Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1890-04-03
AN AWFUL CALAMITY
THE STORM AT LOUISVILLE, KY, A
DISASTROUS CYCLONE.

1 i
DISASTROUS CYCLONE.
It Leyeled Everything in It's Track, Killing
Hundreds and Manning Thousands-An
Unprecedented Fatality in the Cyclone
History of the Country-.A Few Details.
The tornado which struck Louisville,
KY, entered the southeastern portion
Of the city at Eighteenth street AID swept
a path of FIVE. blocks diagonally, reaching
in ragged line to Seventh street and lev
cling every building in its path-protably
$500 houses at a rough estimate. The
number killed is placed at 500, with tb ,us-
ands injured.
One Hundred Bodies
have been recovered. The buildings on
Main street from Eighth to Fourteenth
streets are in ruins, not one of the hand
some Wholesale houses being left, and all
the tobacco warehouses were swept away on
Market street.
Fatal to Secret Societies.
The Falls City hall, four build
ing, was blown down while several Ma
sonic and Knights Of Honor lodges were
in session, and one hundred men and
women were buried in the ruins.
Nearly Every House Gone.
Every other house on Market, jefferson
and Walnut streets from Eleventh to Six
teenth street, is in ruins. Parkland, a
suburb, Is swept away. At the Union depot
at the foot of Seventh street chesapeake
q Ohio train for Washington was just
starting out filled with passengers. The
building was prostrated, crushing in on
the train. All the
Passengers Were Rescued
except one newsboy. Every building, tree
and telegraph pole in the district struck
was leveled. The district laid low was an
area three miles long and nearly half mile
wide
The streets are thronged with multi
tudes Of sorrowing people. They stand
upon the corners with tear dimmed eyes,
solemnly discussing the dreadful catastro-
phe or move from one point of the wrecked
district to another, gazing at the scenes of
ruin. There are at least 100 families home
less in the streets that were happy yester-
day in the possession of their homes. One
poor woman, between her half stifed sobs,
told how that very evening her husband
had paid to building association the last
dollar they owed upon their house, and
now all that remains is a confused mass of
brick and mortar. There are many other
cases almost parallel to this. Not only
were the houses dashed to the ground, but
the furniture in many instances was en-
tirely destroyed. Hundreds of thousands
of dollars worth of goods lay last night
upon the business streets at the mercy OF
thieves. 1t now seems almost impossible
to find store houses for the vast amount Of
merchan disc.
r.. At many placesstowering walls of brick
are rocking in the air, ready to descend at
any time. The points of danger are
guarded by the police and a military COM
pany who drive the surging crowds back at
the point of the bayonet.
At the entrances of the various dead
rooms" stand breathless mobs, clamoring
for admittaDce, but invariably refused un-
less it be to identify some relative or
friend. Occasionally when one of these
enters sound, half sob, half shrek,
reaches the outer doors.
The telephone wires are all down and it
will take ten days to get them up and
working again. The search for the victims
is going steadily on and each hour adds
largely to the already long list. In many
places the men labor in great danger of be-
ing buried beneath the tottering walls at
any moment, and other accidents are
looked for momentarily.
An inspection of the water works shows
the stand pipe completely wrecked. Until
repairs are completed no pumping can be
done, and there is only about enough water
in the reservoir to last five days. At the
end of that time the public will have to
depend on wells. 1t cannot be told how
long it will take to repair the water-works.
Crushed and blackened ruins mark the
spot where last evening stood the splen-
did, large union depot at Seventh and
River. When the crash came the Louis
vile Southern train had just come in and
the I. and M. was ready to pull out,
but both were caught by the falling mass
and crushed like shells. About a dozen
people were injured, but, it is thought,
none fatally.
The wide river, disturbed by the fury of
the tornado, is yet angry, and what was
left of the depot by the wind is momen-
tarily threatened by the strong waves that
surge under and about the platforms.
From Seventh and River as far down as
can be seen one continuous scene of desc
lation meets the eye and bewilders the
spectator, who never dreamed of anything
SO terrible. Everywhere is wreck and
ruin.
The storm seemed only to have swept
Broadway from Fifteenth to Nineteenth,
but nearly all the houses between these
streets, and on intersecting streets, were
demolished. From Fifteenth to Sixteenth
are mostly small frame houses, occupied
by colored families. The roofs were torn
off, but no great amount of damage was
done, and none of the occupants were
hurt. From Sixteenth down to Nineteenth,
however, the destruction was terrible. In
these three blocks the houses were larger
and of much better quality. Nearly every
one of them was demolished, but in most
cases the occupants escaped with slight
injuries. The Catholic buildings at Sew
enteenth and Broadway-fye in number
were all blown down and Sister Plus
killed. All the other sisters escaped with
out injury.
The board Of trade has appointed gen.
eral relief committee to relieve the poor
people who are in a destitute condition.
Twenty Thousand dollars Was subscribed
in short time, and special meeting of