The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-03-27
TWISTED BY A TORNADO.
A FRIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE OUR
SISTER ClTYAUGUSTA.

Fortunately Nobody was KiIled-Twenty
Houses Utterly DESTROYED and Twenty
Others Badly Damaged--Total Loss
Thirty Thousand Dollars
AUGUSTA, Ca, March 2O.-At 9
o'clock this morning Augusta was
visited by the most destructive wind
storm, or cyclone, since 1878. The
cyclone came from the southwest with
but little warning, and in less than a
minute had passed over the city into
South Carolina. In its track there
lay destruction and houses were utter
ly wiped from their foundations and
sent in all directions. over housetops
that were not touched by the bounding
circular wind Strange to say there
We're no fatalities, though in many
instances roofs were carried away
while the occupants We're left unhurt.
The majority of the houses ruined were
small one story ones, as the
section of the city over which the tor
nado passed is the city over which the
tornado passed is that for the most
part inhabited by the poorer class of
whites and negroes.
The path of the tornado is mile in
length from the first place it struck to
that where it finally rose and passed
over. The path was in the shape of
an S. and the tornado struck about
every quarter of mile, making
four descents and rebounds, but the Sc
cond one was perhaps the worst. This
vas pn emmett street, between Sth and
9tl streets. The first two house blown
lown were two small ones on the out
, skirts of the city. The tornado then
rose and came down again on Gwinett
street. The house of Willie Sims, the
great colored jockey, whichis rather
pretentious one, was the first to suffer.
It was twisted about and the chimneys
carried away, doors blow from their
hinges and window sashes forced in.
Across the street five small houses
were so completely demolished that
there was no trace of them except a
few bricks from the chimneys and
foundation posts.
4 square further, at the corner of
Summer and S streets a small house
mad the entire end taken out, leaving
the interior expose like a scene in a
| theatre. Persons were in the house at
the time eating breakfast. but they es-
capped unhurt. Outhouses in the yards
were lifted and carried off several
squares.
Three hundred yards further on is
situated the large -four mill of Miller
& Co. It is an immense four story
building, covered enteirely with sheet
iron. While the mill was not hurt by
the wind itself it proved target for
the flying bricks, shingles and rafters,
from the ruined houses. a small out
house from yard a quarter of mile
away came sailing through the side of
the mill. The force of the missile shat
tered the iron, and the side of the large
one. Scantlings and boards also
pierced the iron sides of the mill till it
had the appearance of a frontier fort
after an attack by Indians. In front of
Miller & Co.'S mill an electric light
pole was blown down and the wires
were crossed with telephone wires,
which grounded and struck a mule,
instantly killing him.
Several hundred yards further to
the northeast the wind came down
again and demolished one-half of the
round house of the Central Railroad.
One of the locomotives in the shop at
the time was badly damaged, and the
tin roof of the remaining portion Of
the building was stripped like a peeled
orange. The roof of the Perkins
Manufacturing Company was also
carried away. The paint shop of the
Central Railroad car shops was sprung
and thrown badly out of plumb, one
side of its foundation being blown
away. Across Calhoun street from
this two small houses were demolished.
On Fenwick street, near the South
ern Railway yard, a house in which
FIVE people were was blown away,
leaving nothing but the flooring, and
yet 10 one was hurt. In all about
forty houses were badly damaged and
twenty utterly destroyed. The loss is
variously estimated, but it is conserva-
lively placed at $500
Augusta seems to be the only place
struch by the wind. Persons who saw
it say that it looked like whirlwind,
and that it rose and fell like rubber
ball. The noise was like that of many
freight trains running over long
bridge. The width of the path was
not over fifty yards. The great cyclone
Of 1873 passed over part of the territory
covered by this, but did far greater
damage. Perhaps seventy-five people
were rendered homeless by this morn
ing's wind.