The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-04-08
The Work of the TOrnadO-Further Accounts

The destruction Of life and property in Or.
angeburg County by the tornado Of the 21st is
much greater than was at first supposed. A
Mrs Aarons, who fed from her house at the
approach of the storm, was killed by falling
house and her two children, who were with
her. were badly wounded. The storm struck
Mr.. Joseph Boards dwelling-house and in an
instant it was blown to pieces and It's inmates
covered with its debris. Mr.. Board and his
wife were both dangerously if not fatally in
iured The Orangeburg Times describes the
scene after the storm as follows: "ln the
house where the dead and wounded lay a
ghastly spectacle presented itself. On the
floor lay old Mr. Board Ia man who served in
the war of 1872 and his wife, both stretched
speechless upon beds of intense pain and mise
ry. Close by them was the corpse of their
lifeless daughter, and close by the dead woman
was her little daughter, whose face was black
and blue from the bruises she had sustained.
In an adjoining room lay another unfortunate
woman whose piteous means testified to her
suffering. A subscription was at once taken up
to aid the sufferers"
In Darlington County the storm was very
destructive. Between Florence and the river
several colored men were killed. Houses,
trees and fences were blown down in every di-
rection, and on one plantation four mules be-
longing to Mr.. William Fountain were killed,
Mr.. Fountain himself being dangerously
wounded Mr.. John D. Sansbury, who lived
near Effingham, was mortaly wounded, and
the dwelling house of Morgan Purvis was
blown down, resulting in the serious wounding
of the entire family of occupants. A cores
pondent states that on the Darlington road in
a space of two hundred and fifty yards, seventy
1,:1 4 hc for tho
eye can stretch each way in its course every
thing is felled to the earth.
The tornado struck Mr. Rheims place, in
Georgetown County, about eighteen miles from
the Courthouse, and blew down, wrung off or
took from the roots all trees in the space OF a
quarter of mile wide, and as far as the eye
Rheims land alone upwards of 10000 trees
were eveled to the ground, not single tree
having escaped unharmed. A large number of
them were wrung off at twelve to fifteen inches
from the ground, many torn up by roots and
others blown down. Mr. Rhem says that not
one perfect tree can be found in the space
which the hurricane passed over. Even cy-
press measuring more than three feet in diam
eter, was wrung off and almost torn to atoms.
Mr. Rhem estimates his loss at over $4,000.
The house of Mr.. Daniel Johnson, in the same
county, was blown down and his wife fatally
injured Vast damage was done to the small
farmers particularly, by the loss of their tur-
pentine trees and houses. On the same day,
and about the same time, another tornado COM
ing from an opposite direction passed over land
ten miles above Mr.. Rhem's place, destroying
large number of turpentine trees, and doing
incalculable damage to the fences and build
ings in the neighborhood. No damage was
done to life or property in the village.
Speaking of the tornado in Barnwell, the
Sentinel says: at exceeded in violence any
thing witnessed in this latitude for twenty
years. The trees, fences, &c, were torne to
atoms, and the Methodist Church of the col
ored people, completed but a few months ago,
was levelled to the ground-a perfect wreck.
The damage done around plantations cannot
be repaired in months, and in some parts OF
the county numbers of buildings were com
pletely demolished At Mr.. VIM. Woodward's
plantation, on the Runs, every building on the
place, except his residence, was blown down,
and we learn that two negroes were killed"