The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-03
ECHOES OF THE STORM.

Our exchanges give the following de.
tails of the terrible storm of Tuesday,
the 25th ult:
GAINESVILLE, March 25.-A destruc-
tive cyclone skir,ed over this town about
two o'clock to day. 1t came from the
southwest and its course was nearly
northeast. Three miles southwest of the
town it struck Mr.. Maxwell's farm,
sweeping away his buildings, fencing,
&C., crippling Mr.. Maxwell and one or
two other members of bis family, but no
one was killed. MIR. Webster was the
next one in its track, whose house was
unroofed and out houses sweptaway. j..
NJ. Browns residence barely escaped, but
the out buildings and his plantation were
desolated. Continuing its course, pass.
ed lust north of the town making COM
plete wreck of w. B. Simons' residence.
His wife and child were saved by running
into a cellar. The residence and board
ing house of DIR. Wilkes, President of
the Female Seminary, are q complete
wreck. Mrs. Wilkes mjracuously escap.
ed with slight bruises. The Doctor and
young ladies were fortunately at the
Seminary. A small house, occupied by a
negro family, was swept away, and a
negro woman was killed. t. residences
of r. Y. Cobb, G. K. Loper, Ashford
and others, in the edge of the cyclone,
were more or less damaged. Several
small houses, occupied by negroes on the
outskirts, were completely wrecked. A
number of other houses in the track after
it passed the town were completely de
stroyed. Plantations are desolate and
forests levelled, and people wounded.
GREESNILLE, March 26.-Shortly sue.
ceediug a severe wind and rain storm
here yesterday afternoon the falling
of pieces of lumber, shingles, pine limbs,
&C., here and there on the streets of the
city, gave evidence at once that cyclone
had passed through the country. All
that could be learned last night was that
cyclone had passed in q southerly di-
rection about two miles below Piedmont,
that the dwelling of Mr.. w. N. Watson
in that vicinity had been blown down
and tbs. one or two of his children had
been severely injured and probably kill.
ed. The cyclone was plainly seen from
Piedmont. 1t is described as having the
usual marks of being funnel shaped, aud
as it sped with lightning rapidity across
the country it alternately rose from the
earth and d. scended again to sweep every
thing before it. Later in the evening o
dark and lowering cloud swept around
this vicinity and passed to the northward
beyond Paris Mountain. 1t was evident
that a fearful storm was in progress in
its path. Rumols of its disastrous work
reached here early this morning, and l
at once repaired to the nearest point
where casualty had been reported for
the purpose of ascertaining the extent of
its ravages. After crossing the northeast
spur of Paris Mountain 1 reached the
first evidences of the cyclone at the house
of James H. Boiling, about seven miles
from the city. This gentleman's crib
and fodder houses had been completely
unrooled, al d m,ny Of the trees abou:
his premises had been torn up by their
roots. A half mile farther northward
the main track of the cyclone was reach
ed, and the scene presented was one of
fearful devastation. Its path covered a
belt of country about one-iourth Of a mile
in width, in which almost everything
had been completely levelled to the
ground. Giant oaks and great forest
pines and smaller growth were alike
swept into piles, and the whole forests in
The path of the cyclone was an almost
impenetrable mass. The cyclones course
was northeast. BY dwellers on the
mountain side its coming is described as
resembling the angry growl Of some
great animal. 1t was seen by them as it
crossed the summit of the mountain be-
tween Z and s o'clock last night, dense
round cloud perfectly red and ablaze with
electricity. Descending the mountain it
sped with fearful velocity, spreading de-
struction alike on the hills aud iu the
rayines of the slope. From the top Of
the mountain its devastating work ex-
tends, so far as has been heard from, to
the neighborhood of Sandy Flat, in the
upper section of the county, distance
of about ten miles. l followed its track
on feet for two miles or more with great
difficulty.
The place of Mr.. Green P. Poole was
the first to come within its angry en-
brace. His stable, crib and other out
houses were swept away and the dwelling
alone remains. The latter WAS occupied
at the time by Mr.. Poole, his grand.
daughter and a servant, and their escape
was miraculous indeed. A thick pine
forests few hundred yards of was liter
ally torn up and stumps and stems of the
trees, completely spattered with mud,
carried from au adjoining open field.
Within distance Of two miles in the
main track of the cyclone at least a doz-
en- farm. houses we're destroyed or unroof'
ed. All the buildings of the Buckhorn
tannery, operated by Messrs. Goodlette
and Hawkins, were blown down. The
residence of Mr.. Geo. w. Hawkins near
by was blown down. Mr.. Hawkins and
family making narrow escape. The
building soon afterwards took fire and
was consumed. Considerable damage
was done on the plantations of A1essrs.
Hampton Poole, w. P. Poole, Joseph
Bradley and Oliver Bradley and Miles
Batson. The residence of Furman NJ.
Langley, in which the latter and family
were dwelling at the time, was complete.
ly demolished. Mr.. Langley suffered
bruising and the breaking of
three ribs in his left side, while his wife
and three children miraculously escaped
injury. BY superhuman efforts Mr.. Ian
gley succeeded in extricating himself
and family from the debris in time 10
escape the flames which rapidly consum-
ed what was left of the building. To.
day where Langley's houses stood there
is nothing but the level earth, while the
lumber Of his houses and his furniture
and household effects arc slrewn for a
mile farther. In this locality the course
of the cyclone was severest, and in many
places the trees torn up by their roots
and twisted off above the ground are
piled and crossed in stacks that are al
most impenetrable for many hundred