Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-12-03
TIE RECENT STORM.
Partial Destruction Of Tussumbia, Alabama

I
the Associated Press, The following
details ofthe effects of the disastrous
storm OH Monday at Tuscumbia, Ala,
are from special dispatch to the New
York Times:
Shortly affer dark most of the people
IN Tnscumbia were quietly seated
| around their supper tables, when sud-
denly a sound like rushing thunder was
heard in the streets, and before the ter
ritied inhabitants were fully aware OF
danger that Threatened them the storm
had passd over. The people whose
houses were unini1red immeaia
tely rushed into the streets They
found men women and children flying
| in ali directions their cries of alarm
| mingling with the moaning Of dying
animals. Houses were blown down in
many places, and the streets aud roads
| were everywhere filed with crumbling
walls and shattered timbers.
Relief parties were at once organized
! and set to work to rescue persons from
the rains of the fallen buildings One
of these parties went to the ruins OF
the housesof Mr. Elliott. After fif-
teen minutes hard work they were re
warded by finding two little girls, one
five and the other eight years of age.
One of the children was entirely unhurt,
and was easily removed The other
had her arm firmly wedged in between
two beams, but with a courage that
was marvellous in one SO young, she
called out to the men, Get my mother
out, get my mother out, never mind
me. At last the beams were cut away
and the little one released.
Digging further INTO the rubbish a
terrible sight met the eyes of the work
men. On broken bed lay the body
Of a dead woman, two massive cross
tinbers resting on her neck. Urder
her were two little children locked in
each others arms, both dead and crush
ed ont of all shape. The lady was the
wife State Senator Moore, was recently
elected. Both her Youngest children
were undressed when found, and the
little girls who were said that their
mother was just putting the children
to bed when the house was blown
down.
When the ftst shock of tie tornado
had passed John Hodekins crawled
into the han of The Tuscumbia Hotel
and stated that he had been thrown
out of the second story window of his
house had been entirely blown down,
md that his brothers family were burr
led beneath the ruins.
A party headed by Mr.. James Halsey,
a Traveller for New York house pro.
ceeded to the residence of Mr. Hody-
kins. Tney toand the building level
with the ground. Through an opening
which had been formed through the
falling timbers Mr. Haisey craweld
under the house, and discovered Mr.
| Hodgkins and his wife lying upon a
bed apparently dead His party at
once set to work to remove the rubbish
which had fallen upon the bodies The
| side of the fallen roof was cut through,
and in twenty minutes the bodies were
reached. AT the foot of the bed lying
across it was Mr. Hodgkins. beside him
his wife, and under them their foul
children. The six were qaite dead.
The mother held her youngest child in
her arms. The bodies were fully
dressed, and not at all mangled.
The party proceeded to the house of
Mrs. J. W. Winston. The house was
one Of the finest IN the place, having
cost $4,000 before the war 1t was
entirely destroyed, and Mrs. Winston
killed. Her son in-law and his family,
| who were in the lower story, escaped
unhurt Mrs Winston was the mother
OF ex-Gov. Winston, and mother in
law of t.x,Gov. Lindsey, of Alabama.
Miss Bette Sherrod. young lady liy-
ing a mile out of the town, WAS killed
by the falling of the cottage in which
she lived
Soon after the storm had blown over
it was discovered that the iron railroad
bridge over Spring creek, about half a
mile from the town, had been com
pletely destroyed. At the same mo-
ment it WAS remembered that the train
from Memphis could be expected to
arrive at any moment. The utmost
confusion prevailed, no one seeming te
know what to do. At length a young
man named Womble seized huge
stick of pine wood, and, after thrustinq
it into fire in house near by, rar
with it to the broken bridge, waving
the blazing wood over his head as hi
went. He had almost reached the
creek when his torch was extingnisheo
by the rain, which was falling in tor.
rents. AT the same time the whistle
of the approaching train was heard
and the next moment the head ligh
|! flashed through the darkness. The
young man called with all his might
but the engineer heard nothing but tn,
sound OF the storm, and before any
warning could be conveyed to him the
engine, baggage car, aud one of the
passenger coaches went over the EN-
bankment fifty feet down into thu
creek. The rear passenger cars die
not 90 off the track, 1t being blockee
up by the wreck Of the foremost ones
The engineer, fireman, and baggage
master of the train went over with it
They were cut out Of the ruins ate
two hours hard work They wer,
very dangerously burned and bruised
but are expected to recover. Severs
of the passengers were slightly IN
jured.
The storm, in passing through tn
town, tore itself a path varying from
) three to four hundred feet in width
In some places the strongest and mos
carefully constructed buildings wer
lifted completely rom'their foundation
and laid level with the ground Tn