The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-04-11
/. A CITY IN RUINS.
Louisville, Kentucky, Wrecked
by a Great Tornado.

Louisville, Kentucky, Wrecked
by a Great Tornado.
Mn, Women md Children Buried
| Bencath Failing wRIis-Huudrcds
| OF Fnmi 4 $ Homeless.
The tornado which swept through this city
| shortly after eight o'clock left death and des-
| olation in its track. Outside OF tho clearly
defiool limits tho citizens knew only Of q
heavy rain, accompanied by q high wind.
Soon came tho alarm Of fire from d. z,n
difrerens stations, and the horrors Of the
calamity began to dawn on the people.
Warehouses, halls OF amusement, railroad
stations and dwelling houses-al went down
sform soon ps ssed 90, tho ciouud Ssattered,
and the moon cast its light over strick y
city. The tornado struck III southeastern
portion OF the city at + ghteenth street, and
swept a path five blocks wide diagohally,
re.ching In ragged line to Seventh street.
The buildings OH Main street, from Eighth
to Fourteenth streets, are in ruins, not one
OF the handsom, wholesale houses being lef.,
and all the tobacco warehouses were swept
away. On Market street, Falls City Hull, n
four story building, was blown down wble
several Masonic ami knights OF Honor 10 iges
were in s-ssion, and ons hundred men and
women buried in the ruLs. Every other
house on Nj ,rket, Jefferion aud Walnut
streets, from Tenth to Sixteenth, is in ruins.
Parklsu1, a suburb, wss demolished. At the
Union Depot, at the o)t Of Seventh street,
the Chesapeake and Olio train, Tor Wnshin.
Ion was just starting cut filled with passen.
gers. The building was pre- ssratej, crashing
in on the train. All the passengers, however,
were rescued, except ono newsboy.
Tie relief committee Of the Bourl OF Trale
issued the following:
"Th- calain ty that has overtaken the city
Of Lou sville by the tornado about nine
o'clock, Spread over a territory Of our city
covering space OF ground four hundred
yards wide aud three mi,esin leuyth, through
the busir SIS and resid nee ortion OF our city.
The lose of II is In the neghhorhood, it is
believed, OF some seventy five persons, aud
the loss to the city, tho calamity in damage
to houses and goois, 3 beiiev Ell not to exceed
two millions OF do lars. While the calamity
is great one, our cit ms feel abl, to cops
with it, aud are not cast down, but will at
once proceed to repair and roS;;me in ths
! channels now interrupted. L. all other por.
tions OF the city bu 'iness is resuming its usual
channels"
The greatest loss of life occurred at the
Falls CITY Hall, which WIS in the centre Of
tho tornn 10. In the lower rooms Of the hall
were fiity or s,v' nty live children, With their
mothers and other relatives, taking dancing
les ons. There were at least one hundred and
twenty five persons on the lower floors, and
seventy. five more attending 10 Ige meeting
on the upper floor when the terrible wind
swooped down upon the building. Theentre
structure in less than five minutes was a
shapslsss mass o: brick and mortar, and n
number OF persons L! !ot auG injured
The wind had scarcely completed its awful
work when the fire bells sounded, and the
police aud citizens began the task Of search
ing for the dead aud caring for the dying and
| Injured. d fficult was the task to clear the
it11 it11 oI = =, = y Ar ;ssf
l. md sitti tips an am upki light position.
I lei. he6d br uisssi and saFu6 broken. Sue was
l86lst TO talk, aha ssid that attne first quake
Women were Knocked down and trampled
| on In the haste to escape. Seeing the over
whelming im at the door, several remained
behind. Tns last l saw OF my friends was
just before the floor gave way and the ceiling
;ell.
.Irs:de the next hour thirty men and women
| were drawn out dead. but with no wounds
on their bodies. and it is thought oil mot their
| death from suffocaticn.
| lights to go oat, and which save thu ruins
| from fire fer the time, but Il oled the debris
with vapor almost as deadly as the fire might
have proven.
OF the debris OF tho Falls City Hall caused q
| draught to penetrate the ruins, whereupoD
| the smouldering fire broke out with tremen.
dous flerceness. ltspread rapidly and forced
the workers to d. sert tho pile. AS 'oon as
the fire gained headway the groans Of the
imprisoned people became shrieks, and SO
| great was the horror of the moment that the
watchers grew frantic aud screamed and ran
about like wild, the terrible suff rings which
they were unable to alleviate driving them
to despair
Crushed and blackened TIL ms mark the spo
where only last evening stool the splendid
large Union Depot at Seventh street and the
river When the crash came q Louisville
| froi ha1 i'm m a q
IL M. train was ready TO pull out, ut bott
were caulh by the falling mass, and were
crushed like shells.
Tn, wide river, disturb d by the fury oi
the tornado, is yet angry, nnd what was
left Of the depot by the wind is monentari,
threatened by the strong waves that surge
under and about the platforms.
The streets are thronged with muititu les
OF people, They stand upon the corners with
| tear-dimmsd eyes solemnly discussing th
dreadful catastrophe, or move from one point
OF the wrecked district to another. gazing at
the scenes of ruin. There are at least hun
dred families homeless IN the str ,e:s that
wers happily situated in the single possession
her half stiff ID sobs, told how that very even.
ing, her husband had paid to q building as
socation the last dollar they owed upon their
house. and now all that remains is u confuS ID
mass OF BRICK and mortar. That evening
was perha rs Il happias, aud saddp st iD their
lives. There are many other cises almost
parallel to this. MOI only was the house
dashed to the ground, but the furniture, anil
In many instances is entirely destroyed.
Tue telephone wires are oil down. and II
will take ten days to get them up and work
ing again. the s.arch for victims is SO n;
steadily on, aud each hour adds largo'y &c
the already long list. At many places tn
men labor in great danger OF boins burie
beneath the tottering walls at any moment
and other accidents arc looked for monen
tsrlly