Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-03-23
4 lURyAD0'S TRACK.
1t Wipes Out Family in Clet--at
County, Ala.
SOUTHERN RAILWAY IS SUBMERGED.
Three Freight Trains WRECKED ~ Ada, Va.
damage nv n T"rnado ~ u'ss'-.,sui--
A Horse Cause, Wreca -Gsr,on.
Down IN t,p0rga.


Clehnrnc county SATURDAY afternoon
and wrought great damage The ior
lowing is list of The dead SO far a
known: Lewis Coffee, AGED %, taa
assessor OF Cleburne county, and 'hf
following members of his family: Mr.,
Coffee. aged as, Leila, aged -: james
aged 20, Lulu, aged IS; Jacoll, aged e.;
Devepoe, aged $; Dnllie, aged III; Gro
yer, aged q; John, aged 1 and Nh
known woman, near Holm. Mau,
other people we're more or less serl.
ously injured The path o. the storm
was about 200 yard, wide and it tra-
versed the country for y miles. begin
ming in the northern part Of Cleburne
county. near Iron City, and moved
southwark Those who saw it say
there was an immense funnel shaped
cloud and that it bounded along like o
rubber ball, rising at intervals ana
leaping for several hundred yards
without doing any. damage. Then.
when it descended, it would pick MP
houses and crush them to pieces, up.
root trees or twist them off level with
the ground and sweep all before it.
Lewis Coffee's residence, a strono
double log house, situated on huh
hill, was in the path Of the storm
was swept away ard the timuers seat
tered for a mile. Ten Of its II occu.
pants were instantly killed. Except
the body of the baby which was
found under the ruins Of the chimney.
the corpses OF the victims we're car
ried haIf mile aud nine of then
were found heaped together. i.verv.
body had been stripped Of their cloth
ing. One was twisted around II stump
and two others were headless BESIDE
the body Of the father lay BESSIE Col.
fee. the only member of the family
not instantly killed. She was nncon.
scious and her arms were around her
dead fathers neck. She is unable to
talk and will die.
1t is estimated that about 81 build.
ings were destroved between 20 ana
% persons were injured and over
score of farms devastated. The storm
lost It's force just south of Holm near
which place dozen buildings we're
wrecked. The pata OF the cyclone
presents terrible scene of havoc
Timbers of wrecked houses are scat.
tered in every direction. Some were
carried high into the air and others
were driven deep into the ground or
through trees. Many head of cattle
were killed. One dead COW was found
with a single driven through her
back
TRACKS UNDER WATER.
Knoxville, Tenn, March 20. Heavy |
rainfalls for several days past are now |
beginning to manifest their results.
The Southern railway has suffered
considerable damage to its tracks
between this city and Asheville, N. c.,
Bristol, Tenn. and Chattanooga,
Tenn. The tracks have been sub
merged and partially washed out for
a distance Of five miles near Ashevile.
All traffic on the Asheville branch has
been suspended. The damage to the
Chattanooga branch has been tempo.
rarily repaired The Tennessee river
at this city is ~ feet above low water
and is rising rapidly. A spring freshet
Is feared
THREE TRAINS WRECKED.
Roanoke, Va, March 2O.--A fatal
wreck occurred on the Norfolk x
Western railroad at Ada Yesterday
morning, killing Fireman VanLand-
ingham, of this city, and brakeman
named Il. A. Graham. tramp was
also killed. Several trainmen were
more or less injured. Three freight
trains were wrecked. All were com.
ing east. The first train had stopped.
The second broke in two and the Sec
tons in their fight down the mountain
side crashed into the first train They
were soon followed by the third, which
had not been tagged
TORNADO IN MISSISSIPPI.
Iuka, Miss, March 2O.--A severe
tornado passed over a part of this
county seven miles south of here at
four o'clock SATURDAY. afternoon. blow.
ing down three buildings on the Hodge
farm and injurng two persons. The
storehouse Of John Hastings at River
ton junction was destroyed and a box
car was blown from the track. All
Bethlehem, Miss, Will Wickes house
was destroyed and a child killed A
stable Is said to have been blown i5Cl
yards with horse in it, but the horse
was uninjured
HORSE CAUSES A WRECK,
Auburn, CAL, March 90. A horse on
the railroad track near Clipper Gar
switch was the primary cause of
railroad accident in which two train
men were killed and third seriously
injured. Westbound freight train
No . struck the horse with the result
that the first engine of the train was
ditched and its boiler broken. The
engineer and fireman were scalded tc
death and an engineer helper was
badly burned.
CYCLONE IN GEORGIA
Atlanta, Ga, March 90 A snecial
to the Constitution from Wayuesboro,
Ga, says cyclone passed over Burke
county at two O'Clock yesterday morn.
ing. In the vicinity of Waynesboro
four people were killed, Several
houses were demolished and much
damage done.