Martinsburgh Gazette

CHARLESTON, Sept. 10

DREADFUL CALAMITY.

It is again our painful duty to detail the awful effects of a dreadful visitation upon our ill-fated city. A Tornado having passed through it, carrying death and desolation in its progress.

On Sunday evening last, the winds which had been for some days light and variable, shifted to the N. E. and blowing very fresh through the night, it continued in the same quarter all day on Monday and on Monday night; on Tuesday morning it blew with increased violence, and during the whole time from Sunday evening, there was almost an unceasing fall of rain. About 10 o'clock in the forenoon of Tuesday, the wind shifted to the S. E. and at half-past 12 o'clock, a Tornado, unprecedented here in its extent and effects, crossed a section of our city. It first took effect at Fort Mechanic, situated on the south-east point of the city, and passing from thence in a north-west direction, it crossed the town in a direct line to the pond on the north side of Cannon's Bridge; how far it has extended its ravages into the country, we have not yet learnt. In its progress, it overturned and completely destroyed a great number of houses and out-buildings, unroofed others, and prostrated trees, fences, brick walls, and almost every thing coming in contact with it. It is computed, from a hasty view of the scene of devastation, that the loss to the city will fall little, if any short of that experienced by the calamitous fire in October last. But in addition to this great loss of property, we have, on this occasion, to lament the loss of several valuable lives.

The Tornado appears to have been about 100 yards in width—after it had prostrated the flag-staff on Fort Mechanic, unroofed the house within the inclosure of that fort, thrown down the blacksmith's shop contiguous to it, and unroofed all the houses immediately adjoining the fort, it crossed over to Lyph's Lane, where it unroofed several houses; from thence it proceeded across Church-street—continued, to Meeting street, where several houses were unroofed, particularly the large new brick house of Nathaniel Russell, Esq. whose loss in furniture, &c. cannot be less than 20,000 dollars: from Meeting-street, it crossed to Tradd-street, where a large three-story wooden house on the south side, about half way between Meeting, and King streets, was blown over, which crushed two adjoining houses in its fall; and most of the houses on both sides of the street, to the corner of King street were unroofed or much shattered. It passed up King street, nearly to Broad-street, unroofing and shattering several houses in its progress, until it reached Broad-street here, the house of Dr. Alexander Baron, situated at the north-west corner of Orange-street and the venerable mansion of the late Dr. Chandler, on the opposite corner, were very roughly handled; the latter being old and weak, was completely wrenched to pieces; on the opposite side of Broad-street, the premises lately purchased by the St. Andrew's Society, and occupied by Mr. Henry Inglesby; the mansion of the late General Macpherson, and some other buildings, were either unroofed or much damaged; passing thro' Vaux-Hall Garden, it crossed over Queen-street, near to the corner of Friend-street, and shattering several houses in its progress, it went on to the corner of Magazine and Mazyek streets; two or three small houses fronting on the former of these streets, were blown down; and in the progress of the Tornado up Mazyek-street, several houses were unroofed, or otherwise much damaged. One or two houses were prostrated on Beaufain street. After leaving Beaufain-street, the houses being less compactly situated, the marks of its ravages are not so distinctly to be traced, though it appears to have lost nothing of its violence. The mansion-house of the Hon. Judge Desaussure, was violently assailed, and suffered very considerably: one of the chimnies was thrown down; and a part of the family, who were at the time in an upper room of the house, were precipitated with the falling bricks through two floors into the kitchen. Providentially no lives were lost, excepting that of a negro girl. Several other houses in the out-skirts of the city, were either unroofed or much injured: and we also understand that much injury has been sustained in the village of Comington, but we were unable last evening to obtain any further particulars.

The most painful part of our duty yet remains—it is to record the deaths which have been occasioned by this dreadful disaster—they are, so far as has come to our knowledge, as follows:

Miss Margaret Cozzens, aged twenty-one years; killed in a house adjoining Fort Mechanic.

Doctor Cotton, a native of France; a worthy man; killed by the falling of his house in Beaufain street.

Mr. Peterson, a native of Germany, grocer, at the corner of Magazine and Mazyek streets.

A free mulatto man, in Church-street continued.

A French mulatto girl, in King-street.

Two mulatto children, either killed or drowned, by the falling of a small wooden house, which was blown into the mill-pond at Cannon's Bridge.

A negro man, belonging to Mr. Dener, Mazyek-street.

We have also heard of two or three other negroes killed, but did not learn to whom they belonged.

Besides which, a great number of persons have either had their limbs broken, or been very much bruised; and we fear that others have perished, whose bodies have not yet been found.

This dreadful visitation is more afflicting than even the ravages of a conflagration. The Tornado struck suddenly; passed through the city with the rapidity of lightning, and in an instant, involved in destruction and death, both the habitation and the inhabitant. No notice of the approaching danger was given, and before friendship and humanity could fly to the relief of the sufferers, all was involved in ruin. It was preceded by a momentary deceitful calm, and was attended by a steady rumbling noise, resembling that of a carriage rattling over a pavement.

Last evening the wind shifted to the S. W. and although it continued to blow with some violence, we trust that the storm has spent its force.

We did not gain any intelligence from Sullivan's Island last evening; but as the tide did not rise so high as on some former occasions, we hope that the citizens at present upon the island, have escaped without injury.

What effect this severe storm may have had upon the crops on our sea-board remains to be seen; we think the damage sustained must be very considerable.

We trust that our sea-faring brethren upon the coast, have been enabled to weather the storm—the shipping in the harbor have sustained but little injury; a few small craft were sunk at the wharves.

Courier.

September 12.

In addition to the particulars furnished in yesterday's Courier, of the dreadful devastation occasioned by this awful visitation to our city, many other particulars have since come to our knowledge. We shall not attempt to particularise the numerous sufferers on this melancholy occasion convinced that it would be impossible to give a correct statement of every individual loss. Our opinion of the great general loss which has been sustained, is strengthened by a resurvey of the ruins, which are even more extensive than we had at first apprehended; an immense number of houses which were not immediately within the vortex of the Tornado, have suffered more or less from the falling ruins of those which were more immediately the subjects of its fury. Slates and tiles, torn from the roofs of the houses, are to be seen in every direction, half buried at the sides of neighboring buildings; and in some instances, joists, and even massy beams, are found transfixed through the contiguous buildings. Large masses of lead and pieces of iron, which had been attached to houses, have since been discovered nearly buried in the walls of other buildings, at the distance of several hundred yards. The more we reflect upon the awful subject, the more we are astonished, that, comparatively, so few have perished under the ruin. In addition to the deaths of white persons enumerated in our last, Mrs. Stewart's daughter, about 12 years old, has since died from the wounds received by the falling of a house in Church-street and several negroes have also since died of their wounds. The number of deaths altogether, will not, probably fall short of 20.

Among the many instances of divine protection on this awful occasion, the following was peculiarly interesting:—a lady, far advanced in pregnancy, was reposing with her sister on her bed, in an upper apartment, when the Tornado reached the house.

The noise so alarmed a negro girl in waiting, that she sought for refuge under the bed on which her mistress was lying.

A stack of chimneys was struck by the wind with such tremendous violence that it fell on the roof and forced its way through the house to the ground, precipitating the floor along with it. The bed fell with the floors, but the ladies, we are happy to state, escaped without any injury.

The negro girl beneath the bed was crushed to pieces.

The happy tidings that no injury had been sustained on Sullivan's Island, which reached town early yesterday morning gave relief to many an agonized heart, whose family or connexions were in that exposed situation, while it was utterly impossible to fly to their assistance.

The carrier of the southern mail, in crossing the causeway on this side of Ashley River Bridge, in a sulky, was swept off and carried nearly 200 yards—the horse was drowned, but the driver fortunately escaped, with the mail, although it was much damaged.

The effects of the Tornado have extended some distance into the country, prostrating trees and fences in its progress.