The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-26
DEATH In THE STORM.
A SCHOOL BUILDING STRUCK By
A CY CLONE.

The House, Filled With Children, is Crush
ed to ~Pieces-The Horrible Sight When
the Debris is Re~mOved-The Dead Bodies
of Eight Children and Many of the
Others, Fatally Wounded, Taken From
the Ruins-Cyclones at Other Points.
Atlanta, Ga, March PA special to
The Evening Constitution. from Ar
Iington, Ga, says: A cyclone struck
his town today and has left behind 1t
a trail of death and disaster. The high
school building was blown to pieces
and from the wreck nearly 100 dead,
dying and injured people have already
beeen taken.
The dead school children are Ollie
Parramore, Claude Roberts, Alice Put
man,, Kenneth Boynton. Maude John
son, Mary Wellons, Albert Butler and
Willie McMurray.
The injured are Professor Covington,
school teacher, and Professor Walker,
teacher. AT least ten others will die,
according to the hasty reports Of the
corps of emergency physicians now
caring for the injured. Professor
Walker cannot live and Professor Cow
ington is seriously hurt. Not a single
soul in the big building escaped injury.
Abou 1880 o'clock there was a lull in
the high winds which had prevailed,
giving some promise Of a clear day.
Professor Covington, going out to look
around, beheld a lark cloud. we'll
fringed with electricity, moving rapidly
in the direction of the school,. His train
ed eye at once told him there was dan
ger. Hurrying the children into the
building for safety, the roaring of the
coming cyclone was upon them before
they had time to think.
The storm increased in strength and
velocity and the building began to
shake and careen as if rocked in the
arms Of a mighty force. The big build
ing was wrenched n fragments, so
that the pieces fell inward, n among
the first struck were claude Roberts
and Alice Putnam, who were knocked
into the insensibility Of death at the
first blow.
Little Willie McMurray had been
caught under the heavy timber and
the life was crushed out of him.. Ken
meth Boynton was the next who was
oCCh III ~ NSNoPN
the death trap, but too late, for the
fatal blow had been struck.
Professors C~ovington and Walker
both worked, Notwithstanding serious
wounds, the latter perhaps fatally.
The scene was soon by
the parents of the children. The sight
Of eight little ones already dead and OF
ten others crushed and bruised and
bleeding in all the phases Of torture
was enough to wiring the stoutest heart
Among those wounded, quite a number
are not expected to live, and it is more
than likely hal the list of lead will
be doubled before night. This is the
most shocking disaster which has ever
occurred in his section
Blakeley was struck by a severe
storm this morning that did enormous
damage and cost several lives. The
chaos caused by the storm is still pres
ent and during the confusion nothing
can be definitely earne as to The
amount of harm or the m Of lives
lost. 1t is known, however, that severa
are killed and many more SO severely
injured that they will probably die.
Considerable damage was done in the
vicinity Of Damascus, ten miles south
of here, but no ives were lost.
AS yet no other details have beer
learned from the surrounding country