The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-04-05

|
LOUISVILLE, Ky, March 2S.-Terrible
as was the calamity which be ell Louis
| vile last night, it is some satisfUc ctio !
| to know that the number OF fatalities
! is not 50 great as first reports lei every
| one to believe. 1t is now thought tnat
| the nucibcr of victims OF last nights :
| tornado will not exceed 100, and the
property loss will doubtless exceed 81
| 100000. Forty men have been EN-
! ployed by the Board OF Trade, 10 make
| thorough canvass and report losses
OF life and property fully.
| There are ii least 100 families house
! less IN the streets, that were happy yes
| tcrday in the single possession of their
| homes. Not only were the houses
| dashed to the ground, bnt the furniture
i'll many instance is entirely destroyed
Hundreds Of thousands OF dollars
| worth OF goods lay last night upon the
| business streets al the mercy Of thieves.
! 1t nov seems almost impossible 10 find
| storehouses for this vast amount OF
merchandise. AT many places the tow
ering walls Of brick are osciliatl i'll
the air, ready TO descend at any mo-
| ment. These points OF danger are
guarded by tie police, aud q military
| company called the Louisville Legion
drive the surging crowds back at the
| point o. the bayOnet.
The telephone wires are all down, and
| it will take ten DAYS 10 get them up and
| working again. The search ior victims
| Is going steadily on, and each hour adds
| largely to the already long list. At
many places the men labor in reat dan
ger of being buried beneath the totter-
| ing walls at any moment, and other accI-
| dents are looked for mOmentar!ly.
| At the corner of Sixteenth and Maga-
| zine Streets the most horrible cfema-
| ton OF the bodies of three men occur
/ red. These men were caught IN the
| falling timbers of the two-story grocery
| and bar-room OF Nick Heireman, and
| burned entirely to blackened and
, charred mass.
| Crushed and blackeEed ruins marked
| the spot where only last evening stood
| the splendid large Union depot, at Sew
| enth and the river. When the crash
came Louisville Southern train had
| Just come in, and the o. x VI. was ready
| to pull out. Both were caught by the
| falling mass, and We're crushed like
shells. The wide river, disturbed by
| the fury of the tornado, is yet angry,
and what WAS lie t os the depot by
the wind Is momentarlly threat
ened by the strong waves that surge
| under and about the plat orms.
| The Louisville Hotel, between Sixth
| and Seventh Streets. was unrooted and
| otherwise wrecked, vi hiie the building
| occupied as a cigar store upon the first
| floor, and sleeping rooms upon the Sec
| Ond and third. W. r2Zed entirely 10 the
| ground, not a single brick remaining in
place. In the destruction of THIS house
| Il,- IF
sons who occupied sleeping rooms
| there. Many of them were Young girls,
| ana employed at the hotel next door.
Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth
| Streets on Walnut, three small brick
| dwelling houses and light frame dwell
| ing next TO BlotZ x krebS stone ward
were intact. but the Immense derrick OF
| the stone works, weighing many tons,
was tossed into the stfeet-car track and
| splintered as if bit Of kindling wood.
| Even the heavy iron boiler was blown
| clear across Walnut Street, not more
| than forty feet from the four unsCathed
| dwellings. At Fourt senth and Walnu%,
| and Fourteenth and Chestnut, the flag
| mems boxes were picked up bodily and
dashed into kindling wood.
From Seventh Street and the river, as
| far as can be seen, one continuous sea Of
desolatlon meets The eye. and hewilders
| the thousands of spectators who never
| dreamed of anything so terrible Old
| soldiers who survived the stormlest bat
| ties of the civil war, SCARED and
| thoughtful, walk nervously abOnt, and
| their disconnected utteranCes tell plain
| " enough that tue most horrible catas-
| trophe of their lives has been suddenly
| realized.
| One Of the most desolated looking
sections of the devastated district is
| Chapel street, Il narrow thoroughtare,
| one block IN length, extending from
| Main to Market streets, between Tenth
and Eleventh. Every house on i. was
| torn to fragments. and the debris lines
| both sides so that there IS scarcely room
| to pass through the center OF the street.
| Strange as Il may seem, nOtWlthStand-
| ing the terrific force OF the wind and
| the air being filled with flying missiles
| of every description, the members ot
| but one family were injured TO any serI
! Gus extent.
The Crescent tobacco warehouse, on
| Main Street, is a total wreck, and the
| amount OF tobacco laying open to the
| weather on the thorOughtare Is almost
| beyond comprehension. Some Of the
| wrecked houses contain i, $50 and 2,OU0
| hhds. On Main Street, between Tenth
| bodily from the track alid hurled with
such force against the side of one of the
| brick walls as to not only demoliSh the
| car entirely, but to also instantly kill
| the team OF mules attached to 1t. Along
Market, Main and Jefferson Streets all
| the telegre ph and telephone poles have
| been blown down.
The beautiful Baxter square is scene
! Of the most wonderful devastation, per
| haps, ever witnessed. The trees have
| all been uprOoted or twisted from their
stumps, except a row Of sturdy beech.
| At the place ofCharles W. Smith, north
| west corner of Seventh and Jefferson.
| was seen the body OF Ada Helm. col
ored domestic III the family Of Dr..
| Enright. She lay Just as taken from the
| ruins, and she presented an appearance
| in her mangled condition approaching
almost 10 hideousnesS. Her arms we're
| drawn up rigidly. and her face bruised,
| blackened and distorted beyond recog-
nition. Near her, dressed neatly for
| the tomb, lay Bridget Grove. over her
| stopped her sister, Mary, who rained
| tears upon the distorted countenance OF
| the dead woman. Bridget and Mary
| lived together, but last evening the
latter stepped out for short time and
| thus, no doubt, saved her lie.
| he track OF the tornado endei al
| Twelfth street, on Jefferson, and while
| the destruction between Eleventh and
! Twelfth was so terrible. the block be-
tween Twelfth and Thirteenth was in
tact. except an unroofed house or two,
besides the City Railway Company's
| building.
The loss OF property will be nearly
doubled if q heavy rain falls within
| torty-eight hours. There hiss been
some snow tonight, which melted al
| once, but not enough 10 do considerable
damage. The principal single item Of
property in danger is tobacco, of which
| 500, 600 worth Is exposed
Although the tornado was predicted
| by the signal service bulletin. vester-
| day. no heed was paid 10 the warning.
! Consequently, IN ali buildings struck,
the people were engaged IN thelr usual
! avocations. with no thought Of danger.