The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-26
BLOODY TRAIL LEFT BY
TORNADO IN ALABAMA
twenty-five People Killed and Many Are Badly In
jured in Furious Cyclone
Residences Are Swept Away, Trees UprOOted and Fright
full Havoc Played by the Storm.

among the shacks,. seven of which were
swept away. n number OF small houses
were leveled between Sixteenth and
Seventeenth streets.
In alley 81, between Seventeenth and
Eighteenth streets, a small house &C
cupied by negroes was destroyed. and
Greena Curry, a negro woman, was
caught beneath the timber and sus-
tanned injuries. Three other houses
were blown down near by. The storm
t3en struck the mere thickly settled
residence portion of the city and its
work of destruction increased.
A cottage occupied by Fred Schaf-
fer, at s14 South Eighteenth street, and
small building Z few doors north, Oc-
cupied by L. H. Stewart were badly
damaged. Almost a clean sweep was
made of the district lying between
Eighteenth and Twentieth streets and
avenues II and /. two blocks. Here
the scene is one of complete demolition.
The frame cottages were reduced to
fiattened piles of debris; very tree,
large or small, was either crushed down
or uDroOted.
A row of small cottages fronting
east upon Nineteenth street, between
avenues A and I, were fiattened out.
The occupants had no warning and
were unable to escape from their houses
and were rescued by workers after the
storm. The house on the corner Oh
Nineteenth and I, was occupied by W.
II. Merritt, a member of the fire de-
partment and his family, a wife and
two children The MerrittS were res
cued with but few bruises.
The second house was occupied by
Roy McCullOch and Charles r. Robin
son and their families. These escaped
serious injuries. The fourth house WAS
occupied by Captain John ID John
stOn and his daughter. They were
caught in one corner of room, and a
part of the house was left standing.
and after the storm was over, made
their way out. The last house in the
row was the property OF d. McRae. Mr.
McRae was caught beneath the wreck.
but escaped unhurt
Mrs, Hardwick, who lived in the same
house was jill and in bed. She was
buried under the ruins. but was rescued
without apparent serious injuries.
Every House Destroyed.
From Nineteenth to Twentieth streets
on avenue I, every house and little
snanty was destroyed Minter's grocery
store was literally picked up and tossed
into an adjoining yard, FILLING DR.. G..
= chapman, who had sought shelter
in the store.
The wind here seemed to dart upward
anc then strike the earth again at
twenty second street. sparing build
ings between Twentieth and Twenty
second street. 1t struck again. destroy
ing all the small buildings in its path
for half mile, and ,Killing and in
Juring many people,
From Twenty-seCOIldl xtreef the storm
plowed its way .eaStwand through the
block between avenue Il and avenue l.
tearing away the rOefs of q aumber of
residences, smashing IA windows, blow
ing down trees and fences.
Crossing Thirtieth street it struck
the residence of Robert j. Lowe at SIS
South Thirtieth street. Ieveling it to
the ground and instantly killing Mr.
loves 4-weeks-old chiid-anG fatally
crushing Mrs. Lowe. who died within
fifteen minutes after being removed
from the wreckage. The cook was
badly hurt. Mr.. Lowe and the nurse
escaped with slight bruises.
Continuing in an eastward direction,
OF seventy-five yards width until it
passed beyond the city limits and
struck the LakevieW hill. about Thirty
fourth street. There were no houses of
any description in its path until it had
passed the city limits. Consequently
there was no damage until st reached
AvOndale.
On Faggott's hill. just south of Avon
dale, a number of persons were sseri
ousiy injured, and many houses badly
damaged
At Irondale the tornado again re-
peated its work OF destruction. Houses
and fences were Ieveled to the ground.
and up to this writing several bodies
had been recovered A number of in
jured persons and "a big property 1nss
are reported.
Bessemer. Pratt City, Emsley.
North Birmingham and other suburban
towns were visited by the storm. and
in each much destruction was wrought,
but no loss of life is reported. Many
houses were demolished q Pratt City,
including a number OF churches.
At Powderly there was also much de-
structiOn. At Cleveland Mrs. George
HIATT was struck by lightning, and will
probably die.
A terrific rainStorm followed the
wind. and gree.-iy retarded the work of
relief.
Tonight a mass meeting of citizens
was held, at which relief fund was
started.
FuIly 500 houses were demolished or
damaged, and at a late hour tonight
the total property loss is estimated at
$3.50, 00O.