The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-02-28

-. as the cleared right of way
ot a railroad. The money value of the
property destroyed cannot be esti-
mated.
Mr.. j. M. Edmunds, of Columbia,
who was at Darlington on the memo
rable night, gives the following graphic
description of what he saw and heard:
81 was at the Darlington Hotel last
night. Thenai was quito not and
oppressive. At about halfpast II
O'Clock, after L had retired to my
room, heard roaring sound like
that made by the near approach of q
railway train. 1t increased and then
alcd away. Immediately afterwards
l heard cries for help, and some one
rushed into the room shouting that the
town had been blown down" Mr..
Edmunds went out and assisted. Up
TO the hour he left he had obtained the
following information: The tornado
moved from the southwest and tore q
path $50 yards wide through the south
erh part OF the town, which Fortunate
~ was not thickly peopled. The
two-story residence OF Mr.. r, w.
Boyd, prominent lawyer, was utterly
wrecked, not piece of wood two feet
square remaining of the building.
Mr.. Boyd was buried in the debris and
was painfully but not seriously injured.
n boy in the house stated bio ball of
fire entered his room and the next
moment he found himself living on his
back in the yard in q puddle of water.
~ negro man and woman occupying
nn clubhouse on the premises were
blown scycntv-five yards and instantly
killed. Mrs. Boyd and her daughter
happened to be spending the night at the
house of her brother, Mr.. II. w. Nc.
Gall, two miles from Florence. This
house was burned before the night was
over, and its occupants barely escaped
with their lives. The house of n Mr..
White was torn to pieces by the tor
nado, and he and his wife, both very
aged people, were killed. The house
or Mr.. Charles Edwards, of the firm
"f Edwards IL Norment, was swept
completely away, and Mrs. Edwards
sustained such injuries that she is not
expected to live. Two negroes living
IN small house near the depot were
blown away with their dwelling and
have not been found. The railroad
depot was so badly wrecked that an
other will have to be built. A steam
saw mill hear the depot was blown to
pieces. The barns and buildings
around the residence of Col. B. W.
Edwards were blown away, but the
dwelling was not touched. The roof
or store ut the depot was carried off
on the wings of the wind. Several
Hat cars lying on the side track were
blown over. Bales Of cotton were
taken up from the platform of the
Gcpot and scattered all around. Near
ly every wooden fence i'm the town
was lcvcllcd to the ground. Open
heldS near by were covered with debris
or all kinds. Household goods, bed
uing and clothing whitencd The ground.
The woods were strewn with barrels
and lumber. The track of the storm
presented n fearful appearance. Every
thing was town, twisted and lcvclled.
~ singular exception was the escape
OF the Baptist church. 1t lay directly
IN the path OF the tornado, but al
though the pine trees all around it
were town down by the wind, the
church was entirely uniniurcd, not
even the weather cock of the sfeeDlc
being carried away.
In Chester the electric display is
said TO have been the most wonderful
ana brilliant ever witnessed i'm that
region Of the State. The flashes of
lightning were constant and the thun
1der, peals awful and deafening. The
cyclone, according to the best authen-
tlcated accounts, visited Chester be-
tween six and seven o'clock in the
evening. a special dispatch to tho
NeaDS and Courier says of it and it's
work: The wind blew a gale from
The south, and tor fifteen minutes the
prospect was alarming. The storm
abated about $50 p. m, but the wind
blew ticrcely most of the night. There
was heavy fall Of rain, and hail fell
with fearful force. The next morning
the public square presented wrecked
appearance, strewn with tin, brick
and lumber. The church buildings of
the white and colorcd Baptists were
utterly demolished, and the belfrv was
torn from the Presbyterian church
building and part Of the roof was
stove in. The third story of the man
uIactory of the CataWba Oil Company
was swept completely away and the
ohglne-room was demolished, causing
mnch damage to machinery. Dozens
0i houses were unroofed, numerous
fences levelled and scores of frees M
rooted. The damage is estimator
from $4,000 to $4,000. 1t is won
derful to say no loss Of life or limb
has been reported.
In Lancaster the tornado is reported
to have been something over two miles
in width. III its track almost all the
timber, tenant houses, ginhouses, etc,
were unroofed by the violence Of the
wind.
A passenger who came from Kings
tree states that the cyclone passed be-
tween Manning and Florence, demol-
ishing everything in its course. The
house of Mr.. Harrington, who lives
near the western edge of the county,
was totally demolished and all of the
family more or less injured, one son
having his thigh and arm broken. The
leighbors heard the cries of the
wounded and had to rescnc them from |
he ruins. Mr., Johnson, whose farm |
s, In the samo neighborhood, had all
he outhouses on his premises blown
lown, and all his provisions and pro-
luce scattered to the winds. A mes !.