Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1880-05-12
Sundays Calamity.

Missouri Republican


The wreck of the town is complete.
1t in indescribable. No words will
convey q conception of it. Three.
fOurths Of the houses are utterly
destroyed aud many of the remain.
der are 90 badly damaged az to be
uninhabitable. The destruction Of
property is over half n million.
Col. F. w. Moore, who was the
wealthiest Tnan Ia town, the presi.
dent Of the bank, and whose entire
means were invested In buildings
which were Of the most substantial
character, has not q solitary build.
ing remaining. His fine residence,
bank building and splendid stores
are all heaps of brick and mortar.
Some of them caught FIRE aud burnt
with all their contents AFTER they
were down. The insurance against
fire, If paid, will be all the means
at his command to rebuild.
If the wealthiest are reduced to
such straits by this calamity, what
must be the condition Of the poor,
who have lost their entire worldly
provisions, except the clothing on
their backsi They arc destitute of
beds and beddidR. Nothing worth
mentioning has been spared BY the
fury of the storm. Every kind Of
clothing is needed, from head to
foot, but an ample supply of food
for present purposes has been sent
in and Is yet coming in from the
surrounding country and neighbor.
ing towns. There are orphans and
halforphans bereft OF their stay
and support, some by death, others
being manned and mangled for life.
Their condition appeals for sub.
stantial aid to all classes of those
having human sympathy aud feel.
ing.
The storm occurred ut about ak
o'clock Sunday evening. The set.
ting sun was shining with q mellow
light in clear sky. Above the
sun, Mr.. T. b. Paul says, there was
q peculiar upper cloud rising east,
ward beyond the zenith and
stretching from the north western
horizon to the southwestern. This
cloud was Of bun, orange color,
just looking as il the snn was
about breaking through it. A
heavy cloud, black as pitch, huag
below this upper cloud. This
black cloud was nearly separated
in two sections. Each was violent.
~ agitated, and it seemed like tvo
great cauldrons boiling over. BY
the union Of these sections into one
tho tornado wa formed between
the west aud southwest.
An unearthly roaring now com.
menced and the ominous cloud ap-
preached with a sonnd that shook
the earth. In less than two min.
ates the town was wrecked as no
besieging army, with shot and
shell, could have wrecked it in six
months. 1t is impossible to obtain
particulars today. Every remain.
ing house is hospital, besides the
public school building, where there
are about seventy patients- There
are nurses here from all the sur.
rounding towns, and curiosity seek.
ers without number. The citizens
arc all busy nursing the wounded,
attending to the distributing OF
food to the destitute and burying
the dead. Seventy.one have been
buried and some twenty FIVE or
more are in dying condition.
The number Of seriously wounded
is about one hundred aud fifty and
as many more slightly.
A babe about eighteen months
old. whose mother was killed aud
friends all wounded, was found yes.
terday in the ravine north Of town,
where it lay all night. 1t 10 now
doing well. Another little child
about two years old was yesterday
afternoon found in tree top,
where it had been nearly twenty
four hours. 1t is considerably
bruised, but will recover. 1t il
understood that it was today
claimed BY its parents, who live
some two and half or three miles
from SouthtowD. Its aerial flight
hence must have extended over
three miles. A wagon has been
found that was carried over four
miles, aud . section Of the iron
smoke.stack Of the mill over three
and a half miles.
There are rumors that from thirty
to forty persons have been killed.
By the spurs Of the tornado In the
country, and that the town NJ On.