Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-07

Georgia-Terrible Events Narrated by
Eye-Witnesses.
From the Augusta .tea.) Chronicle, March "a.
THE. DESTRUCTION OF CAMAK.
Never did the furies do their work
more completely than did this storm.
The picture presented at the little rail
way village of Camak, the intersection
of the Georgia and Macon and Augusta
railroads, was that of all the rest.
Every house save one small store was
blown down, and comprised the fol-
lowing property: The residence of VIM.
Mays (who owned the town., nearly
upper floor blown away. A. J. Mays
grocery and dry goods store, rear por-.
ton blown off and front left standing,
and VIM Mays office. The Camak Hotel,
kept by Mrs. Wright; not one piece
of timber of the hotel was left standing
upon another. No one was in it at the
time save the landlady and her family
They escaped with only severe
bruises, although not one piece Of tim
Der was left upon another. Most
of the furniture and bed-clothing were
carried away. The next house in line
and destroyed was that of W. H. Trey
This completed all the houses in the
town except the depot and the railroad
and telegraph Office, near the track,
which were totally wrecked. The resi-
dence of S. d. Mays, little beyond
the town, was demolished, and the saw
mill of Mr.. Swain greatly damaged.
Mr.. Swain says that when he saw the
storm coming he ran out of doors to an
open space with his son, and Selling a
stump, fell upon the ground, his boy
catching hold of his leg. The boy was
torn loose and rolled fifty yards off. He
was failed against the earth, but held
his grip. A team of mules was standing
at the depot Two of them were blown
one hundred yards and killed. An in
cident can here be shown of the terri
bic force of the wind. A piece of light
wood timber was driven through tele-
graph pole. It was broken off and re-
mains there still. aa E O. sF.s...
The track of the storm has been traced
from Camak to the Savannah river, and
published yesterday morning. Follow
ing its track from Camak, We found the
houses upon the plantations of. Messrs.
Ivy and Bacon destroyed, but no one
seriously wounded. .aa i#n.
The next residence struck was that of
John Z. Stovall, two miles from Thorn
son, Mr.. S. and his wife were both In
it. When it fell, Mr.. Stovall was caught
under the logs. One log rested across
his leg, which was crushed, and plank
across his body. The foot of Mrs.
Stovall was crushed, though she was
free. AS soon as she saw the situation
Of her husband, she endeavored to walk
to him, but was unable to do so. She
then crawled to and obtained hand
saw, and, returning to her husband, she
sawed the plank in two, and was endeav-
oring to lift the log when assistance az
rived. When we left the neighborhood
yesterday, Mr. Stovall was very low,
and but little hopes were entertained of
his recovery. .-5.... ~. +. j. .-
The miraculous escapes can be told
by the hundred Indeed, no one can
look upon the wrecks and ruins and I'M
derstand how any person in them es-
capped. " z #5 sHz l..
At the house Of John w. Morgan we
saw the most perfect and complete des-
truction. Even the floor was split wide
open, duO dill dUOso .eAC6DG d Suid1 I'LL
of a shed room gone. Mrs. Morgan
was standing on the back porch facing
the death-dealing monster approaching
with more rapidity than horse ever flew
around the course. She only had time
to turn and make perhaps one step to-
ward a main door. Then midnight
blackness, crash, a roar-it was gone
But for 500 yards in front lay her just
now beautiful residence, broken, splin-
tered, crushed, with portions of roof,
timbers, sash, blinds, d-clothing, fly
ing through the air. In the centre of
the building were four children. Not
one was killed One little girl was
blown into a cupboard, and of all the
furniture in the house that was the only
piece not broken into kindling wood
Was not the hand of God even present
in that awful storm?
1t rolled on. The next house struck
was that of James A, Benson. Mr.. B.
was in Columbia county, out his wife
and six little children We're at home.
Like all the rest, the house came down,
burying all in one common ruin. To
add to the horror, if anything can be
added that is more horrible, the house
took fire! One sweet little babe had
just been rocked to sleep by it's mother,
and was lying in its cradle. The tim
bers fell everywhere except upon that
baby's innocent couch. The mother
scrambled forth, and soon had reason
enough to thank God in Heaven that
every child was standing around her
not much hurt.
To convey an idea of the force of the
wind here we will state that in the gin
house was follow wheel which weighed
400 pounds. It was carried fully half
mile and landed in field A mule was
blown from the same Clubhouse 200
yards. A negro 100, and his brains
dashed out against tree. Not fence
rail was left on this plantation where it
originally lay, not ground sill. 1t be-
longed to Maj. A. E. Sturgis, former
member of the Georgia Legislature.
A Specimen wreck was that of the