The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-27
DEATH RIDES THE STORM, AND
RIOTS IN THE ARR
AWhIrIing Cyclone Crosses three
States.

1.-The rains descended, the storms Il
-aoed. the floods came, and earth wy .
swallowed up,"-says Genesis,-de- !
scribing the Deluge. America was subj /
iect to much of the anne experience a e
Storms at sea did great damas
Floods in the great Drain-Rivers 81
the Lakes to the Gulfdestroyed millions
Of property, and many lives. And then
came the whirlwind to scarity the sur
face of the Atlantic region from Mobile
to Notwithstanding perhaps 2oO
Iiyes.-more savage than a battle!
The excessive warmth OF the first
DAYS of last week were premonltlve OF
coming electrical disturbance SO much
so that when the first deep growl OF
thunder occurred on Wednesday even
inc it was not surprising; although a
little ahead of time. The three hours
which followed were extraordinary LOT
tho continuous blaze of lightning so
vivid the glare of a lamp turned yellow
under the stronger light of the heavens.
The Storm King assembled his court
ON the shores Of the Gulf, in Alabama,
and gave the word tora go-as-you-ple4e
race Northward. A dozen huge Det(
mons sprang off with fearful bowls, and
the glare of lightning flashing around
| them. Each demon wore the shape OF
| a bic balloon, or a funnel with a long
timber spout, which went Topping about
! like the snout of an elephant. Some
| times the long sucker at the bottom OF
| the funnel would flop a mile or two on
the right, and her reel across the lett
and then Jump clear off the ground Tor a
mile or two. and come down IN a new
spot, with a shock like a nno IL
must have been a fearful scene! These
immense giants, tall as the skies, black
as SCOT, whirling like huge spinning
tops.-and cutting a broad swath over
the surface of the earth like a streak OF
fire through the dry prarie!
We cannot follow the path OF each OF
the Demons to report all the devilment
he committed, but here are a few items.
ii.
The first band Of Demons began their
waltz about noon on Tuesday n a pleas
ant valley near Birmingham, Alabama
Following the railway track, they killed
, three negro section hands then two
children of John ole,-besides njur'
: inc all the family then the residence
t of DR.. w. T. Wright, a Railroad con
Y tractor. The body Of Mrs. j. S. Wright
DR.. Wright's mother, vas found a hun
} dred yards from the house, fearful.
mangled and with the skull crushed
: Annie, aged 20; Jennie, l6; Thomas
n IS: James. II, and Edward, Il, al
h children OF DIR. Wright, were badly III
iured. having their arms or legs broken
! Harriet McCrew, cook, was killed. Y
twenty-four carts. two wagons and thre
Q horses on the place nothing remains ou
the carcass of one horse. The hous
% occupied by N. Mclaughlin was blow
= away and he was badly hurt.J- |
,r Lanorne, wife and daughter all had les
a. n broken. The house of Mr.. Kerr too
fire and was burned. Mrs. Kerr We
y fatally injured.
a. Thence to Ladiga, killing several pc
sons. Near Canton some school CHI
r dren were caught and killed. On wei
the cruel racers in to Northern Georgl
n Here the destruction is too widespre;
. for detail.
Near Grassy Knob, twenty person
were killed within a space Of thr
~ miles!
on A dispatch from Columbus iepor
ey the destruction Of the Central Rallro;
be round-house and engines, entaillng
j. loss of $4,000. Several persons we
killed and wounded.
mt The storm was terrible III the sectl'
RS around Macon. The Telegraph recelv
a box of hail stones from Indian Spring
.oo some being three inches long and o
and one.half inches thick, and Othe
Ell weighing two and one-half ounces. L
zee house of w. A. Miller, at Blountsyil
nj was blown to atoms. His vile a
no three children were killed and the ba
tas was blown away and has not get DC
- found. The bodies of the dead we
y found at 200 to 500 yards distant fire
the site of the house. Six negroes sc
killed on the same plantation and
young man was dangerously woundt
y. The wife of DR.. Billiard heard the
TO clone coming and remembering that t
LOT corner of tie house nearest the stol
lg- was the safest, she crouched there w
Jun her babies and two little negroes. L
%. house was swept away, except a +
nry timbers, behind which the party CROW
yer ed safely. The store of Jerry Smi
l9r five miles from Clinton, was bio
T away. Finney, who was in it, was
- tally injured.
ose Several Demons raced across Georg
~. 1t is estimated that 100 lives were IL
10 1000 houses destroyed and the dana
q to property reaches $500, 600. Ia Sol
~ Carolina the cyclone divided: one ba
IL keeping near the mountains the OF
Guy followed the coast. The upper one ca
over Chester, and Winpsboro, towal
aye Monroe. at Chester, the damage
buildings was great. The churches,
mills, etc., were nearly all injured, if
sn. destroyed. At Winnsboro four lives W
-'une taken one being. Mrs. Sterling, an a
Jul lady. Her son and daughter were in
+ house with her. They were both biz
out of the house and lodged in a la
bro tree that was standing in the yard, csc
na. ing with severe bruises. Their a
-. mother was crushed to death in the fall
NV timber~. At Woodwards two were kill
the az L'arIlnstoI ioul n'es MeLe iost.
luid ,ne teW1 q DrauiGSs' pouth Oarol
Re Tue resluehce vi IL Lisph was 9i'