The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-24

Passes over Several Towns and Aura
sections Of AIabama-Cyelones Also I'm
rkausa

Memphis. Tenn. March ia series
of terrific windstorms swept through
portions Of Alabama, Mississippi and
Arkansas today. doing an immense
amount OF property damage and kill
ing a number Of people. The storms
covered a radius of several hundred
miles, destroying telegraph wires and
cutting Of communication with a
large part Of the affected country.
Cleburne county. Alabama. seems to
have suffered the most severely. the
storm there assuming the proportions
OF a tornado. The reports OF fatalities
in the county vary from six TO twenty
and many are said 10 have been in
jured.
AT Sellers and Luverne. Alabama,
much damage is reported and at Rob
Roy, Ark, n man was killed and sew
ereal were badly injured. Dumas, Ark,
vas practically wiped out OF existence
and several other towns in the vicin-
ity suffered severely. One person is
reported killed at Hickory Flat. Miss.
and as the farm houses in the vicinity
suffered heavily, il is not unlikely that
many fatalities occurred which have
not yet been reported.
Montgomery, Ala. Mrch 1S.-A cy-
clone passed over different portions of
the state today. but, on account OF the
telegraph wires being down, no partic-
ulars can be learned. At Selma the
spire of the First Methodist church
was blown down, crushing through the
roof and doing much damage.
At Sellers, a small station on the
Plant system south of Montgomery, the
entire town except three houses was
destroyed.
Luvern suffered greatly but no de-
tails can be gotten.
Birmingham, Ala, March lad
vices reaching here late tonight indI
cate that a great storm has passed over
Cleburne county, devastating a large
section. 1t is reported that ten people
have so far been killed, nine OF them
in the family of a nan named Coffee.
A passenger on the Southern train
which left Atlanta at 4 o'clock. p. m.
confirms the news OF the cyclone. IL
was told him by citizens of Edwards
vile. 1t is said a house near there in
which twelve persons lived, was wreck
ed and nine out of the twelve killed.
Another passenger aid he a heard
that seven more were killed near Helm
Hickory Flat. Miss, March 1S.-A
tornado struck this place today, doing
! considerable damage to buildings and
other 1perty. The school building
and two churches were demolished and
twenty-five dwellings blown down or
unroofed. Several persons received pain
full injuries. A family living west OF
here lost their dwelling, and a young
lady, name as yet unknown, vas kill
ed. Trees were torn up by the roots.
twisted off like reeds and all fencing
in the path of the cyclone was leveled
to the ground. On some farms near
here hardly a buildings was left stand
] ing. Doubtless other fatalities will be
! reported, but news is meagre. The
| course of the storm was from southwest
to northeast and its track was nearly
a a mile wide.
Little Rock, Ark, March 1S.-A tor
! nado passed through portions of JEFF
| ferson and Desha counties this after
noon. Telegraph wires are FRUSTRATED
and the details are coming in slowly.
At Rob Roy, five houses were blown
| down and one man was killed.
At Dumas nearly all the houses IN
the own were either blown down OF
damaged and several persons were
wounded, but so far as can be learned
no lives were lost. There are severa
small towns in this section through
which the storm passed and as yet nc
news a been received from any d
| them.