The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-04-04
THE CYCLONES FURY.
Early Reports Of Thursday Nights
Disaster Confirmed.
Its Extent Even Greater than First
Accounts Indicated-Fearful Loss of
Life, a. Yet Not Fully Deter
mined, at Louisville.
Many Yet Buried I'm the Debris-Other
Places Suffered Severely, but
LouIsville's Loss Overshad
sws Them All.

eight and nine o'clock last night tor
nado struck this city from the south
west nOrtheastward. leaving death and
destruction everywhere. Outside of the
clearly defined limits the citizens knew
only of heavy rain accompanied by
high wind. Soon came the alarm of
fire from dozen different stations and
the horror of the calmity began to dawn
on the people. Great stone warehouses,
halls of amusement, railroad stations
and dwelling houses, all went down be-
fore the mighty powers of the air. The
storm soon passed on, the clouds scat
tered, and the moon cast its light over
n sorely-stricken city. Relief parties
were soon organized; the whole force of
the fire department was at work. At
this writing no definite statement can
be made of the loss of life, but it is
large. 1t is impossible that so wide
sweep of territory covered with ruined
houses, with wreck of halls and build
ings of every character does not contain
many dead. Enough is known to show
that Louisville has been visited by
most appalling calamity. The wrecked
portion of the city lies between Eigh-
teenth, Broadway, Seventh and Main
streets, the destroying elements pass
ing diagonally across the section, which
is probable a mile square. At least
two hundred house are in ruins. 1t is
feared that at least two hundred lives
are lost
Probably the greatest loss of life oc-
Cured at the Falls City Hall, which
was in the center of the tornado. In
the lower rooms of the hall were fifty
or seventy-five children with their
mothers and other relatives taking
dancing lessons. There were at least
125 persons on the lower floors and sew
enty-five more attending lodge meet
ing on upper floors when the terrible
wind swooped down upon the building.
The entire structure in less than five
minutes was a shapeless mass of brick
and mortar, burying two hundred help
less victims, of which number few es-
capped uninjured. Conservative esti-
mates place the loss of life at this
point at one hundred, while other re-
ports indicate the number nearer two
hundred. At three o'clock this morn
ing thirty-five dead bodies had been
taken from this ruin, and fifteen
wounded and dying. Only those on the
third floor had been reached, the room
containing the dancing-school pupils
and visitors not yet being opened.
Immediately upon the burst of the cy-
clone the fire bells sounded and the po-
lice were at work. Within ten minutes
a posse appeared at the Falls City Hall
wreck. The walls of the adjoining
houses were first propped, and then be-
gan the work of cutting through the
heavy slate roof that covered all At
first work was difficult and laborious, on
account of the immense multitude that
surrounded the wreck.
At twelve o'clock the opening of a por-
ton of the debris of the Falls City Hall
caused a draught to penetrate the ruins,
whereupon the smouldering fire broke
out with tremendous ferceness- 1t
spread rapidly and forced the workers
20 desert the pile. As soon as the fire
gained headway the groans of the i'm
prisoned people became shrieks, and so
great was the horror of the moment
that the watchers grew frantic and
screamed and ran about like wild, the
terrible sufferings which they were un-
able to alleviate driving them to de-
spair Several lines of hose were soon
throwing water on the flames, but it
was more than an hour before work
could be proceeded with, and then it was
carried on with much difficulty on ac-.
count of the heat
Up to twelve o'clock only about thirty
five dead bodies and twenty-five wound
ed and dying were taken from the
wreck. The corpses were laid in the
houses across the street and in
Dougherty & Keenan's undertaking
shop on the block below. At the latter
place people passed in and out one by
one, to look at the bodies, hunting for
friends and relatives. One man said
he was looking for Louis Lapp, and the
very first sheet lifted revealed the
corpse of the person wanted. The
man covered his face, groaned and
would have fallen had he not been sus-
tanned.
At about half-past eleven o'clock the
room where the children were dancing
was reached. Mr.. Louis Simms, Jr., of No.
1124 Market street. had for hours been
moving about in agony of grief in front
of that portion of the wreck, where this
room had been, for his wife and four
little children were there. When the
room was reached, Mrs. Simms was the
first one found and she was fatally hurt.
Then, within about fifteen minutes of
each other, three of the Simms children
were recovered. They were unconscious,
and there is only faint possibility of
their living. While the father was
imploring the workers to get his other
child FIRE broke out and work was sus-
* pended. The last man taken out alive
before the flames started was John
Hepden of No. 2109 West Broadway, and
lust previous to that a woman, who was
unable TO give her name, was recovered.
1t was not possible TO tell the extent of
the injuries of either.
After the tire had been extinguished,
women were found digging at the slate
with their fingers, crazed with the
ruin beneath. Every one did noble
work. After an hour Of ceaseless labor
the first victim, Mrs. Sarah Kelly, was
unearthed. Hes body was found sitting
in an upright position, her head bruised
and one arm broken She said that at
the first quake mad rush was made
for the entrance Women were knocked
down and tranpled upon in the mad
haste TO escape Seeing the overwhelm-