The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-02-14
Tornado i'm Georgia,


of q tornado of unparalleled fury.
One woman was blown distance Of
400 yards; her house was found 100
yards distant from the foundation of
the house, fragments of which fell
six miles distant. The writer says:
The tornado struck the earth in
two columns-a little to the rear and
Immediately to the right and left of
the Rev. j. l.. X. Smiths DWELLING
and converging to q point correspon-
dent to the course of the two clouds
before mentioned, joined their forces
from fifty to seventy-five yards dis
tant, and then, with united volume,
swept Northward to the tannery of
jones H. Robinson, where, after de-
molishing the bark mill and unroof-
ing another building, it left the earth
its future course to be
known only by scattered garments
and broken fragments of wood
dropped'miles away. Thus the whole
compass of its visible ravages is COM
prised within an area not exceeding
200 yards in width and half mile in
length. The track of its chief vio-
lence IS even much narrower than
this. Scarcely a tree is left standing
where it passed-of the fallen ones,
some lie at every point of the COM
pass. This fact may be attributable
to the general rush of the winds from
the four quarters of the Heavens or
the whirl afterwards. But it is not
my purpose to philosophical I
could-I only state facts. Suffer me
to say, however, that if this imper-
feet sketch should meet the eye of the
venerable DR.. Mans, I hope it will be
consistent, both with his pleasure and
his convenience, to favor your numer-
Gus readers with his views upon these
remarkable and fearful phenomena of
the winds. But the general rush of
winds was Northward-as evidenced
by the drift of timbers and the bodies
of the dead. The whirling nature of
the winds is manifested by the debris
scattered upon either hand AS to
the direct force of the wind, / give,
for the present, one noteworthy in
stance:
A green oaken board, after being
carried some three or four hundred
yards, was driven to the depth of
seven inches into the cleft of white
oak, as if with maui swung with
giant power. In the immediate track
of the storm, the rain fell in torrents,
while outside of it, at least for any
distance, there was but little, and the
ground over which the fury of the
tornado passed is covered over with
riffs, such rs are usually to be seen
upon the banks of running streams
after great freshets. These are the
prominent characteristics of both the
hurricane and tornado blended in
this wonderful phenomenon of na-
ture. Some also represent it as having
been attended by glowing appear
ance; but few saw it, passing, as it
did, with almost cannon ball velocity.
Every ou. auilding through the
entire course of the tornado from the
point of first attack-beginning with
barn and stables of the Rev. Mr..
Smith--was swept away, some of
them to their very foundations The
same is true of fencings In one
case, where there was lane, the rails
were heaped promiscuously between
the two. OF the four dwellings occu-
pied by white families, only one, that
of Mr.. Joseph Kinney, was left
standing, roof broken in and shat
tered. Outside OF the main channel,
the house Of Mr.. Beeland was dam
aged by flying timbers The build
ing occupied by Mrs. Moss was car
ried away to the floor, which was
literally covered with the debris of
chimneys and the tops of fallen
trees; yet of the seven in the house
at the time, all escaped with life save
one, youngest son of Mrs. Lucy
Jones. Dink Moss, j. Wyatt, Jr.,
Lucy and Nancy Jones, badly injured,
particularly the first named. Strange
to say, child of Mrs. Nancy Jones
crawled from beneath a fallen tree
with hardly scratch. The kitchen
was occupied by Burre. Rinford
(coloreD and his wife~:.nd another
woman. Of these, Burrel was blown
to 81 distance of fifty yards, and
killed. His wife was severely in
jured. She was carried twice i.a~ttac IN tlicc
aiT, and says she saw fragments of
timber flying thick as leaves in an
autumnal gale.
The dwelling of DR.. James H.
Montgomery was lifted from its foun-
dations, turned over and dashed to
pieces. Himself and wife were Sc
verely injured; little daughter slight
ly; his son escaped unharmed.
But the residence of Mr.. J. G.
Bailey suffered most, both as to itself
and inmates, Mr.. Bailey being found
dead ot tho diStanca of 10O vordc oD1