The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1890-04-05
A FATAL TORNADO.

A FATAL TORNADO.
Louisville, Kentucky. Partially Devas
tated-Over One Hundred Lives
Lost, and Many Injured.
A destructive tornado, almost unpre
cedented in the history f the country
passed over the southern portions of II
linois, Indiana, Ohio and throughout
Kentucky on Thursday night of las,
week. Immense property damage re-
suited throughout the entire path of the
storm, but at Louisville the climax was
reached. Here the storm seemed te
have reached it's greatest force, and
brick structur were instantly crushed
by the terrible force of the elements
leaving death and destruction in its
wake. The number of killed in that
city alone will reach fully one hundred
while double that number were seriously
injured, and many more received slight
wounds. The property loss is placed at
over 100000. The greatest loss of life
occurred at Falls City hall, where a
dancing class and several secret societies
had congregated. The building was to-
tally demolished and but few escaped
without injury. AS soon as rescuing
parties could reach the wrecked hall the
work of excavation was begun. The
roofing and the mass of brick was re-
moved, and ten women, locked in each
others arms, were drawn out. Inside
the next hour sixty men and women
were drawn out dead, but with no
wounds 1t is thought all met death
from suffocation. The gas pipes were
broken and flooded the debris with va
por almost as deadly as fire might have
proven.
All the entire western portion of Park
land, which lies just beyond the south
western limits of Louisville, was wreck
ed. The storm struck that place before
reaching the city, and it's course was
most peculiar one. It did not move in a
direct line, moving path before it, but
went about it's dreadful work in zigzag
fashion On the outskirts of the town
the two-story brick residence of Mayor
Keepers was struck by the wind and en-
tirely demolished, but the occupants es-
capped. A great number Of houses were
blown down, but the inmates were all
up, and every one miraculously escaped,
only few being injured and they not
seriously. The track of the storm in
Parkland was about three blocks wide
to the west of the town. From the di-
rection in which the wind came path
several hundred yards wide is moved,
trees being cut off like stalks of grain
before the reaper's scythe.
Jeffersonville, Indiana, was struck by
the cyclone at o'clock. 1t was very
distinctly heard two miles in the coun-
try, where people wondered what it
meant. Fortunately not person was
killed in Jeffersonville, though some
were badly hurt. Scores of business
houses and residences were more or less
damaged, some stores being nearly de-
molished. Dozens of people had mar
velous escapes from instant death. The
damage to steamers on the river front
w as considerable. It is believed that
the loss and damage to property in JEFF
fersonville will aggregate fully S5OO,OOO.
At Metropolis, Illinois, but one person
was killed outright, although the list of
wounded is long and some of those will
probably die. The dispatch from this
place states that suddenly there came
from the southwest rumbling. appar-
entity born of the union Of two clouds
which met in mid air, and in {. moment
swooped down into the Ohio river.
There followed column Of water esti-
mated all the way from so to 200 feet
high. This curious phenomenon swept
onward, striking the river front. From
there it rushed through the residence
and business portion of the city, nothing
in it's path escaping damage more or less
serious. A number of buildings were
completely demolished, not one of the
more costly buildings in the city escap-
ing. The property loss is placed at over
a quarter of million dollars.
At Gallatin, Tenn, the brick residence
of John Hibbett was blown away and an
is months old baby and Il year old boy
killed, and Hibbett and wife fatally in
iured. VIM. Patterson's residence was
demolished and five persons injured.
James Patterson's house was wrecked
and his wife very badly hurt. Many
other residences were destroyed. The
cyclone did it's worst work after leaving
Gallatin. For twenty-five miles every
thing was damaged. All houses beyond
Bledsoe up to Emilia, Macon county, have
been partially wrecked or de molished-
Fully one hundred people are crippled
in that section and are under the care of
doctors.
A large portion of the town of Marion,
Kentucky, was destroyed and eighteen
lives lost. A family, consisting Of Mr..
and Mrs. Jacob Montague and four
daughters and the mother of Mrs. Mon
tague, living in the country eight miles
from Marion, were crushed to death by
the falling Of their dwelling.
The new manufacturing town OF Grand
River, near Paducah, was struck by the
blast and a dozen houses blown down
and two persons killed, woman and a
boy. Twenty were hurt. At Farming
ton there was much damage to build
ings, but no loss Of life. At Paducah
little damage was done. The telegraph
wires are all down, and it is thought the
storm through the section not heard
from may be one Of disaster.
A dispatch from Glasgow, Kentucky,
on Tuesday says: News is just received
from the lower part Of this and Allen
counties that the tornado Thursday did