The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-02-28

must have been fearful about Apple
Valley, in Jackson county, as he saw it
strike in that direction, and from its
looks nothing could have been left stand.
ing. He says the cloud from the North
west must have broken the force of The
cyclone before it struck the Nash house.
INDIAN SPRING, GA, February 20
The heaviest hail storm ever known here
visited our community at p. M, yester.
day, and lasted half an hour. The hail
stones fell as thick as rain drops until the
ground was perfectly white with them.
First ten minutes the hail was small, but
continued to increase in size until they
measured nine inches in circumference
by actual measurement. The sight was
terrifying, but beautiful. The stones
were in shapes of full-blown roses,
dahlias and crystals. Our oldest citizens
say they have never seen anything like
it before. The damage done was very
great-many persons were inj ured by
falling stones tin roofs were knocked
into holes limbs of trees torn off; glasses
shattered and caused several runaway
scrapes. The news of the storm at Mon
ticello is appalling, indeed. Reports say
the places Of Mr.. E. A. Elder, Glover,
Charping and Jordon's near Monticello,
were ravaged by the storms. Few houses
on these places were left standing. No
loss of life yet reported. Mr.. Elder
had his arm broken wheE his house was
destroyed. No other casualties yet re-
ported.
Death and Ruin in North Carolina.
ROCKINGHAM, n. c., February 20
About 10 o'clock last night a most fear
full and destructive storm swept over this
section. For awhile the scene was ter.
rife. Lightning flashed to lightning,
thunder muttered to thunder, wind
howled to wind, and torrent of hail an
swered to torrent of rain.
The general travel of the storm was
from Southwest to Northeast. Its full
extent is not known here, as the wires
are down, cutting US off from communi'
cation by telegraph. The breadth of the
severest part was less than half a mile,
which did not reach our town.
Our information, thus far, extends only
seven miles Southwest, where we learn
that houses, trees, fences and every NOV
able object were either damaged or torn
away. Four miles from town, in the
same direction, the dwelling of Mr..
Daniel Watson was demolished, his wife
and one of her brothers were killed out
right, and Mr.. Watson himself seriously
if not fatally injured. Two miles East
from Rockingham were the mills and
tenant houses-a dozen perhaps-of Mrs.
Eliza Mcdonald, and the sight presented
to the eye of the beholder there this
morning beggars description. Men, wo.
men and children, dead or seriously in
iured, were lying here and there amoug
the debris of demolished houses, shat
tered furniture and drenched bedding,
while far on either side were scattered
fragments Of dwellings and remnants of
clothing. Horses, COWS, hogs, dogs and
chickens shared the terrible fate of their
owners. The mills were swept away:
The rocks in the grist mill were lifted
from their bed and carried fully thirty
feet. Of the tenant houses not one sill
or chimney remains in place.
Three whites, namely, Richard Ihw-
kins. Charlie Sanford and Henrietta
Griffin, were killed outright, and a little
son of Mr.. Dawkins is expected to die at
any moment. Ten colored persons were
also killed outright. | find it impossible
10 get the number and names of all the
mi iured. Mr.. Asbury Sanford is serious
ly injured, as is also Mrs Grant. The
casualties will aggregate fifty or more, of
whom twenty al least are seriously in
jured. About three miles from Mrs.
McDonald's, in a Northeasterly direc.
ton, lived Mrs. Watson, the mother of
Messrs. J. S. and II. G. Watson, of Rock
ingham. Not house, chimney nor
fence was left on the premises. Strange
to say no serious casualties occurred, a
son and daughter of Mrs. Watson being
only slightly injured. Mrs. Terry, living
near Mrs. W., had one child killed.
The aggregate of killed, so far as heard
from. is Sixteen. The stores in Rocking.
ham have been closed all day, ard the
pail of death seems to have settled over
the town and vicinage. The dead and
injured from Mrs. McDonald's place
were brought to town this morning, and
the Courthouse was converted into a
temporary hospital and morgue, and
tender hands ministered to the wants of
the suffering and prepared the dead for
decent burial.
7 feel that I have fallen short of the
reality in The above description, and to
give YOU still further idea of its terror,
3 3 gentleman who visited Grinnell, ILL.,,
soon after the storm there, tells me that
the one last night was far more terrible:
Not a house in Rockingham could
have withstood the severest part of the
storm had it struck fully.
W1LM1SGToN, N. c., February 2l.-
Special advices to the Star give further
particulars Of the cyclone. The centre
of the storm struck the outskirts OF
Rockingham and with such sudden fury
that he people were unable to escape
from their houses. The buildings were
blown into fragments. Some bodies were
found under the timbers and others were
carried by the wind $50 to 200 yards. A
woman was found clasping to her breast
an infant scarcely a month old. Both
were dead. The bodies of the victims
were terribly bruised and cut. The force
of the wind was such that two mill
stones were moved one hundred feet.
Chickens aud birds were found picked
clean, except the feathers on their heads;
The largest trees were uprooted, and
smaller ones had all the bark stripped
from their trunks.
The storm first made its appearance at
7:oO p. NJ. coming from Southwesterly
direction from Hamlet, Richmond Coun.
ty, N. G. The Eastern sky was over,
shadowed by dark flying clouds tinged
with red, growing thicker every minute
and Mt last assuming hue Of fire: At
$50 p. m. there was heavy fall of rain
and hail, the heaviest of the clouds NOV
ing Westward. At midnight the sky
49,, Jo,,l;nor rod nd ot q m there WAS