Tremendous Storm-Loss of Life-Whirlwind-Great Flood-Immense Destruction of Property, &c

Our city was visited on Saturday with one of the most terrific storms that ever occurred for many years. It commenced raining early in the morning, with a fresh gale from the e. n. e., and continued with occasional intermission, through the day. Towards the afternoon the wind hauled to the e. s. e., and the sky was obscured by dense masses of clouds, which so darkened the atmosphere that we were obliged at four o'clock to light the gas burners in our office to continue our dally avocations. A few minutes before six o'clock, the clouds apparently began to thin in the west, and we were congratulating ourselves upon the prospect of a speedy termination of the rain when the delusion quickly vanished. The rain began to pour. The flood gates of heaven appeared to have been suddenly opened, and an immense torrent of water came rushing down, which continued incessantly for the space of two hours. It was a perfect deluge. Sharp flashes of lightning occasionally gleamed through the atmosphere, and tremendous peals of thunder mingled with the roar of the wind and the rushing of the waters. Many of our streets were inundated; great destruction of property, with the loss of life, and mush personal distress has been the consequence. The quantity of water which fell, and the extent of damage done, throughout the city and vicinity, has far exceeded the great thunder, lightning, and rain storm of the night of the 1st of July, 1842. The north-east and north-west section of the city and suburbs, have suffered to an immense extent; houses have been unroofed, and blown down; board yards and coal wharves swept away; shipping disabled and dismasted; cellars inundated, and a vast amount of property partially ruined or totally destroyed. Philadelphia has not suffered such a calamity within our memory.

[Here the incidents which occurred and the losses which have been sustained, are enumerated,

so far as they could be ascertained. We make such extracts as we have room for.]

At the corner of Second and Dock streets, we are told, the water was, at one time, in several places, six feet deep, and, of course, all the cellars in the neighborhood were overflowed, and much property lost. The ill-fated n. w. corner of Fourth and Market streets met with a repetition of the overflow of July, 1842. The basement stories of four or five stories on Fourth street, were filled with water, and a like number of cellars on Market street were inundated.-Much valuable property was here destroyed.-The culvert at the corner of Sixth and Race streets burst and overflowed all the cellars in the neighborhood. A dwelling house opposite the gas works, was crushed by part of the roof of the gas works which fell upon it, and the building adjoining was unroofed. In the vicinity of Market street bridge, large trees have been torn up by the roots; the weather boards of the bridge were ripped off, and the railings laid flat-the bridge itself was saved by the remarkable foresight of Martin Deer, who closed the windows about 4 o'clock, under the apprehension of a storm. Market street in front of the Permanent bridge, is covered with boards, planks and timbers, which were carried there from a board yard in the vicinity. The Machine Factory, Schuylkill, Second and Vine, was blown down. One of the men was killed, and several had their legs and arms broken. Schuylkill Third and Wood, a brick shop for the manufacturing of gas fixtures, blown down-one man killed instantly, and two others seriously injured. Seven other brick buildings were blown down. It is impossible, at present, to make any correct estimate of the amount of the loss. Suffice it to say that it is immense, and there is no reasonable means of calculating its extent at present.

Along the Schuylkill, the damage and destruction of property is incalculable, and, what is infinitely worse, there were a number of lives lost‚ how many, at present it is impossible to say. In the neighborhood of Vine street and the Schuylkill, it tore up trees, unroofed houses, forced the shutters off their fastenings, and carried them like feathers through the air.

A factory in that vicinity, used for the manufacture of gasfiting [gas-fitting] materials, in which three men were, in order to obtain shelter from the storm, fell to the earth with a tremendous force, crushing one of the men. The other two fortunately made their escape. It seems that after the roof was blown down, which was carried to some distance, the walls fell in. In Arch st., near the Schuylkill, a similar scene was presented, and several stables were unroofed, and all the fences in the neighborhood overturned.