The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-04-05
HUNDREDS PERISH.
LOUISVILLE. KY, is SWEPT BY A FUR
l0US CYCLONE, LEAVING DEATH
BEHIND.
Buildings Lifted from Their Foundations
and the Occupants buried ir
the Ruins.


and tho Occupants buried ir
the Ruins.
shortly after O'clock Thursday evening
. tornado swept over Louisville, KY,
wrecking 200 or 300 houses and killing 2vO
people.
The wind came from the Southwest.
The Union depot at the foot OF Seventh
street was lifted from ITS foundation and
turned over into the raging torrent OF the
Ohio river
a train Of ears making up for the Louis
VILE Southern road went over with the
building.
Falls City hall. on West Market street,
was wrecked, in the hall were over 100 peo-
pie, and but few OF them escaped alive.
Many buildings after falling caught fire
and the inmates burned.
The number killed 10y falling walls Will
reach The hundreds. HOUSES were blown
down and fire broke out IN the debris and
aducd 10 the loss OF life aud the terr0rs OF
the awful scene.
A building on Twelfth and Market
streets was lifted from its foundations aud
blown into the street. The structure was
crowded with merry dancers at the time,
and IL is said that no. one OF the 100 people
who We're at the hall escaped being killed.
n huWnSi va DVAico udNc DeSh leAcu from
the ruins.
Falls City hall was blown into the street
and dozens Of women and children were
killed. Thrty-siye OF the victims have al
ready been taken from the ruins.
The brick building occupied by Virgil
Wright rs cigar store fell with crash
soon after the cyclone struck the city and
eleven girls who were In the basement at
the time were imprisoned. Three OF the vic
tins have already been taken out dead.
IL ~ impossible 10 state how many peo-
pie were Killed. The loss OF life Is esti-
mated all the way from 300 TO 900.
w. NJ. Robertson, OF the Jacksonville,
Madison a indianapolis road left LOUIS
VILE at o'Csoek anu he says al that nour
fully JOO people had met death in the eye
lone. lie says IL grew 80 dark a short time
before the hurricane struck the city that IL
was impossible to sec the street lamps.
"liut when the RUNS burst into faines,n
says Dir. Robertson, "bricks and pieces OF
TIMBER could be seen dying through the air,
and were blown about like so many shay
ings. Covered milk and grocery wagons
were carried into the air. and ia some eases
the horses harne,sed to them were drawn
up some distance into the sir with the We
hicles. | saw horse attached TO one OF
I these wagons, and ne was standing on his
tore feet, the wagon being held IN the air by
the wind.
! The roaring, crashing sound seemed 20
pass on into the darkness, anu in the track
left by }. there sprang zap IN every direction
long sheets or flame by which the scene
could be examined.
Then from the masses OF ruins which the
flames lighted up came shricks, aud sobs,
and means.
The confusion caused By the tornado was
soon succeeded by that of people running 10
and fro, wagons and fire engines rumbling
/ over tue debris with which the streets were
strcwn. For time every body seemed par
! alyzed with fear, aud apparently in doubt
whether 10 lee or wait for whatever the fate
/ had in store for them"
! The work OF rescue was al once begun
and along that part OF the town in which
/ Mr.. Robertson was the sidewalks were soon
! piled high with crushed and mangled,
wounded and dead victims OF the storm
\ wrath
/ Wagons OF all kinds were pressed into
/ service ana the dead and wounded were
/ hauled as rapidly as the darkness and the
confused condition OF the streets would per-
/ nit To the houses outside the path OF the cy-
/ clone.
While Mr.. Robertson remained In the
/ town but an hour after the storm struck IL
I and consequently had but very limited OPP
I portunity for observation, what he saw is
sufficient 20 show that when the full extent
\ OF the catastrophe Is known it will be one
OF the W orst In the nations history