Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-04-05
Part of the City Wiped Out of Ex-
istence and Many Lives Go Out
in the Awful Crash of
Falling Timbers.
Over Ono Hundred Lives Lost and
Nearly Two Thousand Buildings
Wreclred--The Loss of Prop
erty Over S2,5oo,ooo.
Heartrending Scenes ut the NIorgues and
Among tho Ruined Houscs-Great
Damage by the Tornado In Ten
nessee. Kentucky, Indiana
and Illinois.

LOUISVILLE, KY, March ga tor
nado struck Louisville at 1880 o'clock
Thursday evening. 1t entered the south.
eastern portion of the city at Eighteenth
street, and swept path five blocks
wide diagonally, reaching, in a ragged
line, to Seventh street, leveling every
building in its course. Probably 1000
houses were destroyed ana a rough esti-
mate puts the number of people killed
at five hundred, while there are many
thousands injured. The city is in
craze and the inhabitants are wildly
seeking relatives and friends. A large
force OF men is at work on the ruins, and
about 100 bodies have been recovered.
The buildings on Main street from
Eighth to Fourteenth streets are in
ruins, not one of the handsome whole
sale houses being left standing. On
Market street, Falls City Hall, four
story building, was prostrated, while
several Masonic and Knights of Honor
lodges were in session and hundreds of
men and women are buried in the ruins.
At the Union Depot, at the foot Of
Seventh street, Chesapeake & Ohio
train was just leaving when the storm
struck the building, carrying it down on
the train. All the passengers were res
cued with but slight injuries, except
one newsboy who was badly hurt Such
desolation no city has known during
this century and every building, tree
and telegraph pole within the storm
stricken district is levelled. The storm
came with scarcely a warning sound and
the inhabitants were engaged in their
usual avocations when their homes were
destroyed. The district laid waste in
the city comprises an area three miles
long by nearly half mile wide.
The Courier-Journal says: The mighty
stroke of the tornado fell with sud-
denness that scarcely gave time for
quickened heart beats before those
hearts were stilled in death. Twice be-
fore the wrenching asunder of life and
homes and castles of trade, the i'm
pulses of the gale fought impatiently to
accomplish the work reserved for the
whirling tigers of the air, whose avant
couriers they were. Twice for five fu-
rious minutes each they strove and
passed on, screeching their baffled rage
Then came a lull, but only for little
space, and then the tornado Numbered
over the doomed territory with terrible
lightnings constantly ablaze. From
Eighteenth and Maple streets, dag
onally across the city, crushing dwell
ings and business blocks like egg shells,
topping down church steeples and
wrenching warehouses to fragments,
the dread visitant passed to the river
'front.' leaving to mark the boundaries
of ruin broad swath of wreckage and
dead and mangled humanity, impaled
and weighted down or burning in the
ignited debris.
This belt of destruction extended from
the west side of Sixth street as far as
Ninth and Main, and an equal width
across to the point where the city was
first touched. The loss of life and prop
erty is at present incalculable. 1t will
reqire long days of painful search and
computation to reach proper estimate,
but it is certain that no such havoc has
ever been recorded before in an Ameri-
can city from such a cause. To add to
the sudden horror of the scene, fire
came to seize upon the shapeless ruins
and consume the helpless wounded and
disfigured dead. Louisville is not left
alone to mourn this dreadful visitation.
The city of Jetfersonville, Ind, was
also invaded and many of her homes de-
stroyed, but it is thankfully reported,
with no case of death in a single house
hold.
The destruction of the waterworks
stand tower and consequently cutting
off water supply, is another matter OF
damage that must cause an infinite deal
of inconvenience and danger to the en-
tire city, while the complete breaking
down of nearly all communication with
the outside world ronders the situation
peculiarly hard.
Falls City Hall, in which two or three
secret societies were holding meetings
was laid fiat on the ground. In the mair
hall dance was in progress at the time
and it is believed that fully 800 los
their lives in this building alone. Th'
sheds at Seventh street depot, were
blown down, covering the Louisville
Southern trains which were made VI
and injuring large numbers of people.
Street cars were blown from theil
tracks in many cases and crushed agains
the walls of buildings and large mum
ber of wounded who received their in
juries in this way are reported. Whel
the fire broke out in the ruins on Seventh
street man, his wife and little girl wer
seen wedged under the debris, and al
though they shrieked and moaned ant
the spectators made almost herculeal
efforts to release them, 1t was lmpossi
BILE and they slowly burned to death il
the presence Of helpless hundreds.
AT noon yesterday the opening up 0
5, a portion of the debris of the Falls Cit
all caused draught to penetrate tn
whereupon the smoldering fir
: with tremendous fierceness
apidly and forced the worker
spile. AS soon as the fir
ay, the groans of the i'm
, became shrieks, and s
error of the moment tina
20 frantic and screame