The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1893-05-19
The Great Tornado Of 1910.

! The Natchez Banner reproduces
an article that originally appeared
in the Natchez Free Trader, ,describ.
ing the frightful hurricane which
swept over that city on the 7th oil
May, 1910. Besides terrible loss ol
life, the damage to property in the
tiny city reached 81 ,260, 900, accord
ing to detailed estimates publish
ed in the Free Trader. In the half.
century that has elapsed hundreds
Of cyclones have visited various
parts Of the Union, but in destruct-
i've fury none of them are to be
compared to the one that desolatcd
Natchez in 1910. We quote:
"About ] O'Clock Thursday, The
9TH inst, the attention OF the citi-
zens of Natchez was attracted by an
unusual roaring OF thunder to the
southwark, at which point hung
masses of black clouds. some of
them stationary, and others whirl-
ing along with undercurrents, but
all driving n little east of north.
As there was evidently much light
ming, the continual roar of growing
thunder, although noticed and spok-
en- of by many, created no parlicu-
lar alarm.
"The dinner bells in the large ho-
tells had rung, a little before 2
o'clock, and most Of our citizens
were sitting at their tables, when
suddenly the atmosphere was dark
ened, SO as to require the lighting
of candles and, in few moments
afterwards, the rain was precipitated
in tremendous cataracts, rather than
in drops. In another moment the
tornado, IN all its wrath, was upon
us. The strongest buildings shook
as If Tossed with an earthquake
the air was black with whirling ed
dies of house walls, roofs, Chin
neys, huge timbers torn from dis
tant ruins, all shot through the air
as if thrown from a mighty cata-
pult. The atmosphere soon became
lighter, and then such an awful |
scene of ruin as perhaps never be-
lore met the eye of man became
The greater part OF the |
ruin was effected in the short space
of from three to FIVE minutes, al
though the heavy sweeping tornado +
lasted nearly half an hour. ror
about five minutes il was more like /
The explosive force of gunpowder
than anything else it could have
been compared 10. Hundreds 0fl
rooms were burst open as suddenly
as If barrels oil gunpowder had been
gnited IN each.
ssAs far as glasses or the naked
sye can reach, the FIRST traces of lhe1
tornado are TO be seen from the
Nalchez bluff down the river about
EN- miles, bearing considerably west
IF south. Sweeping across the
Natchez island 1t crossed The point
below the plantation Of David Bar +
and, Esq, opposite the plantation
,f ?. M. Lapice, Esq, in the par
sh OF Concordia. 1t then struck
he Natchez bluff about mile and
/ half below the city, near the man.
ZION called the "Briers," which II
out slightly injured, but swept the
mansion Nate Of Charles b. Green,
Esq. called the ssBelIevue," and /
he ancient forest in which il was
smb0soued into mass Oh ruins.
1t fhezfstruck The city through its /
whole width Of one mile and includ |
ID the entire river and The village
II Vidalia on the Louisiana shore
The path Of the tornado 4
more than two miles in width. All
be Naschez landing on~fhe river
he ruin of dwellings,, stores, steam
ooals, and fathoats, MAS almost an