The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-05-30
TORNADO STRIKES UNION.

Three People Killed on Knitting
Mill Hill and a Number Injured.
School House and Two Resi-
dences Torn to SpIinters. Many
Buildings Blown Down Through
the Comfy IN the Track of the
Storm. Several People More or
at PacOIet and Three i'm the Lower
Portion of the State.
On Sunday afternoon, about four
o'clock, a fearful tornado visited Union
and played havoc generally. 1t was the
first thing of the kind in the history of
the town. A number of bad storms
have passed through this county, but
owing to the peculiar location Of the
town the storms strike one ridge or the
other and are turned away from the
town. This time it seemed that there
were two storms, one from the north
and one from the southwest, and the two
met in this vicinity. Several roofs were
lifted from houses in and about town,
but the center of the storm seemed to
strike Knitting Mill hill Two hoeses
situated upon the hill southwest of the
mill were struck and literally torn to
pieces. The first house was occupied by
Misses Sallie Hart and her afflicted sister
and Miss Annie Lawson. Seeing the
storm coming and fearing their house
would be struck these ladies ran to the
next house occupied by the Sims families
and Mabry family for refuge, but in going
there two of them went to their death
Their own house was totally wrecked
and so was the house in which they had
taken refuge. There were in the Sims
house when the storm struck it, Mr.. and
Mrs. Lee Sims and daughter, Mr.. and Mrs.
MaxW ell Sims and little daughter Vera,
Mr.. Vernon Mabry, wife and child, Miss
Sallie Hart and sister and Miss Annie
Lawson. Miss Sallie Hart and Miss Annie
Lawson were instantly killed when the
house collapsed hy the chimney and
timbers falling upon them. Mr.. Lee
Sims received very ugly cash in the
forward and another behind the ear.
His wife was badly cut ia the face. Mr..
V. Mabry was badly hurt by timbers
and the hot stove falling on him. His
| shoulder was fractured and his leg badly
burned before he could be released. Mrs.
Maxwell Sims received injuries from
which she died at 4:20, in half an h our
after the occurrence. Mr.. Maxwell
Sims escaped with a dislocated finger.
His little child, Vera, received severe
injuries about the head from which she
was not expected to recover, but We are
glad to say that the doctor reports good
chances for her. The other occupants
received only slight injuries. Mr..
Mabry's infant was uninjured, When
one views the complete wreck of the
house he cannot help exclaim what a
miracle that any occupant escaped alive.
Nearly every physician in town were
soon upon the scene. Drs. Lawson and
Going possibly arrived first, and were
busy at work when we arrived upon the
scene a few minutes la ter Everything
possible was done and done at once for
the relief of the sufferers. The dead
wor0 carried to friond'o houses white the
injured were taken to the closest houses.
President Emslie Nicholson and Manager
Gault soon arrived and took charge of
affairs and by the help of the police en-
deavored to keep the crowd out Of the
rooms where the sufferers lay. Every
Ole seemed anxious and willing to lend
any assistance in their power.
The two next houses on the line with
the wrecked ones were partially wrecked.
The storm then jumped across the street,
missing two other houses, and completely
wrecked the school building. The roof
of the knitting mill was taken off. A
feather bed was blown from one of the
demolished houses to hillside 300 yards
away, while plank was blown half mile
or more away. The damage to the
knitting mill property will probably
reach $1,000. Mrs. J. r. Anderson
while attempting to leave her house
thinking it was going, tie others going
out ahead Of her through side door,
had the door jerked out of her hand by
the wind breaking in the front door, the
door slammed shut catching her inside
the house. The side of the building was
immediately blown out, however, and
she rushed out through the opening made
and escaped uninjured.
THE WORK OF THE STORM ELSEWHERE.
The stores of Bailey Il Copeland and
Z. G. Humphres were unroofed, The
store doors of the Dispensary and of
Morgan " Wagnon were blown open.
The front OF the livery stable of c.
Whitlock was torn off. The ceiling of
Meng's store was split from the wind
through the stove flew. The roof was
blown off w. K. Rays steam mill. The
two pest houses were blown down and
wrecked. The negro houses on the
Cohen place were blown down and a
negro woman seriously if not fatally in
jured. The chimney of Mr. p. G.. Whis-
eDant's house was blown through the
roof and broke through the ceiling
barely missing the occupants of the |
Il l,..t 4