Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-21
SWEPT BY WIND.
Destructive Cyclone in the WyO-
ming Valley, Pennsylvania.
Between Thirty and Forty Peo-
pie Lose Their Lives.


Killed at Wilkesbarre, Fifteen mt Sugar
Notch and Ten at Parsons and Mill
Creek Many Miraculous Escapes.
Wilkcsbarre's Loss S1,OO0,0OO.
WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Aug. 91.-At !
o'clock Tuesday evening a destructive
tornado swept up the Wyoming valley,
doing much damage all the way from
here to Scranton about twenty miles.
In this city the damage will reach $780,
600. The violence of the wind was I'M
precedented Cars Mt the depot were
overturned, houses unroofed, shade trees
blown down and some Trailer buildings
crushed. st. Marys Catholic church is
n total wreck
Comparatively Few Fatalities
As the debris is being cleared away
the severity of the cyclone is more and
more demonstrated and it is remark
able that SO comparatively few lives
were lost. Immense buildings, in which
were many people, were unroofed and
in many cases almost instantly demol-
ished. and this at a time when Wilkes
barre's streets are most crowded. 1t is
indeed singular how so many persons
escaped the flying timber and debris of
every chagacter
At the Depot.
Around the depots, the most frequent
cd part Of the city, the worst scenes are
presented. and when it is remembered
that passenger and freight cars We're
lifted from the tracks upon which they
stood and laid on their Sides while
other cars were rushed along the track
by the great force of the cyclone. a
small conception Of its terrible velocity
may be obtained,
So Sudden.
SO sudden did the storm make its APP
pearance and with it such portentous
skies that the stoutest hearts were at
once appalled,, especially so when at II
high altitude were seen tin roofs. timber
and all sorts of movable things and the
skies were thick black mass. such as
is shown at the time of an immense
conflngration Tremendous thunder
bolts and lightning began to assert
themselves about 5:30 o'clock. 1t was
evident that heavy downpour of rain
would come upon the town i'll a few
moments and all who could sought
shelter.
Later an unusual center Of activity
was noticeable in the vicinity Of Ice
park The lower clouds began scudding
in great circles at terrific speed. Their
yertcX seemed close in the vicinity, but
to the north of the cutlery works at
South Wilkesbarre A sudden gust of
wind sprang up and in a moment had
increased TO u rear. The Vulcan iron
works, James Norris foundry and the
Keystone flour mill felt the first shock
Heavy material of all descriptions was
dashed about like so much chaff.
The Barber asphalt works, S. l..
Brown & Company's extensive business
block on Market street, comprising ten
wholesale stores the Murray coal
brealzer and the TIollenback breaker
have all been so seriously injured that q
great expenditure of both time and
money will be necessary to place the
various establishments in working order
This means a sad loss of employment to
the wage earners who are least able to
confront the calamity.
In the Hillman vein, while twenty
seven men were at work the fans were
stopped, but luckily they were able TO
start them again, and although the
hosting apparatus was teamlng, the rest
were brought to the top in safety. They,
however, had very narrow escape. it
occupying several hours in hosting
them from the Hillman to the Baltimore
vein. The drill works Of Bloss q White
and the house adjoining on Scott street
are destroyed.
Three hundred girls were at work in
Galland's underwear factory on South
Washington street. All became panic
stricken when the storm came. A large
number tainted, and several were
thrown into commissions. The girls
were gradually calmed and taken to
their homes. The building was badly
damaged.
In the ruins of the Henagan residence
no trace of its late occupants could be
found and hopes are entertained that
they may have been absent at the time
of the catastrophe, and so escaped,
Bright's oil ware house was blown
away, At the lower end of Bowman.
Scott and Kidder streets all the houses
thcUc are either blown entirely down or
badly wrecked
The new breaker No. on Pearl street
Is damaged thousands of dollars, the
boiler house and barn being blown over.
Frank Fulrod, who was at work there
at the time, was fatally injured.
Tho Loss.
LATF2-As near as can be estimated
now there were 400 hundred houses de-
molshcd and partially destroyed, en-
failing loss Of nearly, if not quite,
81 ,O0O, 600,
Mayors Proclamation.
Mayor Sutton Tuesday night issned a
proclamation calling on the members of
the Ninth regiment to assemble at the
aImory Wednesday morning to aid in
the police supervision of the city lie
also requested all idle workingmen t1
report to him for labor in clearing away
the debris, the city to pay for the same,
The Killed.
The following is n list of those in
stantly killed us fan as can be aacor-
tanned:
Nettie Thompson, colored, aged 10.
Evi Martin, baker. Hazle street.
John Fritz, aged Is, Hazard wire rope
work.
Peter Rittenmeyer, aged 25, Cinder-
ella street
Mrs. Eliza !. mckinley, Of Scott
street, her infant, and her son John,
aged l3.
Joseph Kern, milkman, Madison
street.
Adam FrantE. of Jones d Frantz.
George Hamilton, employed i'm Stcg
mairc's brewery.
Unknown Hungarian. employed at
StcgInlire's brewery.