The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-12-10
THE FATAL CYCLONE.
Tuscumbfa, Alabama, i'm Mourning
Scenes OF Death and Besoiatt0n--
The Destitute Poor.

= THE FATAL CYCLONE. 1sa.
Tuseumbia. Alabama, I'm Mourning
Scenes of Death and Besolafton-
The Destitute Poor.
A special dispatch to the Nashville Union !
and american gives the following particu- I
lars OF the fatal tornado which nearly de- |
stroyed the town of Tuscumbia, Ala, on |
the I'D
THE STORM.
The first mark of its havoc noticed af-
ter getting up this morning was that a part
of the roof of the hotel In which / had
slept was gone, and the interior badly dam
aged by water. This was at the southern
limit of the storms wake, which compro-
hends aihthat part of the town lying north
of the railroad. Here the real destruction
appears, over fifty residences being either
partially or totally destroyed, including
some Of the finest and most substantial
bricks in the place. All the Enclosures are
blown down and away. The trees planted
in yards and along the streets are blown
down orAtwisted off. one after another.
Some of the houses are just unroofed,
some without chimneys, Others partly
blown down or without wall, but many
are utterly demolished. The ground
throughout the area Of the tornado is lit
orally covered with the fragments OF build
ings and furniture, and to the northeast OF
the town, almost as far as the eye can see,
the fields are strewn with tin roofing and
the lighter contents of the houses. Yet
even ia the route of the hardest wind a
number of the houses are left standing,
showing that the storm was not incessant
in its contact with the earth. The trees
are felled in every direction, and ii seems
! to haze been more bounding cyclone
than hurricane. 1t was confined to
small Section of country, too, when it
considered that a strong gale was prevail
ing about the same time at Nashville,
| Memphis, and even as low down as Cal
| Ira. From all the. information gathered
here, 10 is supposed it first touched the
earth about five miles southwest of here,
and finally left it in the vicinity of Brick
vile, which is about eighteen miles north
east. Ii rose and came down at numerous
points between, but descended with the
greatest fury here and in the timber along
Pond creek.
THE CASUALTIES.
! So far as heard from, eleven persons
were killed outright, one lit is thought
mOrtally wounded, and many slightly
bruised. "A hundred would probably be a
/ low estimate of the number of miraculous
4 escapes. ..--.- add t,...f .-.
l.
/ dwelling Of John Sherrod, a farmer, was
blown down, and his daughter Bessie,
about seventeen years old, killed. A num-
Der of other houses on that side were de-
strOyed, but no other life lost.
The first property struck in the cOrpOr
ate limits was the Fair Ground buildings,
which were blown down. Hindman's
| gri' and Touring mills, on Spring street,
were the next, and these, with large
quantity of grain, were blown away.
The Memphis and Charleston Railroad
bridge across Spring creek, was next in the
sweep.wThis was strong structure OF
single span, and about fifty feet above the
water. The timbers were blown loose
! from the raids, and scattered, and the rails
| themselves were blown some distance, and
| bent as if they had been wax. The tele-
graph wires were blown from the posts,
and now lie on the ground, 100 feet from
the road, for about quarter ola mile, the
width Of the ruined district.
! WOrkmen are now engaged in removing
the WRECKED passenger train which plung-
ed into the gorge only a short time after
the whirIWind swept by. The rain was
falling in such torrents as to blind the en-
gineer, or else this accident would have
been av0ided. The train was moving
slowly, however, and did not go entirely
into thecreek. 1t now lies there partially
buried in the mud, the postal-car lying
crOsswise and bottom upward just above.
The engineer and fireman were both
caught Between this car and the engine,
and the wonder is that Il way was cut for
them to be rescued before getting scalded
to death or burned to crisp. t
~ Passing on in the waste, the dwelling OF
Mrs. Hart, widow lady, occupied by
herself and family, was blown to atoms,
and the occupants left clinging to each
other in a huddle unhurt. a house Oc-
cupicd by Mrs. Bennett and family was
blown to pieces, with only a slight bruise
to one of the inmates. These are mem
toned as specimens otnumerOus instances
of narrow escapes. - ~ Ai
The dwelling of Martin Patterson, who.
with little child, was the only person i'll
the house at the time, was literally blown
away. Mr.. Patterson received injuries in
the back and spine from failing timbers,
from which it is feared he cannot recover.
The little child was picked up in drown
ing condition afterward on the opposite
side of the street from where the house
stood. Tan
A FATED FAMILY.
The dwelling of Mr.. f. ID. Hodgkins,
editor of the Chronicle, was a frame, and
/
path. 1t was almost leveled with the
ground. and partly blown away. The
bodies of Mr.. Hodgkins, his wife, and four
little children, We're found in the room,
close together. Severe bruises are visible
about the head of the father and mother,
but no marks can be seen on the bodies OF
some of the children. and it is supposed
that fright and strangling, or SmOthering,
had much to do with their taking off. A
brother of Mr.. HodglSns was in the house
at the tune, and was picked up afJerward
in an unconscious state, but was found not
to be very seriously hurt.
The deceased was prominent member
of the Episcopal Church. an officer in the
State Grand COmmaHdery of MasOns, and
was formerly editor of the North ALdbG-
milan and Times. The loss of himself and
family is deeply felt IN the community.
The Catholic Church was new frame
building, having cost about 50 900. 1t was
leveled with the ground.
The Deshler Female Institute was new
three-story brick, very handsome piece
of architecture, costing between $4,000
and $4,000. The two upper stories were
blown of, and one wall of the lower blown
in. No one was in it at the time, it hav-
ing been used only as place of instrue-
ton in the day. A dwelling on the same
lot, being part of the Institute property,
was occupied by the principal of the
school, Rev. Mr.. CuStar, his wife. several
teachers. and a number of young ladies
and children. The roof this was taken of
and the trees around it blown down, but
no one was hurt.
All thisproper,y was devised for school
purposes by Mr.. Deshler, father of Gen
eral Deshler, who fell at Chicamauga.
Ex-Governor Lindsley's dwelling was
lunrooied and in other ways damaged. 1t
was occupied by the Ex-Governor and his
family, and all escaped unhurt.
The brick residence of Hon. j. B. Moore
| stood on an eminence, and was struck by
the storm with greater fury probably than
any other. 1t went to pieces from the
roof to the ground, killing Mrs. Moore
and two children. little girls, aged seven
and two and a half years respectively.
Two other daughters were taken from the
pile afterwards, badly bruised but not IA
tally injured. Another little girl. Lille
Elliott, aniece of Mrs. Moore, was in the
house, but after the crash succeeded in
getting out. when she ran directly to a
Q III