Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-03-30
THE FATAL WIND
DEATH In THE WAKE OF THE
WHIRLWIND.
LOUISVILLE, KY, LAID IN RUINS
Scenes OF Anguish and Destruction
That Battle Description. Three Hun
dred Probably Killed. Fire ADDS
Horror TO the Scene.

VI lIlc LuIDuiclit OulO DuL IWO udyo ago,
giving no thought of danger, is now
mourning the loss of 300 of her sons,
whose lives went out in the twinkling
of an eye and her sons and daughters
are standing around the bedside of hun
dreds of others who were injured.
Many of them fatally, in the terrible
disaster that has overtaken her.
The calamity came without warning
and it found men and women engaged
in their usual avOcations and many
seeking pleasure only to find the halls
Of their galty and mirth turned sud-
denly into the most terrible of sepul-
chures.
approach of the Storm.
Early in the evening the clouds west
and southwest of the city had threat.
enin5 aspect and brisk wind with rain
prevailed for two or three hours, h"t
although J!.e violence of the storm
creased as darkness approached no
alarm was excited. About 8 o'clock
the clouds were seen to mass themselves
to the southwest OF the city. Half an
hour later the blast came with terrible
effect, the elimination, as it were, Of
all the threateninSs of hours before.
Just west Of New Albany the Ohio
bends 10 the south and it was here aud
on the Indiana side that the storm as
sumed the proportions of cyclone and
started upon its devastating course.
Crossing the river at a point Just below
New Albany it struck the suburbs of
Portland and unroofed several houses.
1t strike, she City.
Apparently fed by the partial destruc-
ton it struck the city ut Seventeenth
and Broadway and took direct north
east course. striking the squares in its
path, at the angles. and extending about
one and half squares in width. Each
square brought it nearer to the business
portion of the CITY until it struck Main
and Eleventh. Here its track was
broadened until it covered three squares,
passing out of the city at Seventh street,
where it crossed to the Indiana side.
The space traversed was not less than
three miles and on every side deSolation
was visible. Massive buildings OF brick
and stone were crushed and scattered
at every side and hardly residence fell
that some of the inmates were not
killed or injured. The cries of the sur
vivor5 and the groans of the injured
mingled together and added to the APP
palling desolation of the scene.
Scene, of Anguish anJ Panic.
At first there could be no organized
effort at rescue. HHnofeds OF h0a.Ss
had been demolished, husbands, and
wives, parents and children had been
separated, and each know ing nothing
OF the condition of the other ran fran
ticalIy from place TO place looking for
the lost. ~
Large crowds from other d
soon assembled and inauSuY
search, but the means were inadE
and the heart rending cries that
the air completely unnamed
searchers.
AS if to add to the horror fire ats
broke out in all parts of the deva
district, and the bewildered fiji
knew not which of the half dozen
to go to first The Terrell q
house, on Eighth street. Sims fl
ing house. the Colored Odd III
hall and Seegar's saloon. all sonk
tances apart, We're on fire at th&
time.
In the Morning.
The gray daylight of the morning re-
vealed scene of desolation that is
to behold. Main street from
Seventh to Twelfth is rum, 80 is Mar
ket street for the corresponding distance.
Jefferson from Tenth to Thirteenth,
Walnut from Thirteenth to Fifteenth,
Chestnut from thirteenth to Seven
teenth, Broadway in the neighborhood
of Eighteenth and Nineteenth are filled
with debris and destruction. Even at
this hour it is impossible to give any ac-
curate list of killed and wounded. 1t
will take days to do that
The Gales Fantastic franks.
The terrible cyclone swept the resi-
dence PORTION of the west end. doing
immense damage to property. The loss
of life was considerable, but the condi-
ton of many of the totally demolished
houses would seem to preclude the pos
sibility of any of the inmates having
escaped alive. In dozens of places the
houses were entirely RACED to the ground,
yet in many of them the residents eS-
capped uninjured or slightly bruised.
The cyclone seemed to take tiendish
pride in fantasies with the better resi-
dences. Frequently the front of q three
story hon &c had its front cut from it,
the rest remaining unframed.
Furniture wagons crowded all the
devastated streets What OF the house
hold effects remained were being moved
and piles Of damaged furniture lined
the streets. Many OF the families who
live in the devastated districts and
whose residences were slightly injured,
are in constant fear that some OF the
topping walls will crash
into their houses.