[Rarebooks] FS: 1878 Tornado in Wallingford Connecticut- Woodcut Illustrations

[Joslin Hall Rare Books]

“History of the Wallingford Disaster”

By John B. Kendrick.
Published in Hartford by The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co. in 1878.

On Friday, August 9th, 1878 a tornado passed through Wallingford, 
Connecticut, ripping a large portion of the town to shreds and killing 
29 people. Although one runs across 19th century chronicles of tornadoes 
from time to time, one rarely finds an account as detailed as this 
account, nor one which spends so much time describing the aftermath -the 
rescues, the cleanup, the visits by dignitaries and sightseers, and so 
on. Nor does one often come across an account illustrated quite like 
this one. There are 8 full-page woodcut plates showing the destruction, 
from ruined houses and buildings to a giant elm snapped like a 
toothpick. The plates' style is a very stark and sharp, almost modern, 
or reminiscent of the 1930s. The effect is quite startling and dramatic. 
A most interesting tale and illustrations of a disastrous storm and its 
aftermath.

"The Wallingford Tornado struck the town of Wallingford, Connecticut, on 
August 9, 1878. The violent tornado destroyed most of the town, killing 
34 people and injuring at least 70, many severely. This was the 
deadliest tornado ever to strike the state of Connecticut, and the 
second deadliest ever in New England, after the Worcester tornado of 
1953. The storm system that eventually spawned the Wallingford tornado 
produced damaging winds and at least one tornado far before it reached 
the town. The first tornado from this storm system touched down in South 
Kent, unroofing houses, blowing down barns, and uprooting and tossing 
trees into the air. It moved steadily southeast for 12 miles, moving 
just south of New Preston, and then through Washington, before turning 
north and dissipating. The next path of damage started further north 
along the Shepaug River. It is unknown whether this was a tornado or 
straight-line winds, but the damage path continued southeast for three 
miles before disappearing again. More damage was reported near 
Waterbury, where a house was unroofed two miles west of the town. In the 
town itself, branches and chimneys were damaged. As the storm approached 
Wallingford, observers described a black, rolling funnel, with clouds 
blowing in from all directions. This system passed directly over 
Cheshire, producing a strong wind at the surface which caused some minor 
damage. The storm then moved directly towards Wallingford. In 
Wallingford, the day prior to the tornado was clear, and said to be "one 
of the loveliest [days] of the season". At around 5 p.m. the sky began 
to get dark, and by 5:30 p.m. the air was very black. At around 6 p.m., 
the air at the surface was calm, but lightning began to fill the sky, 
and the clouds began moving at a very rapid pace, frightening some 
residents into shelter. The tornado started as a waterspout over 
Community Lake, just west of town. It then moved through the center of 
town along Christian Street, damaging almost every structure as it went. 
The tornado tore houses from their foundations, throwing some more than 
600 feet. A receipt from the town was later found 65 miles east in 
Peacedale, Rhode Island. Large trees were uprooted and snapped, and 
those that were still standing were stripped of small limbs and leaves. 
The Catholic Church was blown to bits, and heavy tombstones in the 
nearby cemetery were tossed around. The brand-new brick high school 
building was almost completely destroyed. The tornado's path through 
town was only two miles long, but the damage path was up to 600 feet. A 
district schoolhouse was converted into a temporary morgue immediately 
after the storm; 21 bodies were discovered and placed there that night. 
One person was found dead 3300 feet from where he had been standing. The 
tornado brought down telegraph lines and poles around the area, so 
assistance from physicians in nearby towns took more than an hour. More 
than 50 special police were sworn in to prevent looting, and to control 
the crowds of curious onlookers who had come by train from surrounding 
cities. Tornadoes are not very uncommon in the state of Connecticut, but 
tornadoes of this power are rare. Though tornadoes have only been 
officially rated on the Fujita scale since 1950, this tornado has been 
estimated to be of F4-intensity on the scale."

Hardcover. 6"x9", 76 pages, 8 plates. Covers with some wear and soil, 
some internal soil, pages 7-8 detached but present (see the next to last 
photo, below), and with some chipping along the edge. $85-


Some Pictures ->
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