Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-04-05
A CITY TN RUINS.
Louisville, Kentucky, Wrecked
by a Great Tornado.
aLen, Women and Children Buried
Beneath Falling Walis-asundrcds
III Es.,i Ia Home fsS-

NY q UI6dG lOlllcbuO.
aIen, Women and Children Buried
I Beneath Falling Wolis-Hsundrcds
OF FHmi trs Homeless.
The tornado which swept through this city
shortly after eight o'clock left death and des-
olatiou in its track. Outside Of the clearly
define limits the citizsns knew only of
heavy rain, accompanied by high wind.
Soon came the alarm of fire from doz.n
different stations, and the horrors of tho
calamity began to dawn on the people.
Warehouses halls of amusement, railroad
stations and dwelling houses-al went down
before the mighty powers of the air. The
storm soon passed on, the clounu scateeTeo,
and the moon cast its light over stricken
CITY. Tue tornado struck III. southeastern
portion OF the city at Eighteenth street, and
swept a path five blocks wide Iiasonally,
reaching in u ragged line to Seventh street.
The buildings on Main street, from Eighth
to Fourteenth streets, are IN ruins, MOI one
OF tho handsome Wholesale houses being lett
and all ths tobacco warehouses were swept
away. On Market street, Falls City Hall,
four story building. was blown down while
several Masonic aud knights OF Honor lodges
were in ssiou, and on, hundred mon and
women buried in the ruiuS Every other
housa OH II ,rket, Jrlferi0n and Walnut
streets. from Tenth to Sixteenth, is in rufus
Parklani, suburb, W. demolished. AT tho
Union Depot, ut the foot of Seventh erect,
the chesapeake ana Onio train, Tor Washing
ton was iuss starting cut iiliesl with pasS-n-
gers. The building was prcssratel, crashing
IN on the train. All thu passengers, however,
were rescued, except one newsooy.
The raliaf committee of the BOaru OF lrQJe
issued the following:
9Th. caarn ty that has overtaken the city
of Lou sviie by the tornado about nlns
o'clock, Spread over q territory OF our city
covering space OF Grouud four hundred
wards wide ami three miles in length, through
The business and resd nee ortlon OF our city.
The lose vi lie is in the reiShhorhood, it is
believed, OF some ssventy-6ve persons, aud
the loss 10 the city, the calamity III damage
to houses nn1 goods, IS believed not to eXceed
TWO millions OF do lars While the calamity
is u great one, our citz ms feel aols to cope
with it, and are not cast down, but will ut
once proceed to repair AMI resume in the
channels now interrupted. IL all other por-
lions of tie city business is reSuM;nS It's usual
channes,"
the greatest loss of life occurred at the
Falls City Hall, which WAS in the centre OF
the lorna 10. In The lower rooms OF the hall
,not.,ers ami other relatives, taking dancing
le,.oas. There we're at least one hundred and
twenty five persons on tue lower floors, ani
saventy five more attending n 10 ige meeting
n, fine upper floor wien tbs terri Ole wind
swoopsd down upon the building. Theen
structure in less than five minutes was
SHAMELESS mass o! brick ami mortar. and
number of persons Ii lei and injured.
The sind had scarcely completed its awful
A1Is lad md lA
nol:ce and citizens began the task OF search
m for the dead and caring for the d Ying and
;.,ipra,,. D filcult was the task to clear the
rnios of women, who weIe found digging at
the slae with their fingers, crazed ut tue
0roans beneath, each of which they thou BIT
escended from their dying:
a;t.r an hour of ccas:less labor tue first
victim, Mrs. Sarah Kelley, was unearthed.
She was found sitting i'll an upright position.
her bead bruised and arm broken. She was
able to liz, and said that at tue FIRST quake
a mat rush was mad Tor the entrance
Women ware knocked down and trampled
on in .h. haste TO escape. Seeing the over
wLe!miug inn at the door, several remained
bnhirA In. last saw Of my friends was
lust tcfore the floor gave way and the ceiling
fell.
Esd the next hour thirty men and women
were drawn out dead, but with no wounds
on their bodies, AMI it is thought al! met their
death from suffocation,
The gas pipes had broken, which caused tue
liyhts TO 20 out, and which savo the ruins
from fire fer the time, but Il 70 led he debris
with yapor almost as deadly as the Are might
have proven.
ABOUT noon the opening up of portion
OF the debris OF the Fails City Hall caused
drought TO pen. trate the ruins, wherenpon
the smoulderiug fire broke out with tremen,
dous fisrceness. Itspread rapidly and forced
the workers 20 d. sert the pile. AS soon as
the fire gained Roadway The Groans Of the
imprisoned people became sEriesS, and SO
great was the horror Of the moment that the
watch rs grew frantic ond screamed and ran
about like wild, the Terrible sulT rings which
they were unable to alleviate driving them
10 despair.
Crushed and blackencd ru MS mark ths spot
where only last evening stool the spendld,
Jar. Union Depot at Seventh street. and Tue
river. When the crash cana LOUISVILLE
Southern train had just come in, and the o.
g. NJ. train was ready 10 pull out, ut 10th
were eau BIT 10y tue falling mass, and were
crushed like shells.
Til VIDE riv5r disturb by the fury OF
the tornado, is yet angry. and what was
left OF the depot by the Wild is Inonen .arlly
threatened by tue strong raves that >urge
under and about the platforms.
The streets Hre taro9Seo Win InultltutS
of people. They stand upon the corners with
teor-dimmod eyes so!emnly discussing tn,
dreadful catastrophe, Or move from one point
of the wrecked district to another, gazing at
the scenes oil ruin. There are at least hun
dcvd families homeless in the streets that
we're happily situated in the single possession
of their homes. One poor woman. between
her half-stihad sobs, told how that very even
ing, her husband had paid TO q building as
ISOLATION the last dollar they owed upon their
house. and now oil that remains is confused
mass OF brick aud mortar. That evening
was perhaps tie happiest aid saddest in their
livss. There are many other clSes almost
parallel TO this. Not only was the house
dashAd to the ground, but the furniture, and
in many instances is entirely destroyed.
The telephone wires are all down. and 1t
wilt take ten days to get them up and work
iny again. Tue search for victims is gong
stsadi J on, and each hour adds largely to
tho already long list. AT many places th?
man abor in great danger Of being buried
eueath the lettering walls at any moment,
aud other accidents are looked for moTan'
tariiy,
Apnfho,. Town NracExed.