The age-herald., 1901-03-27
Thousands View Havoc Wrought
 Under Sunny Skies
TIE RUIN IS APPALLING
Stricken District Presents a Busy Scene-Soldiers on Guard Day and Night-Street Cars are Do-
 ing Big Business.
After the storm the calm.

After the storm the calm.
 Yesterday cloudless skies and balmy breezes succeeded the rain and fury of Mondays tempest. It was beautiful spring day and thousands thronged the tornado-swept district The terrible de- struction and desolation was more fully realized by the contrast between nature smiling and at peace and the desolation wrought by the elements in their fury.
 The storm-stricken district presented busy scene Everywhere furniture and household effects were being carted off, roofs being patched ana chimneys built The linemen were gathering up coils or broken wires, and here and there clothes line man was hanging out blankets, bedding and clothes to dry The ] blue-coated sentinels kept guard and the best of order regned.
 The soldiers have done good work, Troop D went on duty at o'clock Mon day afternoon and kept guard during the night and all day yesterday. Company A from Woodlawn, and Companies K. and G, from this city, have all done faith full service.
 How long will you remain on duty?'  a member of Troop D was asked yester- day afternoon.
 'The Lord only knows" was his reply. night This was negro man, who was found with a tub gathering up clothes. When arrested he explained that he was getting up the weeks laundry for his wife. This excuse did not ''go" with the soldiers, and he was marched to the guard house.
 Scene of Desolation.
 One of the most terrible scenes of desc a lation is the block between Nineteenth and Twentytieth streets and Avenuf Eighth and Ninth, south. On this blct ,:
 
 only two houses are left standing
 The block between Eighth and Ninth avenues and Twenty and Twenty third streets presents another scene of ruin. From the hill at Ninth avenue and Twenty-third street is view of wreck age and destruction long to be remem- bered In the valley below there were no houses, but the valley is strewn with timbers and wreckage blown from the hill above
 Tn viewing this part of the city, it can truthfully be said it looks like a cy- clone struck it.
 Passing eastward along Ninth avenue in the pathway of the cyclone, the strange vagaries of the wind are noticed. One house will be uninjured, and the next and curious to see one man enjoying the sunshine of yesterday, sitting in a rock ing chair on his piazza, while his next door neighbor was carting off debris or patching his roof.
 Negroes "Layed Down."
 The news of Monday nights mass meet ing in behalf of the sufferers quickly spread among them. and 1t caused some of the negroes to Hay down" on the relief committed Some who were hard at work helping themselves, immediately quit work as soon as they learned that others were to help them.
 An incident illustrating this occurred yesterday. A negro man was given an order by Street Foreman Coleman, on Warden Newman at the city jail for meals for himself, his wife and five chill dren. He took the order but when he learned that he was to get only jail fare, he demanded that he begiven an order on restaurant. The result was he got and got drunk.
 The street cars going through the storm district did an immense business All day long they were crowded with the regular travellers ana those OraWn to the scene through curiosity. Early in the day the Twentieth street line was running and the Lakeview and Twenty-third street line was soon put in temporary running or der. In short while the poles blown down will be replaced and everything be In ship-shape before.
 Photographers at Work.
 Many pictures of the wrecked houses were taken. Kodak parties were quiet the fad, and many a fair young girl with sympathy expressed in her face, was busily engaged, nevertheless, in pressing the button. The photographer will do all the rest at the nominal sum of--well, that doesn't matter.
 Altogether 1t was a scene long to be re- membered, and the first scene of it's kind ever witnessed in Birmingham, and prob ably the first ever seen by nine-tenths of the sightseers.