Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-04-04
The Louisville Disaster.

Thursday last was q day Of storm and
disaster, and the city of Louisville. Ky,
was the worst sufferer.
Between and O'Clock that evening a
tornado struck the southwestern part Of
the city, and tore It's way diagonally in a
northeasterlv direction through the city in
a path FIVE blocks wide The crash and
roar was heard for miles, the air was full OF
flying bricks, signs and roofs, and for
while everybody was terror stricken. Then
thousands Of people repaired to the scene
of the disaster, and all night the work oi
reseuing the disabled, and recovering the
bodies Of the dead went or.
So far as is known two hundred persons
were killed outright and several hundred
wounded.
At Falls City Hall a large number Of
people were gathered at a dance, the
immense fve-story building seemed to
have been crushed down from the top, and
many people were killed outright and
many others suffoeated by gas from the
broken pipes. The bodies of ten women
locked in each others arms were found in
one place. 4 FIRE started in the ruins
about midnight and some wounded people
were burned to death.
The cloud accompanying the cyclone
was observed along almost its entire course
by Dr. Lyon, who resides at the Falls. He
SAYS the cloud approached up the gap in
the Knobs through which the Ohio flows.
1t was balloon-shsped, twisting an attenu-
ated tail toward the earth. 1t emitted a
constant fusillade of lightning, and seemed
to be composed of lurid snake-like mass
of electric currents, whose light would
sometimes suddenly be extinguiShed for
few brief moments, making an almost in
tolerable. horrible darkness. 1t was ac-
companied By fearful roar like that of
thousand trains crossing the big bridge at
once. 1t could be seen to strike Louisville
and then with incredible rapidity rumbling
awfully, the awful mass leaped the riTer,
changing it into white foam as it came
toward the Indiana shore. 1t appeared to
cross the Louisville bridge, just over the
falls.
Mr.. Lyon is a gentleman of scientific at
tainments and a close observer, and watch
ed the storm with view of ascertaining
certain points in the cyclonic movement.
Evansville and Jefersonville of Indiana;
Metropolis, Cairo and other towns of
Illinois; Cincinnati, Canton and other towns
in Ohio; Racine, Wis; Sedalia, Jefferson
City and other towns in Missouri; Grays-
vile, Georgia; Gallatin, Tresavant, Fayette-
Vile and other towns in Tennessee, and
many other places suffered By the storm,
which seems to have been remarkably
widespread.
Incidents of the storm are numerous. \
life insurance policy taken up by the wind
in Louisville was found on a bush 80 miles
away, and steamboat is SAID to have been
lifted out of the water and blown upon the
bank
In Union and Webster counties, KY,
fifty people were killed. One house, after
being blown down, was burned with part
of the family in it. One mans house was
torn to pieces and his 4-year-old child
carried $50 yards and dashed into a shape
less mass. AT Eddyville, Ky, nine persons
were killed and at Kuttawa, twelve. At
Delaware, KY, hodse was picked up
and carried so yards aud the family of five
in it ali killed.