Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-06-04

Gainesville, Ca, June within
| the space of two minutes today tor
nado dealt death and destruction to
| the city of Gainesville and environs,
killing at least 100 people, wounding
| $50 more, and ieveling 100 cottages
| to the ground and tearing two sto-
| ries off of the factory of the Gaines
vile cotton mill. Of the killed prob
ably two-thirds were women and chill
| dren, who were operators in the cot
ton mills.
The storm came from the south out
of almost clear sky, swooping down
on the Gainesville cotton mills and
| the Southern railroad station at nj
| teen minutes before l o'clock.
| With a terrible crash the two upper
stories of the building were swept
away, leaving thirty-two operators
| dead il the ruins.
Cottages Razed.
The cyclone then swept around the
| outskirts of the city to the suburb
| of New Holland, two miles away,
| where are located the Pacolet cotton
mills, one of the largest institutions
| of this character in the South. The
plant of the Pacolet company was
not seriously damaged, but probably
| 100 cottages standing nearby, occu-
| pied by operators, who were employed
| in the mills, were completely demol-
| ished, killing thirty-three people.
These were mostly women and chill
dre1, as the heads Of the families were
nearly all in the factory at work.
The store of Joseph Logan, near
| Gainesville cotton mills, was crushed
to ruins by the wind, and eight men
who had taken refuge in it were in
stantly killed.
| The Jones general store met SIM
liar fate, and in the ruins one man
and one woman were crushed to
death The woman was Mrs. Jones,
| the wife of the proprietor.
Reports from White Sulphur, seven
miles from Gainesville, are to the ef-
| feet that the storm struck there with
terrific force, killing dozen people.
This, however, is not absolutely con-
| firmed.
Killed and Wounded.
DR.. Smith, city physician, Gaines
vile, SAYS he has visited one hun
dred wounded, a1d he's personal know
ledge of one hundred dead,
The property loss at the Pacolet
| mills occasioned by the destruction
of the cottages and outbuildings is
estimated at $4,000, and the Gaines
vile cotton mills are damaged to the
extent of $4,000.
The local physicians were unable
to cope with the situation, and sur
geons and medical supplies have been
offered sent from Atlanta.
| A special train carrying corps OF
surgeons and supplies arrived tonight,
making the total number of physicians
now in the city aboTt forty.
A meeting was held tonight to or
| ganize a relief committee, at which
| it was decided to issue an appeal to
the public for funds to assist the mill
| operators who are thrown out of
work.
| Gainesville, it is stated, can take
care of those now suffering, but there
will be considerable distress occa-
stoned by the closing down of the
mills.
The physicians who have assisted
in the work of rescue state that the
scenes at the mills were appalling,
| the victims being crushed and man
gled in every conceivable manner.
Results OF the Storm.
AS near as can be calculated at
| this hour (midnight), the results are
eighty-five men, women and children
| lead. and perhaps forty more fatally
| injured, with property loss of some
| thing like 100000. The death list
is yet imperfect, as not all the bodies
| have been recovered and identihed.
Many of them were mangled beyond
recognition, the only means OF 1denti-
| fication being the records OF the two
cotton mills, in which most OF the
victims worked.
The death dealing storm appeared
suddenly before / o'clock, and within
two minutes it had killed nearly a
hundred people, torn two stories from
| the five floor brick factory of the
Gainesville cotton mills, demolished
almost 200 cottages, rezed two brick
stores to the ground ald blown down
| innumerable Dutbuildings. BY what
appears to be miracle, the tornado $
fury was confined to the outskirts OF
the city, the main business and resi-
dence portion not being touched. Tor
rents of rain accompanied the wlad,
but within five minutes after its first
onslaught the sun was shining upon
| scene of fearful desolation.
List of the Dead.
The list of the dead is confined
mainly to the operatives Of the Gaines
vile cotton mills and the Pacolet cot
| ton mills, and two-thirds of them were
| uou,eu and children
The list of the dead so far obtain
able, at the Gainesville cotton mills
and il and around the vicinity OF the
Southern depot, follows:
Homer Ash, Gordon Ash, Maude
Gordon, Miss Loggins, Mary Duncan,
Miss Woody. Knowles, Ed Ma
| bors, Mrs. ]. M. Camp and baby, -
| Waddelf, Ethel Lille, Lula Jackson,
Miss Clack, Claude Shedd, Annie
| Garrett, Jack Murphy, Grady Lee,