The Rock Island Argus., 1884-04-18
T1-.EI:s.LT.EGRAPHIC. !
RUIN IN IT'S PATH.
Some Details of the Latest Southern
Cyclone.
Aany Killed and EE0re Wounded
Floods OF Rain and Great de-
structIon or Property
Railway Horrors.

ATLANTA, Ga, April 1S-A disastrous
cyclone. which caused many deaths, occurred
in this state Tuesday. 1t was first heard
from in Harris county, and moved from
southwest to northeast. Forty-six houses
were completely blown away, eight persons
killed, and many injured. DR. ThorntOn's
ann was broken, but this did not pre-
vent him from doing what he
could for the wounded around him. In Chip
ley the houses of Mrs. Champion, Dr. Thorn
ton, L, T. McGee, r. e. Taylor, A. j. Irwin,
W II. Layfeld, John Langford and A. r
Hampton We're swept away.
Striking into MeIriweather county, whole
sale destruction of property took place, the
damage being fully 100000 The Powell
place, one of the most noted in the state, was
utterly swept away, and Mr.. Powell Sr.. his
grandson, Ben Powell, and four negroes. were
killed outright, while five other persons
are 50 mangled that some Of them will die
The cyclone passed one and a half miles
southeast of LaGrange on the Hamilton road
The house of John Brown, colored, was
moveAfGom its foundations, At Mr.. J. W.
Coopers plantation his gin house and out
houses were destroyed. On the Greenville
stables, some outhouses occupied by negroes,
timbers, and fencing were scattered broad
cast Several negro children had been
blown away and have not since been heard
from. Farther on, it struck the house Of
Pete Tolson, destroying everything, killing
mules and breaking the thigh of negro man.
A negro girl was killed. On DR.. Beasley's
farm, near Sandtown, terrible wreck was
made. Six colored people are known to have
been killed on one plantation and four ON
another. Many persons were fatally injured
i'll the country adjacent to Logansville, sew
eral houses destroyed, and barns burnt up.
A freight train on the Western and Allan
tic railroad, from Chattanooga to Atlanta
left Big Shanty, a way station, at II O'Clock
The engine was manned 10y Engineer McDoi.
aid and Fireman Mccullough, and pulled a
trained of sixteen cars. Two miles south OF
Bib Shanty there is a deep fill about one hun
dred yards long, at the middle of which is 4
large stone culvert made for the passage of Z
small rlvulet. The storm had completely
washed away the embanl,ment over the
calvert and left an abyss about fifty
feet deep, into which the train plunged
The engineer and fireman were buried be
meath the ruins. Fifteen of the cars followed
the engine, while the sixteenth hung over
the odge Of the cLasm, thus preventing the
cab from going down.
Less than quarter of an hour after tn,
freight train went down, tie passenger tran
due at Atlanta at $40 a. m, composed Of
maiI-Car, two coaches, and two sleepeIs
went rushing along the same road over which
the freight had passed. Engineer Everett
suddenly felt his en- ,ine culver, and at th,
| same instant began to sink. He at once
realized that he was i'll a washout
ana gave his engine full steam. The sinking
| sensation was soon past, but it was followed
| by a motion of the engine which warned hin
| that the machine was going over apd he ant
his fireman sprang to the ground Th
engineer rolled down the embankment to tn
! solid earth. The engine broke from tn
train and leaped across the spasm. TIN
mail, baggage and two passenger car
| plunged into the chasm and We're soon il
| flames. The latter two had been dragged il
| slowly, and the passengers had time to es
| cape II. A. Merrill tie mail weigher, wa
asleep upon the mail bags, and the crasl
threw him upon the floor and pied the blal
ing bags on him. He was burned to a crisI
Several other tram hands were hurt, bu
| none fatally.
The storm also passed through Carroll an,
| Paulding, across to Barlow, and around b
! Clarke counties. The Etowah and OostaI
aula rivers rose at a tremendous rate, and tn
danger of a froshet is very great. The waite
has reached Cherokee mills on Elm street, il
Rome, and is advancing rapidly towar
Broad. The rivers nre still rising rapidly
and the merchants are moving their good!
All railroad connection has been cut off, an
no mails have been received At Calhoun I'll
Oostanaula is rising fifteen inches an houl
and is nearing the high-water mark Of 1SS
The bridges have been swept away in a
directions and the damage is serious. Th
entire business portion of DeSoto is sui
merged. The rivers are now rising about fou
| inches III hour At the Alabama furnace o
the Admission & Atlantic railway, a bridg
gave way while two men were stanC
ing on it, and both were drowned. All I'll
railroads were badly washed out and trair
entirely stopped At Alfalfa the depot an
hotel were fired by lightning and consumed
with freight books and papers. On IL
Louisville & Nashville near Blount Spring
the trestIe was washed away, and freigl
train south ran into the creek, drownin
Conductor Baccom and severely iniurin
the engineer and fireman.
At Flowery Branch, on the Richmond I
Danville road, Worth Strickland, a wealth
cititizen, was struck by lightning and il
stantly killed. and his child fatally scorchet
Six miles from Athens several negroes wer
into a store to get out of the rain, when IL
lightning struck the chimney and ran dow
the inside. A negro, George johnson, wf
leaning against the chimney, and the ligh
ming hit him on the top of the head, passin
down his body to the floor, and killing hi
Instantly.