Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-28
IT CAME IN A FLASH.
Hundreds of Buildings
Razed to the Ground.
THE TORNADO'S WRATH.
Hundreds Killed aud Thousands of
Houses Leveled to the Ground.

LOUISVILLE, KY., March 2S.-A tornado struck
Louisville at 7:3O o'clock last night. 1t entered
the southeastern portion of the city at 18th
street and swept path five blocks wide dag
onally reaching in a ragged line to 9TH street,
leveling every building in its path, probably
at five hundred with thousands injured. The
city is filled with a crazed mass of people
wildly seeking friends. A large force of men
| IS at work on the ruins and about
one hundred bodies have been recovered. II
| is impossible to get names. Buildings on Main
street from Sth to 14th streets are in ruins, not
| one of the handsome wholesale houses being
left and all the tobacco warehouses swept away.
On Market street Falls City Hall, four-story
building, was prostrated while several Masonic
and Knights of Honor lodges were in session.,
and one hundred people, men and women, are
buried in the ruins. Every other house on
Market and Jefferson and Walnut from 10th to
18th streets is in ruins. Parkland, suburb, is
| swept away. At the Union depot, at the foot of
7th street, the Chesapeake and Ohio train for
Washington was just starting, out filed with
passengers. The building was prostrated,
crashing in on the train. Ali the passengers
were, however, rescued but one newsboy.
THE DISASTER OF THE CENTURY.
Such desolation no city has known in this
century. Every building, tree and every tele-
graph pole is leveled within the district struck.
The cyclone was predicted by the Signal
Service bulletin yesterday afternoon, but no
heed was paid to its warning. The cyclone came
with scarcely warning sound and in all the
buildings struck the inhabitants were engaged
in their usual avocations without an effort to
escape when their homes collapsed. The dis
trict laid waste comprises an area of the city
three miles long and nearly half a mile wide.
Among those whose bodies have been identi-
fed are Mrs. May Hodges, Louis Simmons and
Randolph, Mrs. James Rock, Peter Grumley.
Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Buffet, Chris. Miller. Mr..
Lanton, Mrs. Adam Mills, Mrs. Charles Has
som, Rev. N. Barnel, pastor of St. James Epis-
tilted bodies are lying in heap at the Falls
City Hall. Other heaps are all over the city.
Many bodies we're carried away by friends and
are impossible to reach.
The cyclone crossed the river, striking Jeffer-
sonville, Ind, badly wrecking Front street,
which is on the river front, but no lives we're
lost. Hundreds of wounded have been taken
to their homes and the hospitals. All of the ply
sicians in the city are engaged in attending
them. At 8 o'clock seven fires were burning.
They were all extinguished. No trains had
arrived from Cincinnati, Lexington or the
south ON the Louisville and Nashville or the
Chesapeake and Ohio last night All the rail-
roads with the exception of the Pennsylvania
lines are compelled to suspend operations.
ESTIMATED EIGHT HUNDRED LIVES LOST.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, March 2s.-w. NJ Rob-
ertson Of this city, conductor of the Jefferson
willie, Madison and Indianapolis road, left Louis
vile about O'Clock, and, by bringing his train
in over the Ohio AMI Mississippi tracks, avoided
the obstruction on his own road, which was
caused by tree blowing across the track, and
got his train into indianapolis at 3l5 thism
ing. He gives graphic story of the main
points Of the disaster and says that in all prob
ability fully 800 lives have been lost. Mr.. Rob-
ertson says he was at supper in the Metropoli-
tan Hotel at exactly 8 O'Clock, when there was o
crashing and roaring on the outside, and all
the diners made rush for the street. Once
there they were confronted by additional ter
rors, for the air was full Of flying bricks and
signs and roofs, and, to add to the horrors Of
the occasion, everything was inky darknesa
But only for minute. Tho roaring, crash
ing sound seemed to pass on into the darkness,
and in the track left by IL there sprang up in
every direction long spouts Of fame, BY which
the scene could be Examined. Then, from the