The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-03-28

the prlncIpal SuHereTS' Inc larger
residences on the higher ground suf-
fered but slightly. The large trees
on the hillside of the st. Vincent's
Hospital were torn up by the roots,
and large masses of stone were twisted
OUT of the ground, and broken and
scattered all over the driveways of the
entrance to the institution.
Like Rubber Ball.
From Eighth to Tenth street the
wind devil bounded like rubber ball.
and when it again descended it struck
a two-story house occupied by Joseph
Busenhelhner and almost razed it 70
the ground.
Oaward the wind sped in its fury,
demolishing trees and fences, until it
reached Eleventh street, where it
swept through small pine grove. tear
ing the trees up by the roots and hurl-
ing them through the air like arrows.
Beyond the grove tie storm cloud
swooped down upon negro settle
ment and the frail cabins were crush.
ed like egg shells, not one being left
in the pathway of the tornado. East
ward the storm swept, cutting it's
way through another strip of woods,
striking the Second Presby terian
Church at the corner of Avenue 81
and Fifteenth street, almost demol-
ishing the structure. The pews were
piled on the top of the debris, small
oak table which was used in the ros-
trum being deposited on the topmost
point of the wreckage.
The storm then struck the more
thickly settled residence portion of
the city, and its work Of destruction
increased. 1t left the two blocks
bounded by Eighteenth and Twentieth
streets and Humbolt and Avenue II a
total wreck. With a few exceptions
all Of the houses in that territory were
hurled to the ground and the scene
now presented is one OF complete
desolation.
A Sad Fatality.
One OF the saddest fatalities of the
day was the death of the little 4-year-
old child of b. B. Hudson, near Nine
teenth street and Humbolt avenue.
Mrs. Hudson, accompanied by another
child, had gone to the city at the time
Of the storm, leaving the younger
child at home with the negro cook.
Both were killed among the falling
tinlbers Of the house.
In crossing Twentieth street the
terrific wind snapped the big poles Of
the Bell Telephone Campany as if they
werepipe stems, and they fell to the
street below taking heavy cables with
them, and seriously impairing the te-
lephone communication for a large
section of the South Highlands. This
fact prevented the anxious head of
many family living in that district
from communicating with their home.
and the consequence was that great
numbers of distracted husbands and
fathers were soon hurrying to the
Highlands to see what misfortune, if
any, had happened to their loved ones.
The wind here seemed to veer
upward and for space of block did
but little damage.
Destruction on Browns Hill.
Browns Hill lay in the path of the
storm, and within two or three blocks
nearly q hundred houses were demol-
ished and several lives lost and O
number Of persons more or less seri-
ously injured. The houses in that
part of town were mostly one-story
cottages and went down with the first
gust Of wind, burying their occu-
pants under the wreckage. In its &C.
centric course the tornado seemed to
strike that section with renewed
force. A great many of these cot
tages were owned by their occupants,
who lost everything in the world they
possessed when their houses and their
furniture were destroyed.
Az AV0uGaie