The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-23


was swept by a cyclone this morning
in which death and disaster played a
dreadful part. Hourly the record be-
comes more thrilling. For several days
there has been summer mildness all
through Southwest Georgia and South
east Alabama and the country tribu-
tary to the Chattahootchie river. Yes
terday the thermometer went up to So
and the air was as oppressive as it is
ever felt during June solistice With
the coming of night the skies were be-
clouded and rain began to fall copi-
ously about midnight Toward morn
ing there was a cessation of precipi-
tation, and the sun peeped forth from
the clouds as if there was to be a re-
petition of yesterday.
This was but for an hour. Then the
leaden skies and an increasing wind
told of a storm, which came along with
terrific force. Men were almost caught
up from the streets before they could
find shelter. Roofs and shutters gave
way, and for two hours there was ter
ror and desolation, when the cyclone
passed off to the northwest, coursing
along the Chattahootchie valley.
The reports soon same in telling of
the devastation. The town of Blakely,
in Georgia, was almost lifted out of
existence, and people seeking refuge
indoors were as badly knocked around
by cracking and falling timbers as
were those on the outside, who were
unable to dodge fence rails and other
flying missiles.
The most shocking story Of all, how
ever, was that which came from Ar
lington, Early county, Ga 1t was about
6 o'clock when the pupils of Arlington
academy began to assemble. There
were about fifty present, when Prof.
CoVington, noticing the storm coming,
called them to shelter On and on came
the storm with a whizzing sound, in
creasing until it lifted two cabins
across the way into midair, wrench
ing them into splinters. The sight of
this so frightened the children that
they clung piteOusly to Prof. Walker
and Prof. CovingtOn, who vainly tried
to quiet them.
A cracking noise was heard, and the
shutters and swinging doors were
wrenched from their hinges Then came
a twisting and a careening, and the
central portion gave way, falling with
deadly effect upon a group of children
who were clinging to the professors.
The doors and windows gone, the
storm had full sway within. Frag-
ments of timbers were flying in the
air and children, helpless against it,
were caught up and dashed against
the wrecked walls. The cries Of the
wounded, the groans of the dying are
described as having been heartrending.
While all this was going on, the
people of the town, regardless OF the
Wrecking of their own homes, ran to
the school where they knew their chill
dren were, only to find many of them
dead, others wounded and pinioned be-
meath the debris. Prof Walker had his
arms and legs broken, and cannot live
through the night. Among the dead
are:
OLLIE PARMORE.
CLAUDE ROBERTS.
ALICE PUTNAM.
ALBERT BCTLER.
WILLIE M'MURRAY.
KENNETH BOYNTON.
MAUDE JOHNSON.
MARY WELTONS.
The wounded: Ernest Weltons leg broken.
Dudley Killbrew. both legs broken.
Prof. w. A. Irvington, internal injuries,
will de.
Alton Carter, leg broken.
Ethel Carter, internal injuries, will die.
Ben McMurray, head crushed, Will die.
Bette Parmore. arm broken and hurt in
ternally.
Nola Roberts. shoulders dislocated.
Simon Sanders leg broken, hurt internally,
will de.
George Riley, arm broken, hurt internally
Clara Thigh, arms broken, hurt internally,
will die
The scenes around the building were
most heart-rending, as mothers clasped
the forms of their loved children iii
their arms, not needing their bloody
and mangled condition.
The rain began to pour down in tor
rents as soon as the wind passed Off,
and the 500 people were drenched to
the skin while clearing away the
wreck.
Some remarkable escapes were re-
lated. One little girl almost sufocated
to death for want of air, was lying
under three Of her dead companions,
whose bodies had formed a buffer
which saved her from the severity Of
the blows of falling debris.
Along the banks Of the ChattahOCt-
chic river from Apalatchicola, there is
but one story of death and destruc-
ton. The storm came from the Gulf
Of Mexico, and. forming on the western
side and entering the ApalatchicoIa
valley, tranversed it's continent streams
to their source. The Apalatchicola
river is formed by the conjunction o.
the ChattahOOtchie and the Flint, the
first of which, up to WestpOint, fCrma
the state boundary line between Geor-
gia and Alabama, and the second d.
verges northeasterly into the heart OF
Georgia. 1t was in the tongue of the
territory within this circumference thag
the force Of the storm was spent, ana
most of it is inaccessible to telegraph
communication. and the details are
hard to obtain.
From Henry county, Alabama, around
Abbeville, there come stories of death
and wreck. but no names have been
received A family Of five are reported
killed near Geneva. A second disaster,
that of flood is now upon the country.
The rivers and creeks are swelling
with the rainfall, which almost resem-
bles a cloudburst in it's copiousness.