The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-04-03
DIRE cAt|1A|MITY.
A Tornado Wrecks Miles Of
Buildings at Louisville.
LOSS Of Life Estimated at
Possibly Eight Hundred.
Millions Lost in Money and Suffering
lncalculable.
Forewarncd But Not Forearmed-Thrill-
Ing Events Of Night Of Woe and
Agony-A City Tilicd with
Mangled Dead and Bleed
Ing Injured.


LOUISVILLE, KY, March 20 Tho great tor
nado Of Thursday evening did not steal upon
this city like q thief in the night.
For three or four days the gathering tempess
had been apparent TO the Signal Service ap-
proaching frcm the northwest, and note OF
warning had been sent TO the city on Wednes-
day But the citizens looked upon II as case
of wolf! wof!'' and paid no attention TO II,
and went 10 their places Of amusement, their
business or their homes without = serious
thought OF danger or fear Of the approaching
blast
Its approach was heralded by pealing thun.
der, binding lightning and rolling mass OF
dense, blacl, clouds that conveyed full warning
to sober minds who considered the conditions
that surrounded them. This bluster OF the ele.
ments continued for considerable while, SO that
many people found sufficient lime to close their
houses and prepare for u henvy storm. They
did not, OF course. anticipate tornado, ana
many houses on the edges OF the tornado were
left in condition that made them more easy
conquest OF tie approaching destroyer, when
they might possibly have been secured against
It, TO those in the center Of its path no precau.
ton could have avaed against its concentra-
ton Of devastating power
A silent clock upon o wall In one Of the dis.
mantled houses records the hour OF SEQ p. m,
ana that must have Teen the time the centerof
the tornado touched the city. Beyond the city
there nre evidences that 1t was, perhaps
quarter OF mile in extent butt seems to have
narrowed as it approached, and Its full force
was concentrated into the space OF about three
blocks for the assault upon the great city.
From the extreme southwestern corner OF
the city across 10 the river, in q northeasterly
direction, is a track OF ruin and desolation such
as has never been seen before. No building
l.
the center OF its path. Towering massive
structures Of brick and stone were crushed to
pieces like esgshe!ls, and the debris scattered
fur and wide.
The belt extends at Nineteenth street across
the city In direct line northeast, taking in al
most all Of the suburb OF California, Kentucky,
Maple, Lexington, Broadway, Magazine. Chest
nut and Walnut streets. from Fourteenth west
to Nineteenth street. On Walnut street the
belt extends from Thirteenth west to Six
teenth, and the same space is covered on Green
and Grayson streets. On Jefferson street 1t
came from Thirteenth street up almost to
Tenth, and on Market street, from Twelfth to
Ninth. On Main street II commenced its work
OF devastation ut Eleventh street and extended
up rs far as midway Of the square between
Sixth and Seventh, showing that 1t took some
what Of n zig-zag course at this point. Thence
on to the river 1t swept, moving down bolt
from Sixth to Ninth streets.
It swept on across the river lashing the water
In fury and plowing giant furrow through II,
and went crushing through Je!ersonville, 1eav-
ing wreck nine blocks wide In its track. Then
as IL II had forgotten TO complete its work, II
whirled around and came back across the city
demolishing The Water Works and all else In
its way and continued on its course OF dostruc
ton southeast. How farit went in that way and
upon what quarters It laid Its mighty weight Is
not known at this time.
Bsneath the ruins piled up In the track Of the
tornado lie the bodies Of hundreds Of people.
How many hundreds is not known; some place
| II as high as eight. Many have already boen
taken out crushed, mancled and dead. and
volunteer hands are digging in the twisted.
matted debris for the bodies OF hundreds OF
| others known to be there.
| Thousands OF people were to-day at work all
over the extensive mass OF wreckage, seeking
| for the bodies OF the dead and II was a mourn.
| fui sight to see. There Is no present means oi
| estimating tho loss OF life. The best efforts
humanity can employ ara being made TO recov
or bodies where II is known people have perish
ed, and oil tho time reports come Of Others
missing from among the living.
| IT Is positively asserted by those In position
to know that in Falls City Hall alone there were
not less than three hundred people, and yester
day afternoon only about score were accounted
| for alive, and nearly seventy dead bodies had
two lodge meetings and dancing school In
| progress In the midst Of tho solemn service oi
the one and the gicdy whirl Of the other the
overwhelming destruction came, with only the
| warning OF an earthquake.lke wrenching Of the
building and deafening roar like the awful
victory shout OF triumphant monster.
! Horror beyond description seized oil. Every
| one who could be led to recall the experiences
OF Thursday night was without words to express
| them. To add to the horror the tlres In the do
| stroyed buildings many OF which were the
| ordinary CRATE fires, ignited the ruins and con
sumed the imprisoned living and the manglet
dead as relentlessy Us the debris that held then
tight against the possibility OF rescue by thos'
| who driven back by the scoi ching flames, wer'
I forced to listen to the agonizing shreks OF thu
| living and let them die.
The tornado passed rapidly away and theI
| the work OF rescue began. Thousands who liv,
In other districts of the city crowded the streets
where the ruin had been wrought minglinI
with those who had escaped and were looking
| for loved ones who had failed to turn up. A
| each body was carried into the improvised dea,
houses, dozen or moro people crowded to So
| II it was the corpse OF some missing friend o
relative
All night the search continued, the labors O
the rescuers being lighted by bonfres made Q
the debris OF the ruined houses and day dawne
| upon the work still unfinished Death, sorrow
and desoation reigncd everywhere. Nearly a
business was suspended and the energy OF IN
city was given to tho work OF recovering tn
dead, and the Ielief OF the stricken. Millions q
| properly has been destroyed, and there 10 n
insurance against such calamity as thtl
Whole blocks OF business houses and ware
houses are wrecked aad their contents ruined.
or about eighteen squares there Is scarcely
building that viii not have to be RACED to tn
ground to complete the work where the tornad
failed. The walls have been so wrecked an
cracked whom not totally prostrated that the
are no 'onger safe.
One is at u loss to convey to one who hos M
seen the wreck an icea of the terrible fort
that wrought 1t. Standing at Baxter Park an
loolsug tcward he Ohio river the tornado hi
pIowed THROW through The town squal
wide. connecting the bu,ld ngs that opposed
inio heaps OF ,plns. On either side OF This ma
iu'iow The buildings have boon damaged