Evening journal., 1893-03-25
COURSE OF THE CYCLONE
The Terrific Storm That
Wiped Towns off the Earth.
IT DESTROYED SCORES OF LIVES.

Houses, Schools and Stores Picked Up
and Scattered About the Surrounding
Country For MiIes-Great Damage In
Its Path Along the Mississippi.
CHICAGO, March 25.-A special to the
Herald from Memphis says: The damage
done by Thursdays cyclone in the Mis-
sissippi valley is enormous. While the
loss of life is not as great as at first re-
ported the damage to property will
reach $4,000 00O The telegraph wires
are still demoralized and reports are COM
ing in slowly from the storm districts
and it will be several days before the full
extent of the disaster will be
known. The d, ath list foots up to eighteen
while the list of injured will run up into
the hundreds. The names of the dead
ct Kelley, Miss, so far as known are
Harriet Smith, Mary Williams, Susan
Williams, two unknown negro women.
The dead elsewhere are Richard Heard,
Shubuta. Miss Thomas Heard. Shubuta,
Miss Eli Prince, Ellisvills, Miss ;Drury
Sumrall and family of nine, Shaw's,
Miss
1t Came From Louisiana.
The first heard of the cyclone was in
North Louisiana and Southern Arkansas.
1t crossed the Mississippi a few miles
above Greenville, devastating planta-
tions, wrecking farmhouses and
uprooting grand forest trees. The
path of the storm was about half mile
wide, and nothing was left standing in
its track The first fatality occurred
near Shaw's station, Miss, where the
house of Drury Sumrall, a prosperous
and industrious colOred farmer, was
levelled to the ground, killing the entire
family of nine persons. The cyclone
passed through the suburbs of Shaw's
and demolished several residences and
small stores, but no one was killed.
School Buildings and stores Razed.
The hurricane then changed its course
slightly and travelled the right of way
of the YazoO & Mississippi Valley r. r.
until it en- tered Cleveland, Miss, where
q pu bic school building. several houses
and stores we're razed to the ground. No
fatalities occurred at Cleveland, but sew
eral people were struck by flying timbers
aud more or less injured.
Nearly Every Building Wrecked.
Leaving Cleveland, the cyclone
passed within a mile of Clarksdale. a
town OF 2, 200 inhabitants AMI next
struck THnica the countyseat Of Tunica
county. Nearly every building in the
place was wrecked. The newly com
pleted court house went down before the
winds fury 1.-THE colored school building
was wrecked and over thirty children
manned
Two Towns Obltterated.
AS the cyclone left Tunica it divided,
one portion travelling in a northeasterly
direction, while the other took north
westerly course and again crossed the
Mississippi river into Arkansas where il
spread ruin through three counties. The
towns of Crawfordsville and Vincent
were nearly wiped off the face of the
earth and the storm then took north
easterly course, reaching Kelley Miss
about o'clock in the afternoon.
Here the greatest damage was done.
Six people were killed outright and scores
injured Not building was left stand
ing. the fragments being strewn over
the country fer miles. The damage to
property in the vicinity of Kelley will
reach $150,000.
Fell Like Grass Before the scythe.
After leaving Kelley the cyclone passed
into Tennessee, the next place to fall into
its path being Spring Creek, a small
town in Madison county, where several
people were injured but no one was