The Telescope

RICHMOND, VA. June
Whirlwind.

In the storm, which blew on Wednesday last, were seen oak leaves and small twigs of various sorts falling from the air and scattering in all directions through the city. "They must have come a great ways (said many,) and we shall hear of some damage being done by the storm."

The prediction has been verified, for yesterday we met with an old gentleman from the country, whose tongue had every mark of truth, who gave us a description of the whirlwind. Our informant is Mr. Kemuel Hughes, who lives in the lower end of Hanover, about half way between the Chickahominy and Pamunkey, nearly fifteen miles from this City. We give his words, almost as they fell from his lips.

When his attention was first drawn to the cloud which had a bluish black appearance, the lower edge of it at once rose up in a whirl as quick as that of a millstone. The cloud did not appear very large to him; he was about 2 miles from it. It seemed to continue at about the same height, as far as he could see it.

Judging from the damage it did; he supposed it to be about 200 yards in width, in its course it swept from Chickahominy Swamp to Pamunkey river and across the latter into the county of King William.

The first appearance of its effects, as he had heard them described, was on the swamp, at Mr. Carrie Chappell's farm: here it did not much damage, nor had it done much, except on fences and trees, until it struck Mr. John Burnett's plantation--here a dwelling-house was torn all to pieces inhabited by one Pleasant Jourden; he was fortunately not at home, nor was there any one in the house except a negro woman & her child who saved themselves "by jumping into a potato hole;" the house itself was twisted and torn all to pieces: one of its joints or plates, was carried a small distance and struck five or six feet into the ground. Of upwards of

or torn up by the roots; most of them being torn up, and some of them carried with the roots a considerable distance. There indeed was no singular fact: in other places cedar trees which are low, and afford little purchase to the wind, and large oak trees with masses of roots and dirt shared a similar fate. Almost every panel of fences on this plantation was swept down.

Hence, it struck a body of woods for the length of a mile, breaking off or tearing up the trees by the roots, and "throwing them together cross and pile." A road passing through this wood, was for the space of 2 or 300 yards covered with trees, laying thus and considerable labour will be requisite to clear the ground of the timber. You can hardly get along a foot.

From the woods, the whirlwind fell into the plantations of Mr. Nathan Burnett, where Mr. Hughes was told it had swept nearly every tree, and panel of fence, and one old house.

It then struck Mr. Miller Brown's plantation -blew down his kitchen--only the edge of the whirlwind struck the edge of his dwelling house-his wife ran out of it with her child in her arms--the storm bore her along the distance of 10 or 30 yards, snatched the child out of her arms, and carried it some yards from her--it escaped unhurt. After passing the house, the whirlwind struck the negro quarters, which it blew down four negroes, who were put out of their senses "as if the power of the wind had totally bereaved them of their senses" a fifth less fortunate even than his companions, was carried about 150 or 200 yards, "his skull smashed against the ground," and he died next day.

Mr. H. heard of no other trace of the tornado, until it struck the plantation of the widow of Mr. John Turner -there it seemed to tear every thing to pieces--- but he did not learn of any injury being done to the people

The next accounts he had of it was at Major Fox's on the river. here it did considerable damage destroying most of his small grain.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Hughes was informed that on the other side of the river, it had killed a white man, destroyed most of the small grain where it went, twisting off the rye heads as if it had been done by the human hand.

He was informed, that about a mile from the river, the whirl seemed to rise from the earth until it had travelled for the space of a mile and a half: when it descended, and struck with more violence than before.

This is the last account he heard of it.

We learn from other sources, that its violence was astonishing, and the damage done to trees and other high objects, within a row vein of 20 or 30 which it travelled.