The age-herald., 1899-03-16
"DIRT IN THE HOUSE BUILDS THE HIGH- WAY TO BEGGARY.'' BE WISE IN TIME AND USE
 SA|P POI 10

cries were easily dscernable, 1t is said even when the cyclone was at it's height But all of them except one had proyidential es- capes, and their fears gradually disappear ed the rain subsided After the storm the beautiful calm came, for in an hour or two the warm sun burst forth from behind the clouds.
 A busy sight was witnessed all along the path of the cyclone yesterday morn ng. Each wrecked house had a group of neigh bors whose houses had escaped and other spectators around 1t, and busily at work among the wreckage were all the members of the family. picking out what was left of their household effects. They were as- sorted out and taken to the house of some neighbor who had roof over his head, there to await the building of new home or the removal to another one.
 It was a sad sight. All of the houses though small in value, represented all ther occupants possessed and it was with a Very ser:ous face that most of the fathers were working yesterday. While many of the houses were occupied by tenants, a number were owned by the families who lived in them-men who had been saving up for years, and had invested their small savings in homes for their families. It was a pathetic sight in many instances.
 But the cyclone also had innumerable little incidents to make one laugh and for get the seriousness of the occasion.
 "Yes, sir boss, l seen hit when hit fust started" said one negro, in describing the cyclone II was juss gettin' up to go to work when I seed dat big funnel wid a ball of fire coming up towards my house. Hit missed us, do, and l sho was glad"
 The superstitious negroes of Birmingham are taking 1t as a warning from on high, that two of their churches were de- stroyed One woman in particular, who is notoriously irrel gous, was going around all day yesterday proclaiming that her peo- pie were not praying enough and were not leading good lives.
 When the wind struck the group of houses which clustered around the Honf- iny Street church it killed several hogs which were seeking shelter under the houses. The negro always has an eye to his stomach, and yesterday morning showed a busy sight around the church. A number of the negroes had built up fires under the pots used for boiling clothes, and were industriousiy engaged in scalding the hair off of the unfortunate hogs. It didn't matter that none of the wreck Of their houses had been cleaned up; "ain't we got ter have dinner?
 At the house of Mir. Franklin, in Wood- lawn, a wonderful dead chicken Is shown; not that there was anything remarkable about the chicken, but the manner in which 1t met death is most interesting. It had its head sticking out of a crack In the stable when the cyclone came along, ana lhe lat ter, getting good hold on the inquisitive head pulled it and all the remainder of the chicken through the crack, crushing the body out fiat At least this Is the the ory which all of the neighbors have ad- vanced. Certain it was that the chicken was in the stable before the wind came, and it is equally certain that just after the wind it was on the outside of the crack, with its body badly crushed
 There were numerous other funny incl ents, but the one just related is enough.