probabilities
are that several hundred, aud perhaps thous'
ands of lives we're lost, besides the damage
to properly, which will amount 10 many
hundred Thousand dollars.
Tho storm has abDnt spent It's strength aud
will, if the predictions OF the signal cftice
are not ct fault, pass off the Atlantic coaet
to-day: L. started last Wednesday in Idaho,
The following morning had reached eastern
Kansas, that night was in eastern Illinois,
yesterday morning it reached Lake E'if,
and during the day moved directly eastward,
and last night was on the New England
coast There was snow yesterday in tho
lake region and rain and snow in New
Eogland, which will, it is prognosIicated,
change into snow tonight. Tne greatest
fall of temperature during this cold snap
was in Kentucky and Tennessee, where it
was 80 degrees colder yesterday than on
Thursday. In Louisville before the storm
passed over the city, the temperature wes
sc degree. while yesterday it was So, show
ing fall during the night OF nearly thirty
degrees