Huntsville gazette., 1893-10-07
RUIN AT THE SOUTH.

Sunday Nights Tornado In and Around
the Crescent Clty-A Large Number OF
Persons Killed and Levees, Corps and
Buildings to Unestimated Amount Dam
aged or Destroyed-Tne Orange Crop
Completely Destroyed.
New ORLEANS, Oct. "A terrific tor
oado struck New Orleans late Sunday
night, coming from the northeast, and
ragged here all night and portion OF
to-day, sweeping to the south from
here along the line of the Mississippi
river, through the parish of Plaque
mine to the gulf.
The storm was one of the worst
which ever visited this section, and as
far as can be learned killed twenty
four or more persons and wounded
probably three times as many. some OF
them fatally, besides destroying
large amount of property.
The wind had reached velocity of
forty y-eight miles an hour at s o'clock,
when the aerometer of the weather bu-
reau was destroyed. 1t constantly in
creased in force hnr-l a. M, when its
velocity was estimated at sixty miles
an hour. The crnAh of sheds and build
ings blown down, trees torn up and
houses unroofed, caused intense alarm,
and most of the population Of the city
stayed up all night, expecting their
houses to be blown down.
Among the buildings destroyed were
large market house, which crushed
several buildings in its fall; the Bur-
dette-street mission church, the cotton
yards of the Northeastern railroad,
C.J l1o;I hn Dv-f hi
hall A number of other buildings
were unroofed.
The revetment levee on Lake Pom
chartrain, which protects New Orleans
from overflow on the rear, was washed
away, the water sweeping over it fif-
teen feet or more, and many of the
yachts there were sunk or injured.
In the Mississippi the coal fleet was
scattered, the transfer boat of the.
Texas & Pacific railroad badly dam
aged and several wharfs carried away.
The New Orleans e. Northwestern track
was flooded for seven miles and so
badly washed that it can run no trains.
The track of the Louisville & Nashville
was badly washed for fifteen miles and
it will be several days before it can run
trains.
While only four deaths and one per-
son wounded severely, if not fatally,
is the report from the storm in New
Orleans, below the city it was far
worse, especially in Plaquemine par
ish. Here the wind reached velocity
of 100 to 125 miles an hour, sweeping
everything before it. All.
paip+a In, Haoha tnxun nf 000
people, was the worst sufferer. In that
town not single house escaped injury.
| The courthouse and Catholic church,
the principal building in the town, and
| some twenty other buildings were de-
| stroyed, and the situation was so
| threatening that the greater part of
the people, fearing being crushed to
death in their buildings, camped out in
the street all night in heavy rain.
| The air was filled with debris, and
the wind blew so fiercely that many
had to anchor themselves against trees
to prevent being blown away. Four
! grown persons and several children are
| known to have been killed in Pointe de
| la Hache. but how many children is
| not exactly known.
| In the immediate vicinity of Pointe
| la Hache there are other deaths re
| ported and thirteen others in the
country below. 1t is probable that
the mortality will be greatly
increased when news is received
| from far-away settlements on
| the gulf coast, below Point a la
Hache In the orange country of Louis
lana, the crop was ripe upon the
trees and about to be harvested 1t
was completely destroyed by the storm,
with loss of $3.50, 900 or more Oh this
single item.
The crops in the orange farm of
Bradish Johnson, the largest in the
south, had been sold to a fruit dealer
of New Orleans, Mr.. Oteri, for s65,000.
1t is said that there is not an
orange left on the trees, and it is the
same all the way down the coast. The
loss is very heavy in other crops and
property, but the news is too vague
yet to form estimates as to the amount.