Huntsville gazette., 1890-04-05
THE CYCLONES FURY.
,onorts of Thursday Nights
''''' Disaster Confirmed
r..,. Even Greater than First
~ .,nn,s Indicated-Fearful Loss OF
" -. as Yet Not Fully Deter
mined, at Louisville
hSW suffered Severely, but,
Ioulsville's Loss Overshad-
ows Them All.

u' ,s Suffered severely, put,
LoulsviIle's Loss overshad-
ows Them All.
rorr.v1ILE, KY, March 2S.-Between
.igbt and nine o'clock last night tor
3n eisI struck this city from the south
Aa-1 nortbeastward, leaving death and
s'ar ,..'netion everywhere. Outside OF the
us'~ ,as.1r defined limits the citizens knew
., .nI- -of heavy rain accompanied by a
III III rind Soon came the alarm OF
a.s aTs rom a dozen different stations and
~ I, horror Of the calmity began to dawn
y. no reople. Great stone warehouses,
vs. S.r. ID of amusement, railroad stations
.rt .aJ 5veIling houses, all went down be-
I ,a,e The mighty powers of the air. The
.to-r anon passed on, the clouds scat
.o.od and the moon cast its light over
,orplv.stricken city. Relief parties
vee soon organized; the whole force OF
be fire department was at work. At
Ais writing no definite statement can
hmade Of the loss of life, but 1T is
,re. 1t is impossible that so wide
Teep Of territory covered with ruined
Snses, with wreck of halls and build
hrs Of every character does not contain
ranv dead. Enough is known to show
that Louisville has been visited by a
most appalling calamity. The wrecked
portion of the city lies between Eigh-
tenth, 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-fye children with their
mothers and other relatives taking
dancing lessons. There were at least
r25 persons on the lower floors and sew
enty-aye 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-
GFed uninjured. Conservative eSti-
mates place the loss of life at this
pint at one hundred, while other re-
Mt indicate the number nearer two
llndred AT three o'clock this morn
ing thirty-fye dead bodies had been
taken from this ruin, and fifteen
wounded and dying, Only those on the
tnlrd floor had been reached, the room
containing the dancing-school pupils
and visitors not yet being opened.
Immediately upon the burst of the cy-
c!One the fire bells sounded and the DO
uce we're at work. Within ten minutes
posse appeared at the Falls City Hall
sfeck' The walls of the adjoining
a0lSeS were first propped, and then be-
s'H 'ne work of cutting through the
.taVy slate roof that covered all. At
-'S' work was difficult and laborious, on
UVouht ot the immense multitude that
surrounded the wreck.
at twelve o'clock the opening of por-
lon q the debris of the Falls City Hall
.luSed draught to penetrate the ruins,
"u'Ieupon the smouldering fire broke
Wy with tremendous ferceness. 1t
'plead rapidly and forced the workers
"OeSert the pile. As soon as the fire
s1HeU headway the groans of the i'm
,..'uAe0 people became shrieks, and so
Ya' was the horror of the moment
'ne watchers grew frantic and
nD1i .YaIleu and ran about like wild, the
4. sl.o'e Suilerings which they were un-
s.; " alleviate driving them to de-
several lines Of hose were soon
s'O'IhS water on the flames. but it
MI, more than an hour before work
s,.;.. ~ y proceeded with, and then it was
srn, ,'Su On with much difficulty on ac-
"rnt ,e Of the heat
sye 49, we've ci)ck only about thirty
N ass .sU oooles ard twenty-five wound
r,aoI. uylng we're taken from the
to9sa. Inc corpaeS were laid in the
Dc,rb across the street and in
sbo5 ''Cy d keenan's undertaking
J,so 'le block below. AT the latter
~ p1Ople passed in and out, one by
ts,5, LUX at the bodies, hunting for
sr,. ana relatives. One man said
~ = COOKING for Louis Lapp, and the
,a3.. DlSt sheet lifted revealed the
ii IL. 7 'he person wanted. The
sas5 L.' .eIeo his face, groaned and
aiasi ~ lallen had he not been sus-
,ose 'oSpt sS half-past eleven o'clock the
Eas,a,aE me children were dancing
lpi N,,i'1' Nr. Louis Simms. .Jr., of No
aorin,, ,,Ae' 4 street, had for hours been
aAat MY. Soa' IN agony of grief in front
son 5Is Portion of the wreck, where this
prle cbas 9een' for his wife and four
sOa N.aen uven were there. When the
sstons s1 ,s, reached, Mrs. simms was the
Ia - ,.;, lound and she was fatally hnrt
sb otbaI a,nln mn about fifteen minutes of
's'e reco,. 'nree Of the Simms children
tgqvered tSe,s e. They were unconscious. a.,u as.
~ liyine O"ly u a faint possibility of
.eporipo =. while the father was
eii ire = b.D3 NE Workers to get his other
Faied. M rOAe out and work was sus-
Slo'e Tho last man taken out alive
usMea Of \ lanes started was John
'iVs West Broadway, and