Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-08-20
WRATH IN THE AIR.
The Winged Monster Of
Darkness Drops
UPON A WHOLE PENN. COUNTY
Awful Account in TO.Day's
Detailed Dispatches in
the Journal.
UPON A WHOLE Penn. COUNTY.
THE wILIIEsBARRE CYCLONE.

WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Aug. 2O.-At
5 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the
most terrible cyclone that was ever
experienced in this locality struck
this city. 1t came up the river and
the suddenuess of its coming was
one of its awful features. The beav-
ems were as black as night and the
wind blew with most frightful We
locity. Whole rows of trees were
blown down. Following this, hun
dreds of houses were unrOofed, par
TALLY blown over and completely
demolished, and worse than all. a
visitation Of death was sent upon a
number of people. Large districts
in several sections of the city are in
absolute ruin, and women and chill
dren are in the streets, crying and
wriuging their hands in absolute
dismay. The damage will reach
uuutitbS vi lllOuSuuuS OI uOilaGS.
Passenger trains and locomtiyes at
the depot were blown over, and
every wire in tie city, electric light. .
telephone and telegraph is down. !
The devastation is to he compared
to nothing in the memory Of the old
est inhabitrHts. Everybody is re-
joicing that no fires have as yet
taken place, for the streets are i'm
passable with trees and fallen build
ings and the engines could not be
drawn through them.
TERRIBLE SCENES.
Terrible was the scene in the
Hazard wire rope works. The dead
and dying lay on the floor, and their
heart-Tending cries and groans filled
the air. The cyclone struck the
rear of a large brick building, about
200 men being employed in the
place. The roofs and walls were
crushed III and lay all about. Bricks
and ponderous machinery were
scattered all over. When the
storm was imminent the men rushed
for the door, but many were caught
in the ruins. AS soon as the calm
succeeded the awful cyclone, men
rushed into the ruins and carried
the injured into portion of the
building which was unchanged,
and laid them upon the floor, and
physicians were summoned st.
Mary's Catholic church is a total
wreck. The Hillman breaker is
blown into shreds. 1t will take
months to repair the damages be-
fore the miners will be able to re-
sumo work.
SCRANTON, Pa, Aug. l9.-Train-
men of incoming trains report the
village of Summerville, thirty miles
west of Scranton, struck by the
cyclone and totally annihilated'
Engineer Fisher, in giving an ac-
count of his experiences while pass
ing through the cyclone, said the
engine was lifted from the track
the cab blown off, and all the win
dows in the cars were crushed IN oy
the terrible force of the wind. Two
of the train hands are seriously IN
jured. Any definite account OF the
storm or the damage done by It's
difficult to learn, as all wires west OF
the city are down.
A special to the Record from Ne"
Milford, Susquehanna county, says
the cyclone struck that region at
preciselv the same moment Wilkes
barre was struck. Farmer Coles
house was demolished and Mrs Cole
killed. His family was imprisoned
in the wreck and all badly hurt
The cyclone struck HarveyViIle'
killing two persons. The Methodist
Episcopal church and the parsonage
adjoining were blown down. Near,
ly all the houses in the village ana
the buildings of farmers were u"-
,.,oF>1 TrO,Nc rp ruinGd.