Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-24
rHE WORK OF THE oYULoNB.

Story of the Davisboro Calamitv-Nar-
row Escape of Merchant from His
stOre-the Roof of the Building Blown
out of Sight and a Safe Weighing over
Ton Carried to an Adjoining Lot.
Mr.. J. w. Hudson, of G. F. Hudson's
Sons, of Davisboro, who was injured dur
ing the late cyclone which destroyed that
town, was in the city yesterday, arrang-
ing business matters of his firm. In con-
versatiOn with a MORNING NEWS re-
porter Mr.. Hudson related the details of
the terrible calamity. Nearly every one
was at supper when the cyclone struck
the place. MIR. Hudson, however, had Just
left his house and was returning to his
store, when he heard a noise similar
to that made by freight trains on the rail-
| road when crossing the upper bridge over
I WilliamsOn's swamp. A he entered his
store the noise seemed very peculiar and
he went to the door and looked out. The
sky was very cloudy. He felt the coming
storm, and instinctively grasped one of
the columns of the porch. In a second
the air was filed with a dense cloud of
leaves, sand and debris of every descrip-
ton, and the building went down before
the fierce wind, burying Mr.. Hudson in
It's RUNS. EXtricatlng himself from the
wreck as soon as he could, he went at
once for DIR. d. L. Cheatham, liv-
ing in the town, but out of
the track of the storm. This
nOble-hearted physician Immediately set
to work rescuing the wounded, and for
| hours went from place to place attending
hose in distress. He showed himself to
be not only true and skilliul physician,
but man of prompt action in an uneX-
pected emergency.
The store of the Messrs. Hudson was a
new building, owned by Capt. b. +. Leon
ard. and was entirely destroyed. The
| flooring, the root and one side and one end
were blown away and disappeared, no one
1 knows where, and the sills and sleepers
were scattered some distance from their
| former positions. The iron safe belonging
to the firm, weighing ?, 400 pounds, was
carried distance of % feet.
Mrs. l.. A. Kennedy's clearinghouse
was unrOOfed and the shed rooms carried
away. Several parties were severely in
Jured In this Rouse. Two unOccupied
stores and also the negro houses and out
houses on the premises We're also de-
strOyed.
DR.. A T. Cheatham's drug store. and
his stable and barn, and also his carriage
were destroyed.
Mr.. Cornelius JOrdan's house was en-
tirely swept away, as was also every
thing on his lot. He and his family had
most miraculous escape, and were saved
from the falling timbers and flying bricks
and large trees which fell in every direc-
ton and hemmed them in. His little son
had leg broken, but no others were in
jured.
The house OF Mr.J. I. Hudson, brother
OF our informant, was totally destroyed,
and bis life was severely injured.
Mrs. Harris dwelling and out-build-
InE5, ienuins a~;
were almost entirely carried away.
MT. l.. Browns store was swept away
with large part of his stock Of goods.
He also lost several other buildings. His
brothers-Joshua and Millard-who were
in the store when the storm struck it,were
severely injured.
Messrs. Brown & Halls store was
blown to pieces and much of their stock
with it. MIR. Alfred Baker, a clerk, who
was sick in back room, was injured, and
barely escaped with his life.
Mr.. J. j. Palmer's store, with large
stock Of groceries, was almost a total
loss. Joshua POstOn, young clerk, was
caught under a falling tree, but was not
seriously injured. He was talking with
Mr.. Vereen few minutes before the lat
ter was killed.
MIR. A. Herman's two stores were to-
tally wrecked, and nearly all his stock
carried away by the gale. The post and
express offices were kept in these stores,
and mails and packages were whirled
away.
Some of the clothing out of the stores
was picked up in Jefferson county, TWEEN
ty-two miles distant from DavisbOrO.
The marks of the cyclone, said Mr..
Hudson, can be seen for long distance,
but the only serious damage reported in
that section of the State is at the planta-
ton of Mr.. Wallace Jones, of Savannah,
near Louisville, GA, and at Oak Grove
plantation, in the same vicinity, owned
by Mr.. ]. W. Sheppard.