The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-04-03
The Death-Dealing Tornado.

the greater viii be the confidence it will com
mand.
The Death-Dealing Tornado.
Dispatch dated the 29th gives the fol-
lowing accounts of the storm OF Thurs
day:
The tornado which struck the city of Louis
Vile last Thursday night will doubtless he re-
corded in American history as one of the most
destructive elemental vsitations that this conn
try has ever experienced The latest dispatches
show that the loss Of life will be about one hun
dred and fifty, ana the damage to property from
one to three million dollars.
All Thursday evening the storm had hean
gathering, and the lightning and thunder were
ominous. At about o'clock it began to rain,
and the storm gradually Increased i'll violence.
The rain changed to hail. and people kept with
in doors. The Signal Service in the afternoon
had predicted a cyclone: but no one thought it
would strike Louisville. At 1928 the heavens
were black as ink. Then there was a deep aw-
ful, thrilling roar as the cyclone struck tie
southwestern portion of the city. BUILDINGS
cfunbled like egg shells ana a broad path of
devastation was cut through the best part of
Gne CITY, On the streets the air was full Of fly
ing bricks and signs and roofs, and, to add to
the horror f.the occasion, everything was inky
darkness. The roaring, 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 ex-
amined. Then from the mass of ruins which
the flames lighted up came shrieks sobs and
means. The whole thing was over in a minute
and a half and people living outside the track
of the storm We're unaware for some little time
that anything unusual had happened. The gray
DAYLIGHT n M Lodi 40
tionthat was siekening 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 Nnetecnth
are filled with debris ana destruction.
The early night train on the H. st. L. and T.
road had a race for life With the demon of the
clements. Soon after crossing the Salt River
bridge, 90 miles below Louisville, the engineer
heard an understandable noise, and queer cloud
in the southwest told him of more danger than
all the red lights that had ever flashed on the
ribbons before his engine The track there is
perfectly level for some miles, and he knew that
to be caught i'll that place meant instant dea til
to himself and passengers. Slight elevation
Of earth was four miles i'll 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 thrown open at
the limit. Madly, frantlcally rushed the engine,
swayine from side to side, while perfect pande-
monium reigned among the crew and passen-
gers. Faster flew the wheels, and i'll one minute
the tornado drowned the noise OF the wheels
and the sky was impenetrable When all hope
seemed gone the tornado crossed the track in
front of the flying train, and the dreadful sus-
pense was over. BY a miracle the train was
saved; butIthe passengers realized their danger
when they pulled into the city ana found the
track from Fourteenth TO Seventh streets coy
cred with trees ana houses of all descriptions
and the West End mass of ruins resembling
only in ghastlness the great Charleston earth
quake.
Marion, KY, was devastated by the same
storm that Wrought such ruin at Louisville
There was great loss of life
At Racine, Wis, the roof of the stage of the
new opera house, where Nine. Janausehek was
performing, was blown off, creating q panic
am ong the performers.
News is just beginning to come IN from q
number of small places through Illinois, Ohio
and Kentucky telling of the damage wrought
by the storm. The probabilities are that sever
al hundred, and perhaps thousands of lives
We're lost, besides the damage to property
dollars.
The storm spent its strength on Friday and
passed off the Atlantic coast. 1t started last
Wednesday in Idaho, che following morning
had reached eastern Kansas that night was in
eastern Illinois, yesterday morning in reached
Lake Erie, and during the day moved directly
eastward and last night was on the New Eng
land coast. There was snow yesterday in the
lake. region and rain and snow in New England
which will, it is prognosticated, change into
SHOW tonight. The greatest fall OF tempera-
tufe during this cold snap was in Kentucky and
Tennessee, where it was 30 degrees colder yes
terday than on Thursday. In Louisville, before
the storm passed over the city, the emperatrre
was 60 degrees, while yesterday it was IS. show
ing Il fall during the night of nearly thirty de
grees.
Bowling Green, KY, Metropolis, Ill, Muir
pheysboro. H., suffered great destruction
Many OF the buildings of each town were swept
away, ana many lives lost. dispatch from
i'lackford, KY, dated 29th says: At 1880 O'Clock
last night confirms the report of the terrible
calamity at that point. The correspondent
states that nearly the entire town was swept
away by q tornado on Thursday night.
but few houses remain standing, and thse are
badly damaged Many were killed. The dam
age and loss of life in the country are reported
Foiy Se,Dit HoJIllltS fenlDle cOulQ he learned
as there was no chance to make an investiga-
ton owing to the flooded condition of the conn
try. ::
Reports received from Point Township Posey
countyon the Rising river. state tllatnearly one
hundred people We're Killed and injured and
that number of physicians have been called
to attend the injured. There is no chance of
obtaining anything reliable from chat section
brakeman on the Ohio Valley Railroad ar
rived here at Ill O'Clock last night and reported
That at Blackford and vicinity in Union county,
n.y., on Tradewater river, not less than fifty
houses were carried off their foundations and
demolished. and thirty lives were lost. A wo-
man and her two children, whose names could
not be learned. living opposite Newburg, fifteen
miles above this city, were lost, being carried
away in their house by the destructive waters
A special correspondent last night said that
twenty five dwellings, and q large number of
barns were demolished by the tornado which
visited the place Thursday night, and that a
number of people were seriously injured
All through lllinois,. she swath of tile storm
seft III les track devastated farms, wrecked
and shattered towns
Inc storm was followed in the east on Friday
ana Saturday by binding snow, torn and
broken telegraph poles, and general wreck ana
ruin.
The loss of life at Louisville was much less
than was at fil'at reported. The lowest estimate
is about 200 lives lost and a large number of per
sons injured more or less.
Inc condition OF the Mississippi river is very
From Memphis to New Orleans
cfeVasses have been formed and whole districts
inundated. The rise in the river has been phe
homenally rapid, and the promise at last ac
count was that mare property would be de-
'tfoyed than has been the case for a number of
years. Farms have been inundated, families
lrlVen from their homes, and thousands of
stock drowned.
The bill taxing charters was modified
after it passed. 1t is now provided that
'all charters granted by the Legislature
will pay tax, but those coming under
5he authority of and granted bv the
courts will not be taxed
Autumn produces chills and fever and