The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-02-29
THE WINDS DEVASTATION.

the South-Nearly Three Hundred Lives
Known to Have Been Lost, and the
Number May Reach -Four Hundred
Thousands of Buildings Demolished,
Children Blown Out of Sight and Hugo
Trees Torn to Atoms.
ATLANTA, Ga, Feb. 22.-As fuller re-
ports Of the cyclone which devastated the
northern part of this State ard Alabama
and the western sections Of North and South
Carolina come in. the disaster seems to
grew in terrible proportions No perfect
estimate of the number of lives lost
or the damage done can yet be formed,
but it is known beyond all doubt that
this is the greatest disaster that has
ever happened in America The killed
and wounded belong almost exclusively to
the poorer classes. and there will be suffer-
Ing and restitution among those who es-
capped. The number Of deaths so far re-
ported aggregates $685. Of these 113 are in
Georgia, As in North Carolina, 1oS in South
Carolina, and "a in Alabama. Many sec
tons have not been heard from, and the
death list will probably reach 400
One of the worst tales of the storm comes
from Grassy Knob, one of the highest parts
of the long swamp range in Cherokee Coun-
ty. The cyclone came in sight seven miles
to the right of Jasper. 1t went over the
mountains and out of sight eight miles from
that town. 1t was in sight perhaps five
minutes, and in ten the tract had returned
to its erstwhile quiet The devastated
route was from half a mile to three miles
across
In that five minutes trip over that fifteen
mile Sluice of country Mrs. Levi Cogle and
two children, William Grayer, William
Herrin, AlonZe Wright, Mrs. James DoWde
and two children, Mrs. WHEY Mrs. Lewis
King and two children, John Nicholson,
Mrs. Nations, Mrs. Watkins, a child of Per-
ry Petit, a child of w. H. Collier and
child of Hiram Walker were killed
twenty deaths in all, known and accounted
for.
In the fifteen miles the cyclone crossed
the Western & Atlantic Railroad near Car.
terville, but did nothing Of consequence
until it reached point few miles from
Jasper. Then it made fifteen mile shoot
for Grassy Knob, and this is what it left:
Archer's mill and Pitts store We're blown
down. John Nicholson's house was de-
molished, and his wife and the aged sister
of the Hon. Lem Alfred killed. The
Widow Corbin's house was blown down,
but out of the eight persons in it none
were hurt. james Dowde was torn
to pieces and his wife and two chill
dren killed. Lewis Kings house was de-
stroyed and his wife killed. Bill Ander-
sons house was blown down and his little
girlhurt The Refuge Baptist Church was
blown to atoms. William ReeSe's wife ran
into the cellar of her house with her eight
children. The building was blown from
over them and dashed into million splint-
erS. Mr.. Reese had an arm broken, and
one child had finger hurt SO that it had to
be amputated.
Tates Tor Cool Spring, as the town is
called was wiped from the face of the
earth.
I COLUMBUS, Ca, Feb. %. Tuesdays cy-
clone passed through Lincoln County about
dusk, ranging from southwest to northwest.
1t missed Lincolnton about mile. A large
two-story building known as the Warner
place was unroofed and all of the out
houses on the place leyeled. Two negro
children were killed and a third one is miss
ing. The latter is supposed to have been
burned up in the cabin which was
blown down. Thirteen other negroes
are injured, some fatally. On Samuel
Ranson's place two negroes were killed and
three houses blown down. The track Of
the cyclone was about half mile wide, and
everything in its path was destroyed. The
destruction of life and property was unpre-
cedented. At Harmony Grove, Jackson
County, the Nash Hotel was swept away,
killing white lady and fatally wounding
another. Mr.. Xix and son were killed in
falling building. In Oconee County many
lives were lost, and fences and houses were
blown down. Mrs Seago and Mi SIS Mertie
Mccarthy died Wednesday from nervous
prostration caused by the storm.
RALEIGH, N. c., Feb. 3D. Details from
the track CT the cyclone in this State re-
ceived make it worse than was expected.
After passing through Darlington, i'll South
Carolina, where four persons were killed
and fifty houses blown down, the storm en-
tered this State at the town of Polkton, in
Arson County, on the Carolina Central
Railroad. The wind then moved east and
destroyed everything in its path. The storm
blew down McDonald's mills. The mill
stones were found fifty yards from
same county, was struck and several ne
groes were killed. A woman was found in
a swamp with her babe on her breast alive.
Six dead bodies were found near Ellington,
Harnett County. The track appears to have
been through Union, Arson, Montgomery,
Stanley, Richmond, Moore, Robson, Cum
berland, Hadnett, johnson, Sampson, Nash
and Edgecomb. In johnson the track was
four hundred yards wide, and in this
space everything was swept from off the
face of the earth as if by fire. Several per-
sons are reported injured, but no one is
known to have been killed. On the plan
tation of William Little, who lives near An
sonville, twenty-eight houses were de-
stroyed. At Rocky Mount two churches
and a number Of other buildings were blown
down and two children killed. The worst
of the cyclone was at Rockingham, where
twenty-three persons were killed and eight
cen wounded. Those who were on the edge
say that all was over in two or three
minutes. Everything was destroyed and
the people were killed or wounded
in that short time. Fragments of
houses only remained. The largest trees
were torn up by the roots, and the ground
was covered with broken timbers. Many
people were killed and wounded by flying
timbers. A young lady, when the house
began to rock, ran out and was instantly
killed by being pierced through by flying
fence rail. Men who had been to Phila-
delphia Church say that the scene of the
disaster is worse than battlefield. After
the wind had passed the rain fell in tor
rents; when the rail had nearly ceased hail
stones of extraordinary size fell in great
quantities. Horses, mules and cattle wers
killed by scores.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Feb. 22.-Additional
details of the terrible work wrought by the
tornado of Tuesday night continue to be
received from various parts of the State.
In the neighborhood of EIlenton, on the
Port Royal & Augusta Railroad, al the
houses on several plantations were demol-
ished, and six negroes killed The depot at
Jackson's station was leveled. The store and
dwelling of j. c. Hankinson was destroyed,
the family escaping with serious injuries.
Tom Walters, colored, was blown 800 7ards
and killed, his body being terribly mangled.
The tornado seems to have vented its
fury to a greater or less degree throughout
the entire State. Thousands of acres of
forests were swept away like chaff. Rail-
road cars loaded with freight were lifted
from the tracks, hurled hundreds of yards
and wrecked. Many instances are reported
where parents and children were lifted from
their homes by the stoFs, carried high in
the oil nd .,.,I