The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-02-28
give good idea of the extent Of the

ooNEooohc, teuiuhty So.-Soiouti
Doyal says he saw meteoric display Of
ball lightning last night, which lasted
about one minute. At first he felt the
when they pat him in the lions den, aud
as soon as it passed away he got as hot
as one OF General Braggs guns at tho
rs impressive as camp meeting, or an
old time militia muster, or thereabouts.
The balls were about the size of minnie
balls, and fell thick and fast with streak
below them like comet, and ilIumna.
ted the whole atmosphere. He didn't
have time TO smell any aZone; never
thought about it in time till the whole
thing was over, or he would have snuffed
at it one time at least.
JASPER, Pickens Coun;y, February
20 Yesterday at two o'clock man
stood on the rear yarandah Of the hotel
at this place looking quietly toward the
summit of Grassy Knob, the highest
point of the. range Of Long Swamp
mountains. 1t was dismal day to start
with, and superabundance of rain had
fallen.
Quick as fash the low rumble broke
into loud roaring, and at once wild
aud furious cyclone hove in sight at the
right hand or Southwestern end Of the
strip of country just described. The
| face of the country seemed suddenly to
have been seized with convulsions and
the elements battled furiously. A huge
mass Of black clouds with bright white
lining .gas seen to pass along 70 ii
South of Jasper, first rushing fnriously
| toward the ground, then darting wildly
upward, boiling this way then that like
a huge pot of sheepheads, then whirling
| and whizzing and lashing each other, yet
moving along with dignifed grandeur
toward the summit of Grassy Knob.
The noise of the cyclone was like unto
that made by the flushing of covey of
quails, multiplied ten thousand times
over. The windows ratified, and the
houses shook as the huge whirlwind
passed in sight of and within three miles
of Jasper. The mass of boiling clouds,
steadied moment to wrench off the ma.
tive forest that capped hill top, dashed
over like huge bee to snatch q noun.
taia spur bald headed, then whizzed
along over level ridge, danced few
fantastic jigs and with q sweep went
over Grassy Knob $3.50 feet above the
level of the sea aud 2,l26 feet above the
tallest spire in Atlanta.
The cyclone had come in sight seven
miles to the right of Jasper. She went
over the mountains and out Of sight
eight miles from Jasper. She was in
sight perhaps five minutes and in ten
the track returned to its eEstwhile quiet.
the devastated route being from. half a
mile to three miles across.
Now let's see what it did in the FIVE
minutes trip over that fifteen mile slice
of country.
Here is q list of the dead: Mrs. Levi
eagle, aud two children, William Grover,
William Herren, Alonzo wright, Mrs.
James Dowda and two children, Mrs.
Wyly, Mrs. Lewis King and two children,
John Nicholson, (reported.) Mrs. John
AicholsoH, Mrs. Nations, MB. Watkins,
a child of Perry Pettit:, child of w. II.
Collies, child of Hiram Walker. Making
in all twenty deaths known aud accGun.
ted for yesterday.
The printed list above tells sad story
of sundered families, but it is cold and
impotent when it comes to giving on idea
of what those deaths mean.
The cyclone whisked over the noun
tains and into the valley where it paused
broken space, then setting down it began
like an arrow aimed at the house of Levi
eagle. For second it flew through the
air uuobstructed, then it wrapped itself
about the house, gave an angry jerk and
literally tore the happy home into o
million pieces. Not shingle clung' to
its fellow, and Of the place and all its
outhouses not one stick was left above
another. There was o crash and q clet.
ter aud the air was filled with flying tim
bers, tin pans, furniture, feathers, corn,
wheat, bedding, chickens, and in fact
everything that the place held.
MIR. eagle was at the residence of his
brother, just outside the fury of the
storm, and when he saw the cyclone com.
ing he started toward his house. Before
he reached there he was forced to cling
to the unde, brush to keep from biowin;.
away, and 90 soon ss the wind was gone
he proceeded 20 where moment before
his house stood.
A heartrendering spectacle met his
gaze. His wife and two children were
found hundred yards away dead Fur.
ther on three other children, one baby
eighteen months old, were picked up in
an almost dying condition. Two of them
had been blown three hundred yards.
Scattered about in the woods were three
men, Grover. He-rsn and Wright, s.i
dead, one With huge tree across his
body.
At Tates. or Cool Spring, as the town
is called, the winds wiped the place from
the face of the earth. The following
had houses blown down: Levi Darnell,
Darnell & Tate, Cool Springs Church,
Jack Goas, colored, Lima Griffin, Perry
Petite, Betsy Chitwood, Mira. Dooly,
Sarah Jones, 8. A. Darnell, Hiram
Darnell, Mr. Griffith. Only one or two
houses were left standing. Mr, Darnell,
Miss Bradford, Hiram Darneli, John
Perry and vife and Lake Weed, ws.s
injured.
All along the track of the storm
houses, forests and fences were swept
away, and many persons were killed or
iH;sed. 4 largo number OF animals
were also blown away and killed.
The Marietta and North Georgia Road
runs through the midst of it. On both
sidea where the track crosses the path Of
the cyclone the woods are etrewn with
fallen timbers. Tates looks like it had
been sat on and sauelched. Her houses,
with one accord, were leveled to the
ground. The trees are thrown first one
way and then another; showing the
circle in which the wind was blowing.
In many places the face of the country
has not vestige of timber left standing,
aud where two days ago were denes for.
ests now barren hilltops alone are left.
It is easy to see from the railroad, q dis
tance Of eight miles, where the cyclone
o,-o