Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-04-03
CYCLONIC DESTRUCTION
wHIRLING WINDS WRECK A PORTION
OF LOUISVILLE, KY.


Destruction at Metropolis, nl.-Dis-
patches Telling ofth Ruin In the Storms
Track.
Louisville (Ky.) dispatch: A tornado
has swept over this city, wrecklng 2OO
or 800 houses and killing 200 people.
The wind came from the southwest.
The Union depot at the foot of Scv.
enth street was lifted from its founda-
tion and turned over into the raging
torrent of the Ohio river.
A train OF cars making up for the
Louisville Southern road went over with
the building.
Falls City hall, on West Market street,
was wrecked. In the hall were over 1OO
people, and but few OF them escaped
alive.
Many buildings after falling caught
fire and the inmates were burned.
G.. Il. Johnston, telegraph operator,
who was an eye witness, says:
"The cyclone struck Louisville in the
southwestern portion and took north
easterly direction. only saw the course
OF 1t from Fourteenth and Walnut to
Eleventh and Market streets. From this
latter point 1t followed it's course to
Seventh street and the river, where It
left the city and striking across the
river reached Jeffersonville at the foot
OF Spring street.
Little damage was done I'm Jefferson
vile, however. In Louisville the de-
vastation is terrific and the loss Of life
will certainly reach hundreds, IL not
thousands.
SIN one building, at Twelfth and Mar
ket, two lodges and a dancing school
were In session, there being in the build
ing perhaps 100 persons, not one of
whom is thought to have escaped.
81 stood and watched them working
on this ruin and saw six or eight corpses
taken out In fifteen minutes. There Is
scarcely anything left that would indi-
cate that this heap of rubbish had ever
been building, and II any of its in
mates escaped it was by nothing less
than miracle.
'The path OF the cyclone was about a
square and half in width. All streets
are blockaded with the debris of fallen
buildings or telegraph and electric-light
wires. This dispatch is carried around
the city to the bridge and sent by rail-
road wires"
Cairo Qll) dispatch: A tornado
struck Metropolis, ILL.,, at o'clock In the
evening, doing great damage to property.
Many houses were blown down, and It
Is reported that several hundred people
were killed and injured, but all wires
are down and 1t is impossible to get de-
tails.
Metropolis is town of about 4, 900 in
habitants. 1t is situated on the Ohio
river, which at that point is broad
stream now much swollen by tine floods
its banks. 1t is the county seat OF
Massac county, and lies directly south
of the center of the county. This town
has but one railroad, the Terre Haute,
which, running south through tho
county, turns at Metropolis and follows
the course of the Ohio up the river to
point opposite Paducah, Ky. There the
road crosses to the Kentucky side and
becomes the Newport News & Missis-
sippi Valley.
st. Louis (Mo) dispatch: 1t is re.
ported that at Mill Creek, small sta.
tion twenty-five miles north of Cairo,
several houses were blown down and a
number Of people injured. Owing to the
wires being down ii is impossible to get
particulars.
A special from Coulterville, NJ, says
that town was visited by a disastrous wind
storm, accompanied by hail the size OF
hens eggs. Davidson Elders house was
wrecked, and Mrs. John Richmond, Mr..
Elders daughter, and Messers. Nc
Cracken and Smith of Nashville, ILL.,,
who were In the house at the time had a
few br uiscs and scratches.
A special from Nashville, ILL.,, says tho
cyclone struck that place with terrific
force, and that not pane OF glass Is
left in window with western exposure.
At Little Prairie, few miles away,
the storm destroyed tho residence OF
William Rhine and Mr.. Rhine was badly
hurt, his leg and arm being broken. He
Is also internally injured and not ex.
bected 10 live. Two OF his children
were carried quarter of a mile to the
home of David Smith. They were un-
injured. Smiths house was destroyed
He rushed out with his little girl and a
tree fell on them. Neither is expected
to live.
A special from Carbondale, ILL.,, says a
disastrous cyclone passed through jack
son county. At Graud Tower coach OF
the Grand Tower e. Carbondale railroad
was blown from the track. A number
of houses were leveled to the ground and
three lives are reported lost. Near
Murphysboro Mr.. Linsley's dwelling was
literally blown TO pieces, his child
killed. and his wife dangerously injured.
st. Louis (Mo.) dispatch: Officers OF
lower Mississippi steamers arriving here
report much distress in the overfiowed
districts south of Memphis, and the out
look for their next crop quite discour-
aging. Should the water not drain OIL
by the last of April 1t will seriously In
terfere with their planting. Over l,000,-
900 empty sacks have been shipped to
points between Memphis and Vicksbure
and have been filed with earth and sand
and used In strengthening the levees.