Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-04-02
Continental STORM.
1T SWEPT THE COUNTRY LIKE A BESOM.
GREAT LOSS OF LIVES AND PROPER

IL OW FL LIE CUUNIhI LINE bESUhs
GREAT LOSS OF LIVES AND PROPER.
CITIES AND TOWNS DESTROYED.
KENTUCKY; METROPOLIS CITY,
ILLINOIS, AND OTHER
-
Since last Thursday night when Louis
vile, KY, and other cities and towns in
that State and Illinois and Indiana, and
other places were visited and partially de-
stroyed by the great storm which, from
Wednesday to Friday, swept as with be-
som with more or less violence over the GEN.
trial parts if the United States from the
Rocky mountains to the Atlantic coast,
great excl ement has existed, as the news
of the wide spread destruction was made
known The first news from Louisville,
where the greatest destruction occurred,
was, as was natural under the circum
stances, greatly exaggerated, particularly
as the telegraphic communication was de-
stroyed and it was impossible to learn the
facts, farther than that great calamity had
befallen that city.
The first reports gave the number Of
deaths as 700 and then the number was in
creased to 1000. The storm swept through
that city at about half past O'Clock Thurs.
day night, destroying buildings il awath
about or miles in length and rear a half
mile in width burying their occupants in
the ruins. Though the first reports we're
exaggerated, the loss of human lives and
property was terrible. The dead in Louis
vile number about 1875. with number bad
ly wounded, and greater number lers
wounded. The loss of property is about
two millions.
Ali the evening the storm had been gath
eriDg, and the lightning and thunder were
ominous. At about o'clock it began to
rain, and the storm gradually increased in
violence. The rain changed to hail, and
people kept within doors. The Signal Ser
vice in the afternoon had predicted cy-
clone, but no one thought it would strike
Louisville. At8:25 the heavens were black
as ink. Then there was deep, awful thrill
ling roar as the Cyclone struck the south
western portion of the city. Buildings
crumbed like egg shells, and broad path
of devastation was cut through the best
part of the city. On the streets the air was
full of flying bricks and signs and roofs,
and, to add to the horror of the occasion,
everything was inky darkness The roar.
ing, crashing sound seemed to pass on into
darkness, and in the track left by it there
sprang up in every direction long sheets of
fame by which the scene could be examin.
ed. Then from the masses Of ruins which
the flames lighted up came shrieks, sobs
and means. The whole thing was over in
a minute aud half, and people living out
side the track of the Storm were unaware
for some little time that anything unusual
had happened. The gray daylight of morn
slckening to witness, and which no pen can
describe. At least one hundred families
are homeless in the streets. Walnut, from
Thirteenth-to Fifteenth; Chestnut, from
Thirteenth to Seventeenth; Broadway. in
the neighborhood Of Eighteenth and Nine
teeuth, are filed with debris aud desGruc-
ton.
The early night train on the L st L
and T. Road, had a race for life with the
demon of the elements. Soon after cross
ing the Salt River bridge, 90 miles below
Louisville, the engineer heard an indescrib-
able noise, and queer cloud in the sonth-
west told him Of more danger than all the
red lights that had ever flashed on the steel
ribbons before his engine. The track there
is perfectly level for rome miles, and he
Knew that to be caught in that place meant
Instant death to himself and passengers.
A slight elevation of earth was four miles
in front Of him; to gain it would only be a
small and weak protection against the foe
no man could fight, but he would do his
best. One wild, long, weird blast of his
whistle, and the throttle was placed at the
limit. Madly, frantically rushed the en-
CINE, swaying from side to side, while per-
feet pandemonium reigned among the crew
and passengers. Faster flew the wheels
and in one minute the noise of the tornado
drowned the clatter of the wheels and the
sky was peuetrable. When all hope SEEM
ed gone the tornado crossed the track in
front Of the flying train, and the dreadful
suspense was over. By miracle the train
was saved; but the passengers realized their
danger when they pulled into the City and
found the track from fourteenth to Sew
enth streets covered with trees and houses
of all descriptions and the West End mass
of ruins, resembling only in ghastiness the
great Charleston earthquake.
The storm passed the Rocky Mountains
on Wedu esday. During the day its centre
slowly advanced to Colorado, fanked on
its western side by cold, nortberly currents
from the icy plsteaus in its rear. At the
same time over Texas and the Gulf region
generally warm opposing currents were
fercely pressing their way north ward-de
stined to encounter the next day the forces
of the storm. The warm surface winds
flowing up the Mississippi Valley betrayed
the presence 10 their rear of that invisible.
but resistless upper aerial stream known as
the return trade or antl-trada current. the
veloc,tes of which are sometimes double
that of fast express locomotive.
This conjnncture Fittings on Wednesday
evening was significant of unusual storm
dangers.
On Thursday it crossed the Mississippi
Valley and entered the Ohio Valley, with
augmented violence.
The area of the grand c5 clone, of which
the fatal torradoes at Louisville, Back
ford, KY, Metropolis City, ILL.,, and other
points we're separate offshoots, was large
one involving all the Central Mississippi
Valley, the entire Ohio Valley, the lake
region aud the Atlantic States north of the
Carolinas. The area swept by the tornadoes
was comparatively limited, though loca
storms of great severity occurred in Eastern
Missouri and part of Iowa and Nebraska,
and from the Mississippi to the New Eug
land coast.
AS more or less DAMAGE was done in the
vast area of its wide sweep it would require
the space of several papers to notice with
any degree of detail even small part of it.
We annex a few telee rap!ic accounts -