The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-13
Chr gatlana 9aily 6lobe.
-
TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1876.
Correspondence of the Troy Press.l
THE GEORGIA TORNADO.
The iNost violent Tornado on Re
cord-Many Lives Lost ana Great
Destruction of Property.


On Saturday, the 2lst of March, most
terrific tornado passed through the state,
commencing near the line of Alabama, on
the west, and passing through the state and
into South Carolina. The greatest damage
having been done on the western border of
this state, in the counties Of Harris and
Talbot, and in the eastern portion of the
state in vicinity of the city of Augusta.
The storm commenced in this section about
IL O'Clock a. m, and not more than ten
miles from this place, and for ten or fifteen
miles the ruin and devastation were COM
plete. The general course of the wind was
from southwest to northeast, and the main
track Of storm happened to be right along
a very public road, where the principal
improvements have been made, including
dwellings, churches, schools, etc, and on
this entire line of ten or fifteen miles not a
sign of a building of any description is left
Large oak and pine trees were either torn
up by the roots or broken off like pipe
stems, and hurled through the air far away.
For miles not a panel of fence is left even
stone fences were leveled with the ground.
In brief, / have never read of a Cyclone of
such terrific violence on this continent
In the two counties named, Harris and
Talbot, about thirty persons were killed in
stantly and great many others seriously
injured. The destruction Of property is
great, estimated as high as 100000
Horses, mules; hogs, cattle, poultry-all
were either killed, or crippled, or driven
far away by the fury of the storm. That
you may have some idea of the force of the
wind and the ruin caused by it give you,
in brief, few particulars.
There was one family consisting of nine
persons, father, mother and seven children
In the morning the father and two sons
left home and were a mile or two away
from the track of the tornado. The dwell
ing was torn to atoms and strewed around
the county for great distance in less than
an hour after the storm was over the faith
or returned to the spot where his happy
home had been, and among the debris of all
his earthly goods, he found the dead and
mutilated bodies of his wife and five child
len, and many rods away from where the
house stood. Kind friends assembled the
next day and buried the mother and five
children in one grave. In another instance,
a large twO-story house with eight rooms,
was wrecked and the splinters whired
away through the air in an instant. In this
case the family consisted of father, mother
and four children. The father was outside
and escayed with some severe bruises.
mother and One "efii instantly killed, the
crippled and wounded. A grown daughter
was playing upon piano when the storm
suddenly came and amidst the flyinp tim
pers ana splinters of the house she was
huIieu through the air and her mangled
oouY lodged many rods away. The
entlre mouse and everything in it was torn
INTO spnters and driven far away. Soma
OF the scraps were found two or three
miles of. Not a single vestige of tho |
mouse was left The very foundation siIIs |
were all swept off, and not sign was lefr |
10 tell where the house stood. Every mar
llcie OF furniture in the house, piano. bu-
feaus' Deds' bedding. chairs, tables, cloth.
ing, all swept away and shattered TO
i'oms' ana strewed far away into the coun-
.ry WV e'u"-
, inc above are only samples of the sinh.
iine force OF this terrible cyclone. some
hir'y or forty dwellings in these two coun.
res shared the same fate as the above.
'niy 'ne loss OF lite was not so great. There
~ '"Iee OF TOUR country stores IN the
80 oI the storm; they contained such
mugs as are usually kept in such stores;
ny goods, groceries, provisions. bardwara'
'e'' etc: And when the storm was over ,
nc storehouses, with the last remnant of
neir contents. had disappeared, and were r
roken and torn into scraps and fragments +
no scattered for miles through the country i
ne wreck was total and complete. Moth. d
g was left; and nothing could he fonnd n
the contents of the stores except here ii
III 'here some fragments of dry goods T
'hgihg on the trees away outside OF the a
ack OF the tornado. The ground where II
e suildings stood in these cases. was fl
'ept clean-neither stills nor bric< nil. v,
rs were LETT to mark the spot where thew ca
zee stood. NY ~
The terrific force of the wind is illrs sy
lied by the following incident that has &
en- related A piece of timber. 4x6 inches III
IN sharp end, was driven endwavs an
'ough an oak tree, and now remains TT
're' This seems almost incredible. but tn
truth OF it is vouched for by several SO
diDie witnesses, and therefore / believe ma
taxing 1t all in all, it was the most co
tructiVe cyclone that ever visited this CO..
t of the continent. '"'' he
Inc families living in the track of this hin
rloie storm were reduced to want and
gary IN an instant They had absolute. IL.
io'hlng left-neither home nor shelter
provisions nor clothing, and many Of
SO who escaped with life. were crippled !
wounded in shocking manner Byt sen
dead have been buried and the wounded FRA
oeen cared for. The entire popula- i 49,,
+, IN lne surrounding country have open. i lou
neiT hahds and hearts for the relief of t snu
' Suuerefs' contributions in money, ,oil
' .' ana clothing have been freely and 10
erected temporary dwellings, repaired
FENCES and procured stock, and sill exp
work of charity goes on ""N sun men
-. % o". ed t
YOU