About 9:15 on July 26, 1890 a whirlwind swept over the whole length of the southern ward of the city, Ward six, or South Lawrence, killing eight person, injuring 65 and causing damage to property to the amount of approximately $45,000.
The tornado swooped down from the west at a velocity of a mile a minute. A black funnel-shaped cloud was seen approaching. It was high above Andover street and near West Parish Road. It descended straight down on the cricket club grounds, a fenced enclosure of several acres in what is now known as Carletonville. The entire eight foot tight board fence was leveled and except for a short distance on the southwest corner, was thrown outward from the center in every direction.
Farther on the tornado struck two dwellings on Emmet Street. Just east of this the Essex Company's "Old Blue Ledge" an abandoned stone quarry close to the present Wetherbee school, deflected the tornado upward over a thickly populated region in the vicinity of Durham and Newton Streets abut little damage being done until Broadway was reached. A portion of the roof of St. Patrick's Church at the corner of Broadway and Salem Street was raised from the walls, and the Cutler house nearby was destroyed. The superstructure of the Boston and Main railroad bridge on Salem Street was bent and twisted. Michael Higgins, a switchman of the railroad was killed here and little Helen Cutler was blown from the bridge and also killed.
From this point the progress for some 100 rods or more was across open ground to Springfield Street where the most damage was done to buildings and where the greatest loss of life occurred. Houses were piled in the middle of the street, and large blocks were torn and twisted. Thence the gale swept through the South Union park, uprooting and leveling great trees. Then it struck Portland street where much damage was done. It spent itself at the entrance of the Shawsheen into the Merrimack River.
The following day, an estimated 50,000 strangers visited the city for the purpose of seeing the ruins.
