The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-05-01
TERRIBLE STORM AT MACON, MIS-
SISSIPPI.
The Town Ravaged by cyciohe--
Eighteen Persons Kihea
wounded and Many missing.

I
in mourning. Mayor billiard has JUS
issued the following notice, which ex'
plains itself:
TO THE PEOPLE OF MACON: d.
IA great disaster has befallen us by
the cyclone last night. Il know you
will all assist to bury the DEAD ana re-
lieve the wounded"
The stores are all closed, and brave
men are doing everything in human
power to relieve the sufferers by the
tornado which struck the lower part
of this town at 500 p. m. Sunday. :,
The full force of the storm was felt
at and near the depot of the Mobile
and Ohio railroad, where fifteen load
ed cars in all were blown from the
track. Two cars were dashed, by the
force of the wind, two hundred yards
against a dwelling house. In all,
about thirty houses around the depot
are totally destroyed, together with
the railroad depot and freight mousse
The telegraph office of the Com,
pany, the blacksmith shop, railroad
engine-room and the round house were
destroyed. Mr.. Il. L. Blankenship,
section master, was in the depot at
the time of it's destruction, and while
the timbers were flying all around
him was only slightly bruised, and is
now actively at work attending to his
duties.
Mr.. Willie Ford, telegraph operator
for the railroad, was also saved with
slight bruises, and although suffering
severely from the shock, is now at
tending to his duties. Doctors Minor,
Hill, flanagan, Place and Hendricks,
are all attending the wounded, having
responded promptly, and are untiring
in their efforts to save the wounded.
These are noble men
The storehouse of j. w. Saunders
and w. A. Kelly & Co., together with
their stock of goods, are totally de-
stroyed. In Macon proper, the fol-
lowing houses are slightly damaged ::
Mrs. Billiards., Mrs. w. w. Good
wins, A. H. Bush's, Judge HI. w.
Foote's and f. Desmukes'. The house
of widow p. Ruff is totally destroyed.
The tower of the Episcopal church,
Immediately opposite the residence of
r. w. Phillips, is blown down. Mr..
Phillips house is uninjured. Maj. b.
J. Aliens, Mr.. Ford's, Mrs. Stills, Mrs.
French's and other houses were imme-
diately thrown open for the reception
of the dead and the wounded. At
Maj Aliens residence Mrs. John Epps
and her four children, Willie, Charlie,
Jimmie and Johnnie are lying dead.
The husband, John Epps, was in the
on an engine at the time,
this saved him. Mr.. and Mrs. Burk-
hart, formerly of New Orleans, are at
Mr.. Frenchs house slightly injured,
and have careful attention. At Mr..
Ford's house, the family of James
tank-keeper, employed by the
Mobile and Ohio railroad are lying
dead. They were killed instantly.
His family consisted of himself, his
wife, son John, aged twelve years, and
daughter Matte, aged fourteen, and
none are left to mourn the loss of the
loved ones. All went together. Cicero
Moss, son of J. G. Moss, is dead. He
was a fireman in the employ of the M.
& o. r. r. Sarah Moss and her hus
band are only slightly injured and will
The body of an unknown
white man is also at the Ford House.
The wounded now at the Ford
House are, John w. ackwell, wife
and five children, all doing well, and
only slightly injured, but they lost all
heir household goods. Lee Smith,
fireman, was badly injured internally,
out may possibly recover. Solomon
Hand, colored cook, is slightly injur-
I'd. J. H. Bryant, engineer, is badly
bruised about the head and body. He
vas in the Horton House, and while
lis watch, lying under his head, was
crushed fiat, he was saved. E. S.
Nord, Clerk with w. A. Kelly & Co.,
lis sister, wife of Mr.. Kelly, are both
lightly injured. AT Mrs. Sims house
s Mrs. Mathie Spencer, dead.
Mrs. E. j. Little, formerly of Ala
anna, had hand broken, otherwise
S not injured. Mrs. Spence leaves
our little children, the Oldest ten years
f age. The husband, John Spence, is
lot injured. Miss Sophronia Ramsey
nd Louisa Baker, colored, are also
cad. An unknown colored woman
vas found dead near the depot, and an
Unknown white man was found dead,
With one leg off and head mashed,
hree hundred yards out in field. In
ii there are about eighteen as yet re-
orted dead and perhaps thirty wound
d. Others are missing and not found.
vicksburg Commercial
One of the most terrible and dis
strous cyclones that ever visited this
ortiOn of the country, passed over
Iacon and surrounding country Sun
ay night last, commencing about 81
clock. The loss of life and destruc-
on of property is fearful to contem-
late, fourteen persons being killed
and forty others seriously if
OF fatally injured, while the destruc-
on of property, in dollars and cents,
ill not fall far short of two or three
undred thousand dollars. The cyclone
demolished about forty
ores and residences, and all of the
uildings and rolling stock belonging l
, the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The |
reater part of the damage occasioned
y the cyclone was in the immediate :
icinity of the railroad depot. Cars =,
ere lifted from the track and carried
hundred yards. In one house, that
James Horton, every member of
he family was killed. {
The Mayor has ordered collins to be
ade for the dead, while the wounded,
veral of whom will die during the
~, will be divided out amongst the
miles who have sustained no injury, !
Id will be carefully provided for. An
,tra, published from the Macon Sun z
lice this evening, will give the fol- c
wing particulars p
The following is list of the killed: II
r. and Mrs. James Horton and three !,
ildren; three children of Mrs. Jas. Il
pps, Charley Epps, Miss Sophronia a
lmsay, Cicero Moses and an I'M N
lown man twenty. two years of age,
e two others unknown. Colored- Z
'uisa Barker, Henry Williams, child n
OttOway Wi son and a child of an y,
her unknown negro. a,
The wounded are Lee Smith, seri- fC
sly; young Epps, mortality; Mrs.
'reant, arm broken Mrs. w. A. y,
elley, seriously; Ed Ford, Mrs. o.
nodes, Miss NJ Ramsey, Mr.. and v.
rs. w. G. Mitchell, Mrs. Billiard, III
Dses WE'LL, G. Whitesides, Mrs. Lit g
!, all slightly; Mr.. Spence, mortally;
L. Dodd, 10. Briant, seriously; J.
. Blackwell and wife, Mrs. r. Ruff,
Dismukes all DainfullV. Mrs y