Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-20
DEATH In THE GALE.
A TERRIFIC CYCLONE STRIKES
WlLKESBARRE, PA.
Hundreds Of Houses Partially or Wholly
DcmoIished-Many People Killed
Details of the Disaster.
IBy telegraph 70 Tho DIspalch.l

NfiKEsDAERE, a. August 1.-h
o'clock this afternoon the most terrible
cyclone that was ever experienced in this
locality struck this city. 1t came up tho
river. From what point II originated IS not
known. The suddenness Of It's coming was
one Of Its most awful features. The heavens
were az black as night and the wind blew
with most frightful velocity. Whole rows
Of trees were blown down. Following this
hundreds of houses were unroofed. parti-
ally blown over or entirely demolished, and
worse than all. the visitation Of death was
sent upon a number of people.
THE DEATH LOSS.
The total death LOGS as far as ascertained
IL twelve. Four mCa are known to have
been killed in the Hazard wire-rOpe works.
4 house on Scott street. occupied by
miners, who had Just returned from
work. fell in and three of the inmates
were killed The huge smoke-stack OF
the kytelo planing-mlll fell on a man ana
TWO horses and all were killed. A little
colored girl was killed by falling timbers
on Main street. Two men suffered death
by the falling ola portion Of Stegmar's
brewery. and third incurred the same
fate through the almost complete demol-
ton of =. +. Brown handsome brick bust
ncss-block on east Market street. There
are undoubtedly fifteen or sixteen others
killed. Reports are coming IN constantly
10 that effect.
TERRIBLE DEVASTATION.
Large districts in several sections Of the
city are in absolute ruin, and women and
children are in the streets crying and
wringinc their hands IN absolute dlsmay.
The damage will reach hundreds Of thou
l. e il. frnu Nl an
locomotives at the depot were blown over
and every wire IN the city, electric-ig6t,
telephone and telegraph is down. Inc
devastation is TO be compared with MOTH
ing in the memory Of the oldest inhabitant.
Everybody * rejoicing that no fires have
rs vet followed. for the streets are impassa-
bic with trees and fallen buildings and the
engines could not be drawn through them.
The Murray shaft farmhouse was blown
down and fan stopped. There are
twcntv-seyen men IN the mine, but II ~
hoped they can be got out safely.
IIFTfEN PRISONS BILLTD.
LGfT-7:3O p. M.-Reports come from
Sugar Notch, q mining town three miles
from here. that the destruction of property
is terrible and that fifteen persons were
killed.
TEN MORE KILLED.
At Parsons and Mill Creek, four miles
from here. the coal-breakers in all direc-
lions have been more or less damaged, and
the number of killed will reach ten. The
telegraph wires are down IN all directions
and communication il all shut of.
HALF MILLION LOSS.
The wires are working so badly that it IL
almost impossible TO get anything OF. The
estimated loss ~ midnight Is half q million,
although 1t may reach a higher. figure.
The suffering Is great. a terrible ram
storm set IN shortly after the cyclone and
dronched the exposed property which hes
in the track of the cyclone. At midnight
rain is pouring down III tarrents.
VILLAGE TOTALLY ANEIHILATED.
PHILADELPHIA, PENS., August ia
special dispatch from Scranton TO the
Times SAYS That trainmen on the incoming
trains report that The village Of Summer
vile. thirty miles west Of scranton,
was struck bv a cyclone this afternoon
about $3.50 O'Clock and totally annihl-
lated. Engineer William Fisher IN
giving an account Of his train eX-
pcrience while passing through the cy-
clone said the engine was lifted from the
track the cab was blown OF, and all the
windows in the cars were crushed IN by
the terrible force of the wind. Two OF the
train-hands We're seriously injured. ANY
denuitc account OF tlt NlpIu Dl Niluhs'
done by 10 IL difficult 10 obtain. as all the
wires west of the city are down.
ANOTHER VILLAGE WRECKED.
4 special to the Hgurr from Plymouth
saws: Haryeysville, a farming village ten
miles from here was wrecked this after
noon by tornado. The Methodist Ep.s-
copal church and adjoining parsonage were
blown down. Haryey's large store was TO-
tally destroyed. Nearly all the houses IN
the village and on the adjacent farms were
unroofed and rendered uninhabitable. The
crops in the fields were ruined. Elijah
Fahringer, well-to-do farmer, was killed,
and several others were injured.
READING FLOODED AND IL DARKNESS.
The Record has a special dispatch from
Reading. which says: About $50 this eve
Ming this city was struck by furious
wind and rain-storm and the lower part
was flooded. in North Reading all the
telegraph, telephone, md electrlc-llght
wires were blown down and the Twelfth
and Thirteenth wards are IN darkness.
Storms seem TO have been especially Sc
we're between mere and Sinking Spring,
and trains coming down the Lebanon
Valley had considerable difficulty in run
ming. owing 20 the number Of telegraph
pOles living across the track.