The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-21
THE MORNING NEWS.
established 1855. Incorporated lsss
J. H. ESTILL, President.
AUGUSTA HIT BY A CYCLONE.
MANY HOUSES BLOWN DOWN AND
70 PERSONS MADE HOMELESS.

The Wind Came With n Furious
Rush and Pounded UD and Dov.
From the Ground Like a Big Rub
Der BaII-MOst of the Houses De-
mOIished One-StOry Structures Oc-
~upied by NegrOes-The Central
ftaiIrOad Round House and a Big
flour Mill Damaged.
Augusta, Ga, March 2O.-At Q 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 it had passed over
the city into South Carolina. In its track
there lay destruction, and houses were
utterly wiped from their foundations and
sent in all directions over housetops that
we're not touched by the bounding circu-
lar wind. Strange to say there were no
fatalities. though in many instances roofs
we're 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 cyclone passed is
that for the most part inhabited by the
poorer class of whites and negroes.
The path of the cyclone is about mile
in length from the first place it struck
10 where it finally rose and passed over
The path was in the shape of an S. and
the cyclone struck about every quarter Of
a mile making four descents and re-
bounds, but the second one was perhaps
the worst. This was on Gwinnett street,
between Eighth and Ninth streets. The
first two houses blown down were two
small ones on the outskirts of the city.
The cyclone then rose and came down
again on Gwinnett street.
The house of Willie Sims, the great col
ored jockey, which is a rather pretentious
one. was the first to suffer. It was twist
ed about and the chimneys carried away,
doors blown from their hinges and win
dow sashes crushed. Across the street five
small houses were so completely demolish-
ed that there was no trace of them, ex-
cept few bricks from the chimneys and
foundation posts.
A square further at the corner of SUM-
had the entire end taken out, leaving the
interior exposed like a scene in a thea
ter. Persons were in the house at the
time eating breakfast, but they escaped
unhurt. outhouses in the yards were lifted
and carried off several squares.
Three hundred yards further on is sit
uated the large flour mill Of Miller & Co.
a hlIfl "a frr
cred entirely with sheet iron. While the
mill was not hurt by the wind itself, ii
proved a target for the flying bricks,
shingles and rafaers from the ruined
houses. A small clubhouse from a yard a
quarter of a mile away came sailing
through the air and struck the side of the
mill. The force Of the missile shattered
the iron, and the little house was driven
into the side of the larger 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 cleo
trio light pole was blown down 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 loco
motives in the shop at the time was badly
damaged, and the tin, roof off the remain
ing portion of the building was stripped
like an orange peel
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 Southern
railway yard, a house in which five peo-
pie were was blown away, leaving nothing
but the flooring, and yet no one was hurt
In all about forty houses were badly
damaged and twenty utterly destroyed.
The loss is variously estimated, but it is
conservatively placed at $4,000.
augusta seems to be the only place
struck by the wind. Persons who saw it
say that it looked like whirlwind, and
mat 1t rose and fell like a rubber ball
me noise was like that of many freight
trains running over a 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
ala far greater damage.
Ferhaps seventy-five people were rem
uefed homeless by this mornings wind.