The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-04-03
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 1890
DIREFUL CALAMITY.
LOUISVILLE VISITED BY A MOST
TERRIFIC TORNADO.
1t Leaves Death and Destruction is its
Wake-The Citizens Crazed-Hunt-
ing for the Dead in the Debris.

LOUISVILLE, KY, March 28.-Be
tween 8 and 9 o'clock last night tor
nado struck this city from the south
west travelling northeastward, Leaving
death and destruction everywhere
Outside of clearly defined limits the
citizens knew only of a heavy rain &C
companied by high wind. Soor
came the alarm of fire from diferen,
stations and the horrors of the calami.
ty began to dawn upon the people.
Houses, halls of amusement, railroad
stations, all went down before mighty
powers of the air. The storm soon
passed, clouds scattered and the moon
cast its light over the sorely stricken
city. At this writing no def
mite statement can be made of the loss
OF life, but it is large. 1t is impos-
slble that SO wide sweep of territory
covered with ruined homes, with the
wrecks of halls and buildings of every
character, does not contain manv
dead. Enough is known to show that
Louisville has beeen visited by most
appalling calamity.
The wrecked portion of the city lies
between Eighteenth and Broadway.
and Seventh and Main streets. the
destroying elements passing diagonally
across a section which is probably
a mile square. Crowds of people
thronged Fourteenth Street Station
and from the up Main street to the
heart of the city was a mass of hu.
manlty, lodging horses, street cars.
and all sorts of vehicles in the middle
OF the street. On either side was
wreck and ruin, the brick having
the appearance of having simply
crumbled to the earth. Gangs of
rescuers worked like gophers on the
great masses of debris in search for
human victims. x Women and
men darted before mad horses whose
hoofs 1t seemed would crush them to
death. Burly policemen were station
ed at street crossings to prevent
the people from attempting to
pass through the ruined thorouehfare
where partially wrecked walls stood as
a menace to human life, but their
efforts were futile and men, women
and children made their way down the
dangerous streets with astounding reck-
lessness. The wreck was so great that
1t Deggars an attempt at detail.
Immediately after the burst of the
cyclone the fire bells sounded and the
police were at work X f. Along
Main street the pathway of the storm
extended from Sixth to Eleventh
streets, and from Seventh to Eleventh
not single building was left standing
Occasionally massive stone or iron
'front.' still stood intact while the entire
structure proper had been swept away.
lhlS morning it presented the most ;
'tupendons spectacle of disaster and ,
'ulns ever witnessed. In the course
u the storm lay the prided tobacco
market Of the city, and TO-DAY the :
warehouses;, almost t. the last one, are ]
n ruins. They include the Kentucky. |
'Icketts, Ninth Street, Fall CITY, :
'henlX, Greenover, Louisville, Enter (
rise, Central and Planters. The des- t
ructlon OF Louisville and Ninth Street {
could not possibly have c
zen more complete Thousands OF t
ogsheads of tobacco lay in a mass of a
rick and mortar, some in view. Others t
urled from sight beneath the debris. f
The Louisville Hotel, between Sixth
nd Seventh streets, was unroofed and i
therwlse wrecked, while the building h
rest occupied as cigar store upon I
ne tlrst floor and sleeping room on v
ne second and third was RACED +
ntirely to the ground. Not 4 single b
rick remaining in place. In the t
estruction of this house, many lives t
ere lost, principally of persons who c
coupled sleeping rooms there. Many I
them were young girls employed at p
e hotel next door. a
Saloons and other available places II
I've been turned into hastily impro d
ed morgues where the bodies are t,
ken as fast as recovered and left ST
Waiting Identification.
Patrol wagons are being pressed a,
to service as dead wagons TO convey m
e corps to the required places. "a
Eleventh street seemed to serve as a be
nd of flue for the storm, as all inter fir,
sing objects in that line are practi- m