The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-25
The List of Fatalities Rapidly Increasing,
with a Probability that 1t May BE
Swelled to Hundreds.
DepIora BILE Condition of Towns Devas
tated by the Angry Elements.
Two Churches Destroyed and Number of
Persons Killed at Georgetown, Miss
The Storm at Other Points.
AT BEAUREGARD.
The Approach of the Tornado-Scenes in the
Desolated Town.

Desolated Town.
Collated from Specials.
AT Beauregard, about o'clock Sunday af-
ternoon, rain fell, accompanied by thunder
and lightning, and this state of things con-
tinued for an hour or So when the sky as
sumed a copperish hue and presently it be-
came very dark. A rumbing sound like
that of heavy freight train in the distance
was heard, proceeding apparently from the
northwest. Gradually this portentons noise
increased in intensity. The people grew
alarmed at what seemed to be the subter-
ranean meanings of an earthquake. The
thunder roared in the sky like detonations of
the heaviest artillery. The discharges of
lightning were almost continuous, and the
course of the fluid through the atmosphere
resembled the tail of streams of molten
metal. Preceded and accompanied by these
terrific phenomena, the tornado burst
upon the little town, sweeping away the
buildings, trees and other objects in its path
as II they were mere toys to be tossed about
and played with at the pleasure OF the storm
A few minutes the cyclone ragged in the
midst of the doomed town and then passed
onward, sweeping to the northeast
and leaving desolation as the dread
souvenir of its visit to the town of Beaure-
gard. When the violence of the wind had
somewhat subsded the people who had
escaped destruction ventured forth to sue
cor the less fortunate, whose dwellings had
been overthrow. The path of the tornado
was about quarter of mile in width, en-
oracing the entire business portion of the
town. Along Main street scarcely building
was left standing in the course of the Storm
Even solid brick structures were completely
demolished. About thirty-six dwelling
houses and twenty-odd stores were blown
down. and the fragments scattered in all di-
rections. AS speedily as possible succor was
brought to the wounded and to those who
lay under the ruins.
deluge followed the blow The rain
came down in sheets, and the bitches and
cutters became raging rivers The mavor
states that when he came to himself he actu-
ally feared that he and his family would be
drowned The darkness of the night fol-
lowed the darkness of the storm so closely
that it was impossible to realize the terrible
destruction, but the morning sun lay bare a
scene of desolation, with every house, save
three, swept away and nothing but splinters
lett behind. Even beyond the town, where
stood heavy pine forest, the trees had been
feled and carried away in the path OF the
cyclone.
THE SCENE IN THE TOWN.
The cyclone went through Beauregard due
north and south, nearly along the line of
Main street, the chief business street, demo-
ishing the most solid brick stores, and leav-
ing only three houses standing in the upper
portion of the town, and killing twenty-six
and wounding one hundred persons. The
scene in the town is fearful tonight 1t
looks as if fire had swept over it. The
houses are not blown upside down, but are
tattened out and torn TO Splinters. So great
is the wreck that it will take several davs to
remove all the ruins, and it is feared that
some of the twenty persons yet missing are
buried under the pile of timber The town
looks like an open prairie, the houses and
trees being swept away. In consequence of
the lack of accommodations in Beauregard
most of the wounded have been removed to
Wesson, where they are receiving all the
care needed more than twenty physicians
being in attendance from New Orleans and
other points. A large number OF the home
less people of Beauregard have refused to
leave their homes, and are now camped out
around fires or searching the ruins for their
household property or the bodies of their
friends and relatives
The space that lad been occupied by town
was tonight dotted here and there with rude
log fires, around which grouped clusters of
men keeping watch over the remains of some
dead victim of the storm. The wailing and la
menting of the bereaved ones were pitful to
hear, and the awfulness of the calamity was
simply heartrending. The town is in de-
plorable condition. The wounded and dying
are lying around without shelter or any com
fort. Their groans are terrible to hear The
dead are unburied, and the most Utter desti-
tuition prevails. Women and children are
wandering around in search of loved ones
who have either perlshed or are still buried
beneath the ruins Dead horses and cattle
are lying around on the main street, without
the means at hand to remove them.