The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-04-02
$500 HOUSES BLOWN DOWN.
From 500 to 1000 People Kill
ed.

ed.
THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE IS FILLED VITA
CRAzED PEOPLE WILDLY SEEKING
THEIR FRIENDS.
rhc Most Destructive Storm That
Ever Passed over this Country.
GrecnuiHe Ne,rs.
IoUIsyILLE March 2S.-Information from
JcfIersonville is TO the effect that the niue
town was completely wrecked by tornado.
II IS iinpossible to get definite lmlorhiaIion
as the wires are all down and boats cannot
cross the Ohio. The water WORKS, TWO Wiies
above the city, were wrecked.
Thirty-fivc bodies, mostly women any "
children, have been taken from the ruins oi
Falls City Hall. ,o,,.,rro
Henry Mason. member OF me iSgiStWr,e iMg.inh,,e
from Hancock County, was In Virgil wright
cigar store lighting cigar when the o"i'u'"s
LoU1sviIIE, KY.-The tornado struck S
Ionisyille at 7:30 o'clock. IL entered the
snmiheustcrn norton of the city at 18th Street
and swep, n path five blocks In width aiaso-
nally, reaching in ragged line 10 'In hI, St,tIS
Icvc,ing every building In Its pain, pronh95iiif
, so huuSrs. A rough estimate puts the XII
ed nj JOO with 1000 injured. The city Is Hlieu
wiih a crnzed mass OF people wildly seeking
| friends 4 large force OF men ~ AT WORK Oh
The ruins and about loo ooaiES @ in'sS Stroct from
SLh To lIih street are in ruins. MOI one OF the
handsome wholesale houses Is lelt. al tne M
tobacco ware houses were SwerH1 aMM"y' rn,,r w
Market Street the Falls CITY nan. loa'i
story building was blown down while SeEeraI
Masonic ami Knight of Honor lodges were
| III session, 100 men and women are pul.u % ~
the ruins. Every other mouse on iMth m1' 10 18th
is i'm ruins. Parkland, suburb, Is s"eP'
away. -. r c,,o,,I,
Street the Chesapeake & Ohio train FOR WASH
ur;ou was lust Sttrtlng out filled with pas
seiircrs. The building was proStrateu, crash
i'm on the train. All the passengers, hoWeVeI, +,
were rescued except one heMnoEy' Io iS tho S Gi:S.
building, tree and telegraph pole III VIC o's
trct struck was levellei.
The cyclone was predicted by the signal ser,
vice bulletin yesterday afternoon Dut no hefu
Was paid it, warning. IL came W.T. W,.n hniiGnrs S,IIT
struck The inhabitants were engaged IN elr
usual vocaIions without effort 10 escape,
when they collapsed. The district laid waste
comprises ;ln area OF the ely tnree miles ions
and nearly half Il mile wide. ~ +,
Fifteen Unidentified bodies are lying III
heap ut the Falls City lin H.. Other heaps are
ali over the city. Many bodies were carried
away by friends and are Impossible 10 TeHch.
The cyclone crossed the river, Striking Jeliei-
sou vile and badly Wrecklns front o'rtta,
which is on the river front, but no lives were
lost there. Hundreds OF wounaea niaSs naEe oceII
the physicians of the city are engaged III at
tending them. ~ ,,,,x
At eight o'clock seven fires were burning.
They we're ull cXtinguished. , .
No trains arrived from Cincinnati, Lex nS-
ton or South Oh the LOuisviiicS " NasnEllle or
Chesa peake & Ohio railroads las nlSht; Az
The railroads with the exception VI lie rchn'
sylynniu lines are compelled TO suspend opef'
r:,Lions. ,, m
CHlCAGo-A special from Metropolis, lils.,
saws: The cyclone of last night cut Il sWaine
,Gnut n quarter Of Il mile wide clear across
this town, W. eclsing property Of all deScrip-
lions aud burying men, women ana cnilurrH
in the debris Of the falling buildings. me
number OF victims cannot DC aSceIlhiiiru
with anything like accuracy. but IL Is report,
ed that Several hundred persons were kll!ed
or wounded. Between two ana three nun
dred houses were swept from tnelr lounuH.
lions and dashed to pieces above lie hcadS oi
ihcir unfortunate occupants. The storm was
pasl In Il moment and there came DllnulbS
rain which greatly retarded the work oi res
cue. People outside the path OF the storm
were quickly on the strcetS anu IL t's' mS p's
Sible the victims were taken from tne ruins
The rain soon ceased aud the iul horror oi
the situation became apparent: Vn GnGuS
side could be heard the groanS OF ,he uEihs
and all around lay the niangled 0ouleS OF the
lead. Scores OF bodies were remover from
the ruins and wounded men were taken 10
the homes of those who escaped the ch!alHlt!
aud given every possible attehIloi, puI lni"iis
have doubtless died through ElcK oi p'opei
medical attendance. .,
In the business district the havoc was terri
Bile Stores that had been considered sub
,lantinl we're demolished instantly. me
cyclune inferred the town from the South hhd
west, sweeping everything before u. o"in,.
barns and 0uibuildinSs were c;tiSht ny inc
wind and cnrred Win CRUSHING lotcc ns,'hst i;,r
larger structures. Trees were twisted on
short and hurled long distances: Fences
were lrvelcd in the country for miles before
the cyclone reached Metropolis and ior mics
beyond. io,t h,ild.
ing in the place either destroyed ar pauiy
damaged, iucIu'iins two sch"ol HOUSES, tne
court house and Jail and many small struc'
lures. ..,. ..,, ,,
western parts of the city are badly wrecked.
Portland, 4 suburb, has O"cn s%ept u"nS, ~;
The indications TOw are t!tal me loss ol ilie
is from 2j0 tI :yll Abnut 4U BUSINESS house,
are destroyed on Main, Market, Jefferson ana ana
Walnut Streets from 10 10 18th Streets; Inc
city wires on Main aud West markrI SlrerlS
are IN had condition. ami there Is no outIe' @
rom the main oili:c rs yet. The only COM
municution at present is from lhc Ichnsyi-
vanlu depot TO indianapolis. Ihe Telegraph
company is hurryinS men ana malellal 10
Louisville in all directions as rapidly as pos
sible.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
Hctween eight and nine O'Clock last night
n tornado struck this ciiy from the northeilsl-
ward, leaving ucolu anu HCati i".,.N,
where. Outside of the clearly defined llmlls
the citizens know onl: o! heavy ram ac'
companied by high winds. soon came an an
alarm of fire from different stations ana lhe
horrors of the calamity began To dawn on
the people. Hon*cS, halls OF amusement.
railr0ad stations all went down before lhe
mighty powers of the air. The Storm soon
passed ON. the clouds scattered anu the moor,
casl lis light over the sorcly distressed ana
Rriicf parties were soon organized. The
whole lorcr of the fire department was ;lt
work AT this writing no definite statement
can he made OF The loss OF life bu 1t IS large
| IL Is i'm npossible that SO wide Il sweep oi lei'
ritory covered wish ruined homes, WIN
wreck of halls and buildings Of every char
acter does not contain many deal. Enough
is known to show that Lnuisril lie has been
visited by tho most appalling calamity.
THE DESTROYED PORTION OF THE CITY
lies between 18TH and broadway and 9TH ana
Main Streets, the destroying elements pass
inu dIa.onaiiy across the section, which Is
probably mile square. At least Au houses
are ruins. 1t is feared that at least 2OO lives
are lost ,,,- ,o.,
Probnbly the greatest lost Of life occurred
at Falls City Hall, which was the ceittrc OF
ihc tornado. In the lower rooms Of the hal
were 50 or Is children with their molhcrs ana
other relatives taking Il dancing lesson.
There were at least l25 persons on inc lower
floors and rs more attending lodse meet,
ing on the upper floor when the terrible Wind
swept down upon the building. Inc entire
structure was in five minutes a shapeless
ma IS of brick and mortar, buryng 2OO Vicllm {,
of which number few escaped unliJureu:
A conservative estimate places the lost oi
life at this place at 100, while reports Indicate
the number 10 be near 100 Al TWO O'CLOCK
this morning b bodies had been taken rom
! ,I.,l nt,h