Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-04-05
A CITY IN Ruins.
Louisville, Kentucky, Wrecked
by a Great Tornado.
Men, Women AID Children Buried
Beneath Falling WaIIs-Hundreds
OF Famf Us HOmeIeSA


Beneath Falling WaIls-Hundreds
OF Fsmi lis Homeless
The tornado which swept through this city
shortly after eight o'clock left death and des-
olation in its track. Outside Of the clearly
detiuel limits the citiz,ns knew only of
heavy rain, accompanied by high wind.
Soon came the alarm Of fire from dcE IN
different stations, and ths horrors Of the
calamity began TO dawn on the people.
Warehouses, halls Of amusement, railroad
stations and dwelling houses-a1 went down
before the mighty powers OF the air. The
storm soon passed on, the clound scattered,
and the moon cast its light over stricks p
city. Tue tornado struck tn southeastern
portion OF the city at ( ghteenth street, and
swept path Eve blocks wide diagonally,
re ching in a ragged line to Seventh street.
The buildings on Main street, from En- nth
10 Fourteenth streets, are IN ruins, not one
., handsome wholesale HOUSES being left,
sud ali the tobacco warehouses were swept
away. Ga Market street, Falls City Hall, q
four story building, was flown down while
several Masonic anu kmguts OF Honor lodges
were in ssioo, and on hundred men and
women buried in the ruins. Every other
house on NJ ,rket, Jstfsrion and Walnut
streets, from Tenth to Sixteenth, is in ruins.
Parks u /, a suburb W demolished. At the
Union Depot, at the foot Of Seventh street,
the chesapeake and OHIO train, Tor Washin :
ION was just starting out filed with psss=n-
gers. The building was pft ssrated, crashing
In on the train. All tn passengers, however,
were rescued, except one newsboy.
The relief committee of the Board of Trade
issued the following
eth calan ty that has overtaken the city
OF Lou sviile by tue tornado about nine
o'clock, spread over territory OF our city
covering splce of ground four hundred
yards wide aud three miles ia length, through
the bushes aud resid nee ortion Of our city.
The lose OF lie is In the neighuorhood. it is
believed, Of some ssventy-tve persons, and
the loss TO the city, the calamity in damage
TO houses and goods. sbeieved not to exceed
two millions OF do lars. " hile the calamity
is great one, our citiz ms feel aols to cope
with it, and are not cast down, but will at
once proceed to repair ant resume In the
channels now interrupted. Ia all other por-
tions OF tire city bu siness is resuming its usual
channels
The greatest loss of life occurred at the
Falls City Hail. which was in the centre of
the lorna To- In the lower rooms of the hall
we're fifty or seventy five children, with their
mothers and other relatives, akiug dancing
les ,ons. There were at least one hundred and
twenty five persons on the lower floors, and
!
on the upper floor when the teri BILE wind
swooped down upon the building. The entire
structure in less than five minutes was a
shapslsss mass OF brick ami mortar, and 6
number of persons XII lei and injured.
The wind had scarcely completed its awful
work when the fire bells sounded, and the
| police and citizens began the task OF search
ing for the deal aud caring for the dying and
injured. ID fficult was the task t. clear the
ruins of women, who were found digging at
the sla,e with their fingers, craz.d at the
groans beneath each of which they thou Int
assembled from their dying.
After au hour of ceas less labor the first
victim, Mrs. Sarah Kelley, was unearthed.
She was found sitting in an upright position,
her head bruised and arm broken. She was
able to talk, and said that at the first quaE o
q mad rush was mad for the entrance
Women were knocked down and trampled
On in the haste to escape. Seeing the over
wheiming lm at the door, several remained
behind. The last l saw OF my friends was
just tefore the floor gave way and the ceiling
;ell.
l. side the next hour thirty men and women
were drawn out dead, but with no wounds
on their bodies. and it Is thought all met their
death from suffocation.
The gas pipes had broken, which caused the
lights to go ont, and which save the ruins
from fire for the time, but fl ioIed the debris
with vapor almost as deadly as the fire mig BIT
have proven.
About noon the opening up OF a portion
of the debris of the Falls City Hall caused a
draught TO penetrate the ruins, whereupoD
the smouldering fire broke out with treuien-
dous flerceness. Itspread rapidly and forced
the workers TO desert the pile. As ,oon as
the fire gained Roadway the groans Of the
imprisoned people became shrieks, and so
great was the horror of the moment that this
uyafaharc ora frantic and IN aH and rnO
about like wild, the terrible suf rings which
they were unable to alleviate driving them
to despair.
Crushed and blackened ru ms mark the spot
where only last evening stood the splendid,
large Union Depot at Seventh street and the
river. When the crash came a Louisville
Southern train had Just come in, and the q.
e. M. train was ready TO pull out, tut both
were cau3 BIT by tue falling mass, and were
crushed like shells.
The wide river, disturb by the fury Of
the tornado, ls yet angry, and what was
left Of the depot by the wind is monentarilY
threatened by the strong waves that surge
under and about the platforms.
The streets are thronged with multitules
OF people. They stand upon the corners with
tear-dimmed eyes solemnly discussing the
dreadful catastrophe, or move from one point
OF the wrecked district to another, gazing at
the scenes of ruin. There are atleast a hun
dred families homeless In the streets that
were happily situated in the single possession
OF their homes. One poor woman between
her half-stifisd sobs, told how that vary even
lag, her husband had paid 10 building as
snr alton the last dollar tn y owed upon their
hou =. and now all that remains is a confus d
ibass OF brick and mortar. That evening
was perhaps the happiest aud saddsst in their
lives. There are many other clses almost
parallel to this. Not only was the house
dashed 10 the ground, but the furniture, and
In many instances ia entirely destroyed.
The telephone wires are all down, aud Il
will take ten days to get them up and work
Ing again. The search for victims is go NJ
stsadi y on, and each hour adds largely %
the already long list. At many places tn.
men labor in great danger OF being burie &
beneath the lettering walls at any moment,
aud other accidents are looks% Tor nouen-
tsrily.