The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-06-05
TORNADO
SWEEPS GAINESVILLE.
ONE HUNDRED LIVES LOST, $50 INJURED.
AND 500 HOMELESS.
The Property Loss Will Probably Exceed
A Half Million D0llarS-Details Of
The Terrible Disaster.

nado OF terrific force struck Gainee
vile Monday afternoon out of clear
sky, causing fearful loss of life in
this city and New Holland and White
Sulphur. 1t now seems certain that
}the death list will not be mnoh short
of one hundred; perhaps somewhat
over hundred, considering the mum
ber of dangerously wounded, whose
chances for recovery cannot now be
calculated. But through all the
yloom and desolation that surrounded
\ he town like pail of darkness there
.radiates beam of hope and encour-
agement-hope that the death list
may not be go numerous as reported;
and encouragement to those who are
80 bravely and devotedly assisting in
the work of relief.
The death dealing storm appeared
suddenly little before O'Clock,
aid within two minutes it had killed
nearly hundred persons, torn two
stories from the five floor brick fac
tory of the Gainesville Cotton Mills,
demolished almost two hundred cot.
tages, RACED two brick stores to the
ground and blown down innumerable
outbuildings. BY what appears to
be miracle the tornado's fury was
confined to the outskirts of the city,
the maln business and residence por-
tion not being touched. Torrents of
rain accompanied the wind, but within
five minutes after the first onslaught
the sun WAS shining upon a scene of
fearful destruction.
The list of the dead is confined
mainly to operatives of the Gaines.
Vile Cotton Mills and the Pacolet
Cotton Mills, and two. thirds Of chem
were women and children.
The tornado did it's appalling work
in such an
INCREDIBLY SHORT TIME
that it is difficult to obtain a cohe-
rent description of its character. It
appears to have swept down from the
southwest, striking the Gainesville
Mills with roar like the report of
artillery. After lifting two stories
from the structure it swept on to-
ward the northward, leaving trail
OF destruction along Summit street,
which is Inhabited almost exclusively
by negroes. Nearly a hundred cot
tages Of colored people on this street
were lovelled to the ground, bnt by
Il fortunate circumstance tho tenants
were all absent. having left tho city
in the m 'rning to take part in II uo-
gro picnic.
The furious wind next deaoenind
on the plant Of 'he
PACoLET COTTON MILLS,
at NeW Holland, two miles from the
Southern station. This is one of the
largest cotton mills in the South, em
ploying more than ak hundred hands.
The storm spared the Pac'let factory,
but entirely demolished hundred
OF its co,tages standing nearby and
tenanted by it's operatives. Here tn
fatalities we're grentest, upwards OF
thirty five persons heiug buried in
the ruins Of the cottages. Bodies
we're blown hundreds Of yards and
many Of them when picked up bore
no semblance to humanity. The
trunk Of one young boy was founG
with the head taken off as if by the
guillotlne.
From New Holland the tornado
swept onward to the east in the di
rection of White Sulphur, town O
about one hundred persons. The
extent Of it's destruction thele can
not now be definitely told, but re-
ports 80 far received indicate consid
cradle loss Of life.
The bodies Of most of the dead il
the two cotton mills were fearful,
torn and mangled; the skulls Of man,
of them were crushed and the limb
broken; some we're torn and orushe'
about the abdomen, with tho viscer
visibIy protruding. The local ply
sicians who gave the first aid to tn
injured say tho sights were horribl
beyond description.
KILLED AND WOUNDED.