Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-24
SWEPT BY A HURRICANE.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE KILLED
AND MANGLED.

bic Destruction in Observation-Disclosures
Towns Swept Away Mighty Forests
Snapped Like Pipe stems.
AMERICUS, GA, April 23.-Between 3
and 4 O'Clock last night a violent burri-
cane, accompanied by hail and rain. PASS
/ ed over the southeast portion of Web
| ster and the southwest portion Of Sum-
ter counties, stopping, as far as can be
known, about six miles north Of Americus.
/ The lightning was vivid and incessant.
/ The first place the storm visited, as far as
can learn, was COsby's. two and a half
miles south of Bottsford, where it blew
/ down all the houses, fences, barns. etc.
/ but injured no one. Frank Minis was
next in line and everything was blown
| away. Minis and his wife both had arms
! broken, and a four year old child was killed.
| AT Dyne Minis all the houses were blown
! down, but not one was hurt. At NJ. G.
LOgan's all the houses are down but the
dwelling. Peter Foos had everything
blown down but,his dwelling. No one was
hurt. Dan FOos' was next visitep. His
back is broken, and everything is down.
! AT Tom Cannon's everything was blown
away. His wife was killed and he
is seriously injured. At Smallpieces
everything i'm down and every member of
the family is injured seriously. At Ogle-
trees the wife was slightly injured.
! Every house down. This was five miles
! below here. w. w. Poole has everything
/ blown away but two rooms, and he is
badly hurt. \ negro man was killed
there. Asa Ansley, an old minister, was
! caught sitting in chair by a beam. He
died thirty minutes after being taken out.
! Everything was blown down. The storm
then came within two miles of Americus,
! without doing any damage but to fences
and timber. The Barlow mill was blown
\ away and the floodgate opened. The de-
| structiOn there is terrible. One negro is
reported to be badly hurt. At L. 5.
Lockett's and w. L. WOOdruf,s, two
miles southwest of here, it
| did its worst. The wind lifted
| Mr.. LOckett's house from over his head
| while the family were preparing to fly. BY
| a miracle none were killed at the time.
| but his little girl died to-day from her in
| juries. LOckett is badly bruised. His
| orchard was swept away. a cow was
| thrown at least a hundred yards,
valuable mule was crushed TO the earth
| with broken neck. LOcketts loss will
not be less than $4,000. At WOOdruff's,
not half mile farther on the scene, was
| soul narrowing. When the debris was
cleared, group of five, Mr.. and Mrs.
Woodruff, two children, one a two weeks
old babe, which was locked in its mothers
arms, and nurse were found in space
not i've feet wide. Mr.. Woodruff and his
cousin, Brown Burkhalter, three 13 old,
were sleeping i'll an adjoining room. When
the crash came the husband FASTENED
to his wife, aud all were killed by fall
ing chimney. Burkhalter escaped unin-
jured. At d. c. n. Burkhalter's, a few
miles further, the storm seemed to have
ended, but tore up fences and Outbuild-
ings like straws. The track of the storm
was about three hundred yards wide. 1t
seemed to be a cyclone, as il twisted and
| turned every way. Americus has been
wild with excitement, and the people are
doing everything to relieve the unfOrtu-
nate.
ATLANTA, April 23.-There was ter
rife thunder storm during the night. A
heavy wind blew down trees and fences,
and an immense rainfall flooded the
streets and Easements. Hail also fell
! Truck farms around the city had a hard
time.
MACON, April 23.-Specials to the 1ele-
| graph and Messenger report a terrific
cyclone in Southwest Georgia, ATTENDED by
large loss of life and property. Not less
than twenty-five deaths are reported,
while the number of the injured cannot
be estimated. The damage to railroads
and telegraph lines prevent the gathering
OF details. No estimate can yet be made
of the loss. In many instances there is
an entire loss of farm houses, residences,
cattle and produce. The dead and
wounded are being looked after, and every
thing is done that is possible.
AUGUSTA, Ga, April pa special to
| the Chronicle says: "a destructive cy-
clone passed along the Athens branch of
the Georgia Railroad last night. Two
dwellings near Woodville and Lexington
were blown down.
NEW ORLEANS, April 23.-The Times
Democrats Wesson, Miss, special says:
! a frightful cyclone passed over WessOn
and the town of Beauregard, mile above
here, about O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
| The wind for the past three days has been
! blowing gale, and lowering clouds in
dicated a storm. Its approach was known
for some minutes by deep, rumbling
sounds. windows in dwellings shaking
with violence, and many Yeople thought
that it was an earthquake. The thunder
roared and the lightning flashed
with alarming force and vividness.
LeveeS were torn down. Trees which had
stood the storms for years were uprOoted,
and cast a hundred yards away. East of
the railroad in WessOn the damage was
light, but in Wesson portion of the town
is i'm destruction. The storm was awful
in its character. As soon as the storm
had somewhat abated, and people began
to look about, loud peals of church bells
were rung out and people were seen rum
ing in all directions toward West Wesson.
The rain in the meantime was pouring in
torrents.
Reaching Peach Orchard street an indie
scribable scene was witnessed. This
street is lined with a large number of
houses, in which the operatives of the
Mississippi mills are dOmiciled and here
the greatest destruction occurred.
People were seen on all sides
sObbing and the grOans of the
wounded beneath the ruins were perfectly
appalling. Dwellings were torn to atoms.
A pine forest just below was blown out of
existence. The work of removing the
dead and eXtricating the wounded from
the ruins has begun. Calvin Reed, living
in the vicinity, died from excitement.
Doctors Sexton, ReaZ and Butler were
soon upon the scene, and did all in their
power to relieve the suffering of the
wounded. 1t is estimated that the num-
Der killed is twelve. Two or three chill
dren are missing. Two hundred dwell
ings were blown down. The number
of people with broken limbs are
estimated by the physicians at seventy
five. The wounded were removed as fast
as possible to houses which escaped in
jury. Several dead lay out in the violent
rain for more than an hour after the
storm. The dead are now all laid out and
cOffins are being made for them. The
mills will not run to-day.
The citizens are doing all in their power
for the wounded, many Of whom, it is
feared. will die. \ special train with
physicians from McCOmb city and Brook
haven has arrived, another extra
special train will be here with additional
help from Magnolia and Summit. Some
of these physicians will go to Beauregard,
where the destruction of life and property
is simply indescribable. Among the
killed in WessOn are Mrs. Causby and two
children and seven children of j. +. Glib
son. one of whom was found crushed
under chimney.
Two persons were so mangled as to be
unrecognizible, and there are several
others whose names can not be obtained
i'm the confusion. A little boy was found
in the woods several hundred yards away
unhurt. WessOn, except i'll the localities
mentioned suffered little except a general
destruction of fences and trees. The dead
will be buried tomorrow,
Beauregard was visited last evening. 1t
is only few miles above here and lay in
the direct path of the cyclone. The scene
is absolutely appalling. Beauregard Is
no more. 1t is in truth mass of ruins.
1t is with difficulty that one can ride
through, so thickly are trees strewn
across the road. There is not a house of
any character standing in the place. The
two brick stores of Thompson Il Co., and
NJ. Daniel & Co., the largest in the place,
are swept away. Timber is scat
tered for miles around. Even
out in the country, two and half miles,